Breakfast Nachos

Serves 8
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 1 hour

“You got your nachos in my breakfast.” “No, you got your breakfast in my nachos.” OMG, it’s breakfast nachos!

These are loaded with all of the brunchy requirements: scrambled tofu, roasted potatoes, avocado salsa and a creamy, cheesy, cashew sauce. They’re great for sharing with a crowd or for a slightly messy breakfast in bed. It’s definitely “company food.” You don’t want to eat breakfast nachos alone, unless you really really love yourself.

You can make a few huge plates for everyone to share, perhaps as the savory component of a brunch. Because, yes, nachos are a great appetizer before pancakes. Or make little individual servings. Either way, just remember to layer ingredients between the layers of chips. I hate when all of the fun stuff is just dumped on top and you’re left with empty chips at the end. An empty chip is just a crime.

There are a few components here, but it’s very easy to put together. None of them are crazy difficult. While the potatoes roast, you can pretty much prepare everything else, just remember to set a timer because you don’t want to burn the taters. It’s always been my opinion that brunch without potatoes is like going whale watching but seeing no whales. It’s fine, but next time, gimme some whales.

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Notes

~ If you don’t feel like nachos (who doesn’t feel like nachos?), these make great breakfast tacos as well. Maybe just add some shredded lettuce.

~ If you’d like to make the salsa a day in advance, that’s cool! Just leave the avocado out until ready to serve, because it will brown if you leave it in the salsa. When ready, just dice and fold in.

~ The cheesy sauce is great in advance, too. Although you’ll want to bring it to room temp before serving. You can even just gently heat it up and it’ll be yummy that way.

Ingredients

For the potatoes:
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, diced 1/2 inch
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt

For the scrambled tofu:
1 tablespoon olive oil
Small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz extra firm tofu
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the melty cheezy sauce:
1 cup unroasted cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours, drained
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons mellow white miso
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt to taste

For the avocado salsa:
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced into thin rings
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Pinch salt
1 avocado, diced medium

To assemble:
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (a 15-oz can, rinsed and drained)
1 big bag restaurant style tortilla chips
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Hot sauce for serving

Directions

Roast the potatoes:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

On the prepared baking sheet, toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt. Cook for about 30 minutes, tossing once or twice, until golden and tender. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack until ready to use.

Make the scrambled tofu:
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 minutes, until onion is translucent. Break the tofu apart into bite sized pieces, sprinkle with salt, and cook for about 10 minutes. Get under the tofu with a thin metal spatula now and then as it cooks, scrape the bottom and don’t let it stick to the pan, that is where the good, crispy stuff is.

Add the cumin and turmeric, with a few splashes of water if it seems dry. Toss to incorporate, and let the turmeric color the tofu – it should be a nice bright yellow. Add the nutritional yeast and lime juice and cook for about 5 more minutes. Taste for salt. Cover with tin foil to keep warm until ready to assemble.

Make the cheezy sauce:
Puree everything in a blender until absolutely smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula occasionally. This could take 2 to 5 minutes, depending on your blender. Remember to give the motor a rest every minute or so.

Make the avocado salsa:
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the avocado. Get them really well incorporated and let them sit for 5 minutes or so to get the tomatoes to release some juice and for the flavors to meld. Fold in the avocado.

Assemble:
Whether you’re making big shareable or little individual servings, zig zag a little cheezy sauce on the bottom of the plate. Place a layer of chips on the plate, layer with sauce, tofu, potatoes, beans, and salsa, then add another layer of chips and repeat. Garnish with cilantro and serve!