These remind me of my mom. Not only did my mom accidentally teach me how to line a cookie sheet with cheddar cheese, brown it in the oven, and eat it with a spoon (cause, you know, I was, uh… watching), but she also taught me what a proper nacho is.

Now, in some quarters it’s argued that a big ole pile of nachos is best. Of course, that’s insane. Everyone knows individual nachos are superior, because each one is a perfect little presentation of flavor, a Tex-Mex canape. First, a layer of refried beans, then a layer of melted cheese, then, perhaps some lettuce or tomato or guacamole our sour cream, and then a single, perfect jalapeño.

If you just pile ‘em all up on a big plate, and scoop on a bunch of beans and cheese and toppings, you end up with a soggy center and a whole bunch of tortilla chips totally devoid of toppings. All the ingredients mix together in a big pile of sludge. Gross.

For these nachos, I pan-fried some locally made, fresh flour tortillas. Then I made a batch of Vegan Explosion Queso and, while that was getting started, warmed up a can of vegetarian refried beans. I then assembled the nachos, finishing each one off with a tiny green circle of fire. Perfect.