[2] Nacho Tuesday substitutes for Taco Tuesday (photo courtesy Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

You can combine Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday with meatless tacos, like this recipe for Veggie Hummus Tacos (photo #1) from Mountain Mama Cooks.

You get a nice portion of mixed veggies, along with nutrient-packed* hummus.

And, you don’t have to be literal on Taco Tuesdays. You can serve taco chips with a hummus-nacho dip, as in the recipe below.

If you don’t want either vegan or vegetarian† tacos for your main course, try this starter from our colleague Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog. She serves it with a selection of tortilla chips, plain and flavored.

“Nacho hummus,” Hannah says, “delivers all the cheesy, spicy decadence of a good queso dip with the more substantial heft of a chickpea spread. The two rivals compliment and contrast one another: a natural union that has been long overdue.

“Whether you smear it in pita, thin it out to drizzle on tortilla chips, or just set it out with cut vegetable crudités, it’s a foolproof formula.”

 
RECIPE: HUMMUS NACHOS

Ingredients For 6-10 Appetizer Servings

 
Plus

1. ADD the chickpeas, roasted red pepper, tomato paste, chipotle, and garlic and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse to breaking down the ingredients, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

2. ADD the tahini, mustard and all the seasonings and spices, starting with just 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.

3. PURÉE, and while the motor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, until the mixture is silky-smooth and it reaches your desired consistency. If you’d like it to be more of a sauce than a spread, follow that with water or vegetable stock, as needed.

4. ADJUST the spice level to taste. Top with sliced scallions and dip the day away!

Tortilla chips and corn chips are cousins, are made in very different ways.
 
Corn Chips

 
Tortilla Chips, A.K.A. Taco Chips

This ancient process was developed by the peoples of what is today Mesoamerica.

 
 
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*Hummus contains crucial nutrients, most of which come from the tahini: a high content of important minerals like copper and manganese, along with calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. It is relatively rich in vitamins C and B6, and also contain vitamin E, K, folate (B9) and thiamin (B1).

†The difference, in this recipe, is sautéeing the vegetables in oil (vegan) or steaming or roasting them, versus sautéeing in butter (vegetarian).

[4] Nopalito’s handmade tortilla chips at (photo courtesy Good Eggs).