Vegan Nachos

I love going to vegan restaurants where you can order absolutely anything off the menu--it's so stress free!  But I would also love to go into a chain restaurant and order something and say, "veganize that, please."  Although we try to eat really healthy food at our house, sometimes we get cravings for things that are a little more junky, but vegan nonetheless.  The other day I wanted something quick and easy, and we had just bought some organic tortilla chips and salsa at Costco, but I wanted something a little more substantial--NACHOS!  This is one of those things I would love to order in any restaurant and have then veganize.  I quickly looked in the refrigerator to check on the Daiya Cheese situation, then the pantry to see if I had any canned black beans.  Damn!  Out of black beans, but what do we have here?  A few more cans of Amy's Organic Vegetarian Chili.  Sliced canned black olives, score!  So here's what I threw together in 10 minutes, baked for 15 minutes, and satisfied my family's junk food cravings.  This is also great for parties and potlucks where it can be balanced out by lots of other more healthy options.

Vegan Nachos

• Organic corn tortilla chips (Or make your own by baking corn tortillas; less oil)
• 1 15 oz can Amy's Organic Vegetarian Chili
• 1 small can organic sliced ripe olives
• 1 bag Daiya Cheddar Shreds
• 1 cup or more organic salsa or pico de gallo

Spread enough chips on  a jelly roll pan to completely cover the pan a few chips deep.  Spoon chili over chips, sprinkle with sliced olives, then sprinkle Daiya Shreds on top.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove and spoon salsa/pico de gallo over hot nachos.  Transfer to a platter or individual plates with a spatula and eat out on your deck or patio with some nice vegan brews or margaritas!  If you have some guacamole on hand, serve that on the side as well!

Watch the sodium.  A lot of the above ingredients can be fairly high in sodium, which is why a fresh pico de gallo might be better than jarred salsa (event the organic varieties can have higher sodium content).  Also, I don't think Amy's Chili is anything special in the world of totally tasty homemade vegan chili, but we had bought some to try out, and although it's not my favorite to eat out of a bowl as a meal, it worked great on nachos and made this quick and easy!