💛 Vegan Verde Nachos 💛 w/soy chorizo crumbles

I want to share with you my quick and easy recipe for making gluten free and vegan nachos. I know, I know, I know what you're saying...I can still have my nachos?!

Why, yes, yes you can. Feast your eyes upon THIS:

Here's the main ingredients of what you need. Trader Joe's is where I got everything!

You will also need....

Ok not THAT much cilantro!! Just a small bunch of the stalks will do.

First, take a green pepper and chop it into even sized cubes. I used green pepper here because it goes with an overall green theme I applied to this recipe (hello heart chakra healing!), but you could use any color pepper you like.

💛A few fun facts about bell peppers:

• Green peppers are actually yellow and red pepper wannabes...they were just harvested before they had time to turn yellow, orange, or red.

• A lavender colored pepper actually exists!

• By nutrition a bell pepper is a vegetable, but by plant science it is in fact a fruit!

• Bell peppers are high in antioxidants, Vitamin C and are a natural form of Vitamin A

• Bell peppers are high in nutrients, low in calories, and give that satisfying crunch we crave

Source: Dr. Axe

Next, take the soy chorizo and cut open 1/2 of the casing. Squeeze out the soy chorizo into a saute pan. Add several dashes of cumin until evenly coated, or alternatively, you can saute with salsa if desired. Cumin is a powerful and healthy spice which adds a nice "zing" to the dish.

💛A few fun facts about cumin:

• Cumin contains excellent amounts of Vitamin E, A, and B-Complex

• It also contains minerals such as zinc, selenium, iron, calcium, and manganese

• Many health properties of cumin seeds are also available in its essential oil form

• For pregnant women and nursing mothers, cumin has been found to help w/morning sickness

• Helpful for weight loss, it can boost the metabolism and energize the body

• In biblical times, cumin seeds were used with fasting and purification of the body

• A small paste of cumin mixed with coconut oil can be used to help insect bites and burns

Source: Medical Medium

After the soy chorizo has darkened just a tiny bit in a few parts, been evenly heated, and coated with some of the cumin, remove from heat. Set next to the chopped green peppers to cool slightly.

Next, arrange a layer of tortilla chips (I like organic blue corn or organic white corn) onto a medium sized plate. I never use large plates as we eat with our eyes too and the smaller sized the plate, the better to portion control with. Drizzle with salsa verde (made with tomatillos, a type of green tomato) to complement the green theme. Spoon the soy chorizo mixture over the tortilla to add on as if it was your "meat" layer. (You do not have to reheat the salsa if the soy chorizo mixture is still hot from the stove.) Arrange the sliced green peppers and additional salsa verde. Here you can also add some chopped red tomato for color if desired.

Next, take a small bunch of cilantro and, using kitchen scissors, cut off the stems into 1/2 to 1 inch sections and arrange that on top of the nachos. What's really fun about this recipe is that the stems of the cilantro are often underutilized (as we all favor the leaves) but they are just as every bit flavorful and healthy. Here is a way we can make full use of it all!

You can also top with some pickled red and white cabbage for extra color as I have done so below. Simply arrange raw shredded cabbage in a glass dish with 1 part rice vinegar: 1.5 parts water and add some raw sugar. Let sit for 4-6 hours to soften.

And that's it! Before you know it, you will be singing the praises of homemade vegan gluten free nachos on the fly like ...

Julie Ann Fae is a passionate plant based foodie who loves all things nature, spirituality, and playfulness. Following a plant based diet gives her health, energy, wealth, and vitality, and she loves encouraging and inspiring others to implement the same. Find her at julieannfae.com where she also chats all things astrology, angel cards, and more. If you enjoy her blog, treat her to a cup of tea here or check out the images below!