Smoke and Nachos
Recently for dinner, I made nachos— a favorite in our household. I used a brand of plant-based “cheddar” shreds that I had not used before (we are dairy-free). They didn’t melt, so I turned on the broiler. After a few minutes, the shreds still weren’t really melted, but now they were now charred too. (see photo). I burst into tears and left the kitchen for my bedroom. My daughter followed me asking, “why are you crying?” I curled up on the bed and said in a teary voice, “what are we going to do for dinner?” My daughter said there was plenty of other food and the nachos could probably be salvaged (she was right on both accounts).
My tears were because I was beating myself up. No, I’m not a perfectionist. If I mess up something I know how to do (I taught myself to cook gourmet food starting at age 14), then I feel like, “Stupid, you should have known better.” My inner critic comes out. Hey wait a minute, a theater critic can pan or praise a performance. So why is my inner critic always negative? I think my inner critic (and yours) should come out at times of triumph too and praise your performance. Looking back on my life, I can see times when my inner critic was not a critic at all, but a cheerleader instead. I’ll call it my inner voice from now on. When I injured myself backpacking through the Rockies at 22, my inner voice praised me for sticking it out no matter how hard it was for me. I remember telling the trip leaders that I am not a quitter, but my body is telling me that I am injured. I was right.
I think we all should all call it an “inner voice” so we give it the opportunity to praise as well as pan our performance. Maybe then next time, I won’t run out of the kitchen crying, but instead praise my abilities but pan my execution just like a theater critic might say of a talented actor that he/she sucks in his/her current role.
(P.S. The salvaged nachos tasted fine with a heavy dollop of sour cream.)
Easy Nachos
Saute 1 medium onion chopped, 1 medium bell pepper chopped and 2-3 cloves crushed garlic in a 10” skillet coated with olive oil. for 3 minutes Add 1 C. corn kernels (canned or frozen), 1 C. diced tomatoes with green chilis, and 1 15 oz. can black beans. Once heated through, spoon over tortilla chips (about 2/3 a bag) on a tinfoil-lined baking sheet. Top with a bag of cheese shreds (plant-based or dairy). Bake at 400 for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream and chopped avocado (or guacamole) as toppings.