Making a meal of it

I confess, I looked at the ingredients for this dish and I thought it didn't really sound like an entree, but rather a list of ingredients for nachos. Not that I don't love nachos (and I confess, I even like the ones you get in the movie theater with fake cheese poured over them.... mmmmm), but it wasn't exactly a main dish, at least from the ingredients. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, particularly since, if I told the kids that we were having nachos for dinner, I was pretty sure that the response would be positive. Surprised, but positive!

And in actual fact, this does turn out to be a substantial main dish in itself, and another one I'm adding to my growing veggie repertoire. It turns out you can make a meal of nachos :-) The recipe comes from the magazine Everyday with Rachel Ray, and you can throw it together almost as quickly as a bowl of nachos. I did add some tomato, as I thought it needed another color to make it look pretty! It needs nothing more than a nice salad to accompany it, and the warmth of the chiles (warmth, rather than heat, don't worry) is perfect for the darker, cooler evenings of fall.

Baked Green Chile Chilaquiles
Serves 5

2 TBSP olive oil
2 poblano chiles, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups mild green tomatillo salsa
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), plus more for garnish
8 oz bag of corn tortilla chips
10 oz Monterey Jack, shredded (you could use mild cheddar instead)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, sliced
2 green/spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet and cook the chiles over medium/high heat, until beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook for a further 20 seconds. Stir in the salsa and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Set aside.
3. Place half the chips in a 2 qt baking dish. Top with half of the salsa mixture, half the cheese and half the beans. Repeat the layers with remaining chips, salsa, cheese and beans.
4. Bake until casserole is hot and the cheese melts (18-20 minutes).
5. Garnish with avocado slices, green onions, tomato and remaining cilantro before serving the lime wedges.