I’m home for a few days on spring break, so I knew I would finally have lots of time to cook. The farmers market in Houston isn’t open until Saturday, so I couldn’t do my normal farm to table routine today. However, I thought scouring my parents’ refrigerator for whatever veggies they had and using them so that they didn’t go to waste was still consistent with my Bug Bites mission.

Here’s my loot:

I knew I wanted to spice up these veggies to make them a little more interesting. Jerk seemed appropriate. Why do people usually reserve bold seasonings and spices for meat? No more, I say! Jerk, meet veggies. Veggies, meet jerk.

My jerk seasoning is a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, ground allspice, sugar, salt and pepper. It is smokey, sweet, savory, spicy, and did I mention delicious?

Chop up all yo veggies into bite-sized chunks. This is my kind of “taste the rainbow.”

Toss the veggies with olive oil and almost all of the jerk seasoning. Add it by tablespoon and stop when the veggies seem well-seasoned, but not overwhelmed. Save the rest for a future recipe! Pop the veggies in a 475 degree oven for half an hour, stirring halfway through.

While the veggies roast, start making the tortilla chips.

Cut each tortilla in half, then divide the halves into three segments.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and lay out the tortillas. Spray the tops with non-stick spray also and sprinkle with salt.

Pull the veggies out and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Try to avoid eating allll the veggies before the tortillas are done cooking. Pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

Once you’ve made these, you’ll never go back to Tostitos. They are so easy and seriously addicting. I like making snacks and treats like this at home because I eat much more mindfully. Instead of thoughtlessly snacking on a whole bag of tortilla chips, I’ll make one tortilla worth of chips and really enjoy them.

Pile the chips onto an oven safe dish. I’m using a pizza tray, but a cast iron skillet or even a cookie sheet would work as well.

Layer the chips with a sprinkle of cheese. I chose an organic mexican blend from Whole Foods, but feel free to use any shredded cheese of your liking.

Pile on the veggies. I added another layer of cheese and veggies because the more the merrier, right? If you couldn’t tell, getting carried away is a recurring theme on bug bites. Oops!

Slide these into the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty and seductive and bubbly and perfect.

Sprinkle with queso fresco and chopped cilantro. I also added a squeeze of lime at the last second and it took these already irresistible nachos to the next level. Attention spice lovers: top with sliced jalapeño, but beware since there is already cayenne in the veggies!

Jerk Veggie Nachos

Serves: 2

Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered

1 zucchini squash, sliced and quartered

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

3 T olive oil

4 corn tortillas, cut into 6 wedges each

2 oz Mexican blend shredded cheese

Queso fresco and cilantro for garnish

Jalapeño, sliced (optional)

1 lime wedge

For the spice blend:

1 T onion powder

1 T ground allspice

1/2 T garlic powder

1/2 T dried thyme

1/2 T sugar

1/2 T salt

1/2 T cracked black pepper

1 t ground ginger

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground nutmeg

1 t cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Coat the veggies in olive oil and almost all of the jerk seasoning. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. While the veggies cook, spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and lay out the tortilla wedges. Spray the top side and sprinkle with salt.

When the veggies are done, lower the oven to 350 degrees and cook the tortillas for 10-15 minutes or until they are crispy. On an oven safe dish, layer chips, cheese, and veggies. Add two layers of cheese and veg. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle with queso fresco, cilantro and jalapeño and enjoy!