with brunch.
Oh, you thought I was going to tell you that there was some handsome and worthy gentleman caller in my life? I appreciate you thinking that I am a worthy lady, but that is not where I am going with this.
Unless you are a handsome and worthy gentleman caller. Then, by all means, send me an email. I’ll bake you some cookies. It could be fun.
Besides, a lady never kisses and tells.
I just want to talk about food today.
Not about who I go out to dinner with. Or who I want to see again. Or who I managed to mess things up with. Even though there are some pretty funny stories there. I am just not ready to share those with you.
I don’t want to talk about football, and how the Illini are still not any good at it. (At least those Bears are doing alright…)
I don’t want to talk about those teeth that got pulled Monday because of a paralyzing fear of the dentist.
And definitely not about the friend who is losing her mom to cancer.
I want to talk about the food.
Just the food. There is no deeper meaning here. No search for something better. Just some good food.
I want to talk about the warmth of a breakfast with my parents on a Sunday morning. The crisp, cool breeze of an October morning tempered by a cozy sweater and a hearty brunch.
I want to talk about breakfast nachos. It is a real thing with a name: Chilaquiles.
You cook up some tortilla chips in a sauce, top it with some more things like chicken, cilantro and cheese. Then, if you are really hungry you can add an egg.
- 1 28-ounce can whole fire roasted tomatoes (regular is fine if that is all you can get
- 3 chipotles in adobo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- Salt
- 1 bag each Whole Grain & Blue Corn Way Better Snacks Tortilla Chips (~12 ounces of chips)
- 4 cooked chicken thighs, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
- Sliced radishes to garnish (optional)
- One egg per person (optional)
- In a blender, combine the tomatoes and the chipotles. Blend until smooth.
- In a very large, deep skillet or dutch oven (I would recommend a 5 quart), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the 2/3 of the onion and cook until transparent and starting to brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour the blended tomatoes and chipotles into the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the broth and cook for an additional 2 minutes – you want the sauce to thicken back up.
- Stir in the chips and make sure they are evenly coated in the sauce. Cook for a minute or two, really making sure they are all covered.
- Now is when you should fry up the eggs if you are making them.
- Divide up the chips into individual bowls or put them into a large serving dish.
- Top with the chicken. If you are making this ahead of time, you can stop here and place in a warm oven (150 degrees Fahrenheit)
- When ready to serve, top with remaining onion, cheese, cilantro, radishes (if using) and eggs (if using).
[box] The chips used in this recipe were provided by Way Better Snacks. I met some of their staff at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo back in April, and frankly, I was hooked on the Sweet Chili flavor of chips the minute I tried them. I wouldn’t have used them in a recipe if I didn’t actually like and purchase the product. however, this recipe will work if you just have plain old every day tortilla chips. [/box]