Southwestern Pepper Nachos

This recipe is delectable and is 100% vegetarian! This is even one of my Dad's favorite meals and he is a proud meat-eater.
This recipe only has a few ingredients, so it's affordable for any college budget. Also, it can be made quickly and easily in any dorm kitchen or apartment.
The use of black beans is a heavy enough addition to virtually simulate meat. The beans provide 15 grams of protein, which is 30% of the value needed daily!
This amount of protein is equivalent to a serving of chicken or fish. Who needs meat?

In addition, the vegetables in this dish supply Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Fiber and Potassium, and all this is under 118 calories.
What an incredible way to get a significant portion of the vitamins you need and stay trim in the process!
I found this recipe in the cookbook Choose This! by Chris Freytag.


Ingredients:

6 Red Bell Peppers (These will act as the "nacho" scoop)
8 ounces Pepper Jack Cheese (or substitute for a vegan cheese)
Half a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
Half a cup of frozen corn kernels, thawed
Half a cup of salsa
4 Green Onions, sliced thinly
Sour Cream, optional


Directions:

  1. Preheat broiler setting to high.
  2. Begin cutting up bell peppers, and carefully remove stems and seeds, as these are extremely spicy. You can get about 3 good-sized "nacho" bites out of each pepper.
  3. On a cookie sheet, lay out the peppers so they are concave and facing upward.
  4. Shred or crumble the cheese in a bowl.
  5. Sprinkle half of the cheese inside the peppers.
  6. When the broiler has preheated, set the cookie sheet inside until the cheese has melted. This should take about two minutes.
  7. Pile on the black beans, corn, and the rest of the cheese to your heart's content.
  8. Now place the overflowing peppers back into the broiler to melt the remaining cheese, and beautifully brown the edges. This should take about three minutes.
  9. Remove your creation from the broiler and garnish with sliced green onions, salsa, and sour cream if preferred.
  10. Voila! A delicious vegetarian meal in under 20 minutes.