Honestly, any nachos blow my mind. Therefore, there is no reason to not say this “recipe,” is mind-blowing.  And I know what else you’re saying: “April, seriously? I think we all know how to make nachos sans gluten.” Well, first of all, stop mixing your languages and cuisines. And second of all, gluten is a sneaky bastard. Did you know some tortilla chips have soy sauce? Well, one particular brand. And most actually don’t. But still!!!

Okay, I’m just showing off. I like to make my own tortilla chips because it makes me look fancy. Like this –

This is basically my way of justifying writing about and eating my most favorite food in the entire world. Yummy, yummy, yummy nachos.

Yet also, this is a way to show you how to do it without using any processed stuff. Because, hey, do you really want partially hydrogenated lard with BHA and BHT in your refried beans atop your nachos? No you don’t my friend. No you don’t. Fine, maybe you do. Because again, ALL NACHOS ARE AWESOME. It’s just a fact. Oh, except for this one time when I ordered nachos in Ireland. You don’t even want to know what they think nachos are over there. In the name of all things holy, DO NOT EAT NACHOS IN IRELAND.

But if you’re back in America, and want to skip your weekly T.G.I.Friday’s run, you can make your own chips, guacamole, refried beans and even salsa. Also go crazy with carnitas or chili if you’re really going for the nachos supreme. (Chili recipe coming soon!)

I was actually planning to make my own salsa with just a few ingredients (cilantro optional because you people are crazy divided on this one, and I don’t want to get into the middle of that fight). Like this –

Although after I fried my own chips, made my own guacamole, and my own refried beans, I decided to go with the jar. It’s all about making life easy for you gluten-free types who still want to get your nacho on. But in reality, you can make every single ingredient in the nachos yourself. If you time it right, your cheese of choice (I’m on Team Jack & Cheddar, personally) will melt over the warm beans and chips and you will have the perfect plate of nachos. PERFECT.

You can also make your own tortillas, like my friend Macki does, then fry them into chips. She is super impressive, and I’m not quite there yet. Also, gf types, you have to make sure your masa is gluten-free. Some are, some are not. See? That’s how sneaky gluten is.

So this is how you make gluten-free nachos. I know you’re totally going to click. Please?

Gluten-Free Nachos

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Refried Beans —

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups pinto or black beans (your choice), cooked or can
1 shallot, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and diced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 lime

Guacamole —

1 ripe avocado
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons diced jalapeno pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Tortilla Chips–

6 — 8 gluten-free corn tortillas
1 — 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Sea salt

1. Start with the beans. Heat olive oil in medium saucepan and cook shallots and garlic until soft and slightly brown.

2. While the garlic and shallots are cooking, start heating your vegetable oil on medium-high for the chips. The oil should be able to cover the chips fully, and you may need to replenish while cooking. Cut tortillas into fours and place one in the oil so you know when it’s ready to go. You’ll add your tortillas to the oil and cook until brown on each side. Flip with a slotted spoon, and remove from oil and place on paper towel to blot. Sprinkle with sea salt while chips are still warm, then transfer to a large plate as the chips cool. Repeat with batches.

3. While your chips are cooking, go back to your beans and add in cooked beans to shallots and garlic. Add jalapeno, cumin, cayenne and lime and cook on medium for about 5 minutes. When beans are well mixed and well cooked, use potato masher to mash. Turn heat down to low and let simmer until everything else is finished.

4. To make guacamole, cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Slice avocado in pieces and mix with onion, garlic, cumin, jalapeno and cayenne in bowl. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Assemble nachos with chips, beans, cheese, a drizzle of salsa 0r more to taste. Top with guacamole and dig right in.

Makes: One Big-ass Plate of Nachos

There, I just made nachos much more complicated than they need to be. You are welcome.