Recipe: Greek-Style Nachos with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa

GREEK-STYLE NACHOS

"These nachos have a lot more flavor than the standard, restaurant-style nachos, thanks to olives, garlic, herbs, and roasted red peppers. You can use fresh peppers that you roast yourself or use jarred roasted peppers. Keep the salsa chunky or blend it with the yogurt so it is smooth and creamy (see Twist It below)."

2 bags (6 ounces each) pita chips (or 10 cups homemade chips)
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
8 ounces (1 cup) mild feta, crumbled
1/2 cup thinly sliced pepperoncini
1/2 cup green Greek olives, (such as Mt. Athos), pitted and sliced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
Roasted Red Pepper Salsa (recipe folllows)
1/2 cup fat-free Greek-style yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the pita chips in a single layer on a baking sheet or a large heatproof platter. Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the chips. Scatter the pepperoncini over the cheese.

Bake just until the cheese is melted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter olives and cherry tomato quarters over the top.

Spoon some of the red pepper salsa on the nachos and dab on small dollops of Greek yogurt. Place the remaining salsa in a serving bowl.

Serve the nachos right away with the remaining salsa on the side for dipping.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SALSA

1/2 cup strips of roasted red pepper from a jar* (or 1 large red pepper, roasted)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cut the red peppers into a medium dice and mix in a bowl with the garlic, salt, and oregano. Stir in the olive oil. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to meld the flavors.

TWIST IT:

SMOOTH SALSA SAUCE:
Add the roasted peppers, garlic, salt, and oregano to a food processor and pulse until ingredients are pureed. (You don't need to mince the garlic and oregano; just chop them coarsely.) With the motor running, pour in the olive oil and process until the mixture is completely smooth. Scrape the puree into a small bowl and mix in the yogurt until blended. Taste and add more salt if necessary. As soon as you pull the warm nachos from the oven, drizzle the sauce over the top.

*Jarred peppers are great and require much less time from the cook. You can keep them in your pantry and whip up this salsa in about a minute and a half.

Makes 6-8 servings
Adapted from source: Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist by Cat Cora with Ann Krueger Spivack