Here's Why 2014 Was A Great Year For Nachos

From waffle nachos to totchos (tater tot nachos), 2014 was a golden year for one of our favorite foods.

Looking back on 2014, it was a great year in food. We saw some seriously stellar recipes from food bloggers, some incredibly inventive ice cream flavors, some jaw-dropping slow cooker recipes and some marvelous moments in pizza. Here at HuffPost Taste we built a waffle ice cream tower cake that brought us to our knees, we zoodled, and we learned how to brew coffee like a hipster. Some of our favorite moments in food from this year had nothing to do with new discoveries or food trends, however. They centered around one of the indisputably perfect foods we know: nachos.

We like to call ourselves nacho freaks here at HuffPost Taste. They make the ideal comfort food, party platter and late night snack. We like 'em simple, with nothing but chips and cheese, or loaded, with everything from beer braised chili to baby back ribs on top. In 2014, we saw a lot of superior nachos, and we can only hope 2015 delivers like this year did.

It was a great year for nachos. Take a look:

1
Breakfast Waffle Nachos
Waffle nachos happened this year, and the world stood still. We've seen waffles every which way of late, from piled high in ice cream cakes to constructing some of the most awesome sandwiches we've ever seen. We've also seen just about everything waffled. (Hello leftover stuffing waffles.) Until The Delicious Life created this beautiful invention, we had never seen waffles made into nachos before. We can now transition seamlessly from late night munching to morning feasting. Get the Waffle Nacho recipe from The Delicious Life
2
Irish Tater Nachos
Half Baked Harvest
Tater tots + nachos. Need we say more? When the brilliant food blogger behind Half Baked Harvest featured these epic nachos, which include bacon and sour cream of course, she brought us to our knees. Get the Irish Tater Nachos recipe from Half Baked Harvest
3
Totchos
Buns In My Oven
Half Baked Harvest wasn't the only one making nachos out of tater tots this year. Food blog Buns In My Oven presented Totchos this summer, and made us all nod our heads in approval. We're not fond of most food portmanteaus, but this one is an exception. Get the Totchos recipe from Buns In My Oven
4
California Roll Nachos
Blogger Stephanie behind i am a food blog says it all: "They’re essentially the illegitimate child of Japanese and Mexican cuisine." Stephanie also points out that neither California rolls nor nachos are authentic dishes in their respective cuisines. So it all makes sense, somehow. Get the California Roll Nachos recipe from i am a food blog
5
Loco Moco Nachos
Rebecca Orchant/The Huffington Post
These nachos are based on the Hawaiian dish known as loco moco, which is white rice topped with ground meat, brown gravy and eggs. As Rebecca Orchant explained before turning this dish into nachos, "It is to Hawaii as biscuits and gravy are to the American South -- an absolute gut-bomb charged with curing the most furious of hangovers." Get the Loco Moco Nachos recipe from HuffPost Taste
6
Pork Nachos With Pina Colada Sauce
Oh, Sweet Basil
This may not strike you as delicious off the bat, but let the idea simmer a bit, and the go ahead and try these inventive nachos from food blogger Oh, Sweet Basil. They're golden. Get the Pork Nachos With Pina Colada Sauce recipe from Oh, Sweet Basil
7
Vegan Nachos
Minimalist Baker
We're admittedly suspect of vegan cheese, but as big fans of the food blog Minimalist Baker, we took a chance on these vegan nachos. They're made with cashewless vegan queso, which is only made with vegetables, almond milk, nutritional yeast and spices. J. Kenji López-Alt of Serious Eats made his own vegan nacho cheese sauce this year, and while we've yet to try it out, we're intrigued. Even if real cheese nachos always win out for us over the vegan kind, vegan nachos are definitely impressive. Get the Vegan Nachos recipe from Minimalist Baker
8
Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Nachos
Bev Cooks
Slow cookers had a moment late this year, in no small part, we believe, to the recognition of all the phenomenal nacho toppings you can prepare with the things. Case in point: these epic nachos piled with slow cooked barbecue pork. Get the Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Nachos recipe from Bev Cooks
9
The Amazing Trick To Make The Creamiest Nacho Sauce Ever
The Huffington Post
We at HuffPost Taste shared the easiest trick for making the most incredible, creamiest nacho sauce ever. Want to know the secret? Check out our video. Your life will never be the same.

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