Desperate Nachos

Quick! I need nachos, like yesterday. This photo is awful by food porn standards, and most of my food photography is pretty lame, and I'll own it like Mike Tyson owns a tiger in The Hangover. No need to tease me.

A few weeks ago I couldn't stop thinking about nachos, but there weren't any chips in the house--just some chip shrapnel in a bag bordering on stale. I made them and ate them anyway. I call this meal Desperate Nachos. I put everything I possibly could on the pile of tortilla chip dust: daiya, leftover chili, avocado slices, and some of my signature ass of fire salsa. As I was scarfing it all down, I was reminded about one of my favorite literary pieces, Nachos from the Edge by Laurie Weeks. She recalls the time she made nachos from a postcard when there wasn't anything else to eat in her house but a block of cheese. Good times!

I'm so sad salsa season is about over, btw. I'm gonna live on the edge and attempt to take a cutting from one of my cherry tomato plants and keep it alive during the winter.

Tell me about your favorite Desperate Meal.

nacho disaster, my disaster!

this pic is from some 'anything goes' nachos i made about a month ago. they were pretty tasty, but after a lecture from my orthodontist, i've decided to lay off crunchy stuff because i don't want to be wearing my braces into my forties. i used blue corn tortilla chips, rice, broccoli, chickpeas, faux sour cream, and salsa.

these nachos weren't a disaster. this week's disaster was a dish titled "macaroni hates cheese" that i snatched off the ppk forum. it looked so awesome but tasted like vomit. it should have been called "jen hates macaroni hates cheese". it was pretty, i'll post the pic later. i don't like throwing food away, even food that tastes like yuk, so i dressed it up with some baked beans and shredded follow your heart nacho cheese and it was better.

my other (insert melodrama here) let down this week was losing in the farmer's market salsa contest. there were three categories: raw, cooked, and specialty. i entered in the raw category and knew i wouldn't win, but figured i might get second or third place. nothin'. i hate entering contests of any kind for that reason. i hate rejection, and like most people with struggling self-esteem i need some sort of prize winning validation to make me feel like i'm okay.

now that i've had some time to meditate upon this idea--that need for others to be pleased with me, i realize that attitude isn't very vegan. i'm supposed to care for all animals, including humans, and especially including myself. so it doesn't matter if i didn't win a friggin' salsa contest. i know my "ass of fire" raw salsa is awesome.