I’m not Mexican in any way, but I wanted to do a celebratory dinner for Cinco de Mayo. And what better food to celebrate with than nachos? If I were stranded on a desert island and only allowed 5 foods, they would be (in no particular order):
- McIntosh apples
- Kale
- Pretzels
- Those red gummy hearts coated in sugar sold for Valentine’s Day
- and Nachos
I know I’m a dietitian but if I’m going to be stranded, let me have my fun. And while nachos for dinner doesn’t sound like a nutritious meal, it can be. Nachos are topped with many healthful ingredients, like beans, veggies, avocado, and the world’s best condiment – salsa! Really for me, the chips are just a vehicle to get salsa into my mouth. I eat so much of it I count it towards my daily veggie servings. Head to your local bar and their nachos won’t win any heart-healthy awards, since they’re usually smothered in cheese, sour cream, and ground beef over a bed of greasy, salty chips. Needing to fit into my wedding dress in just over a month, I decided to create the better-for-you version of nachos.
I started off by baking my own chips using small whole wheat tortillas. I cut them into triangles, spayed with cooking spray and sprinkled with salt before baking them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until they browned.
Next I diced my veggies – bell peppers and green onions, and drained a can of black beans.
Then I shredded a block of soy mozzarella using this nifty grater I got from OXO. I love that all the shreds fall right into the container at the bottom – genius! I shredded the whole block but stored leftovers in the container in the fridge.
Next I made a simple guacamole using one avocado, some hot sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Ole! Did you know if you keep the pit in the guac it’ll slow down the browning process?
Funk and I each had our own his-and-her plate of nachos to top. I put them in pie dishes so we could pop them right in the oven.
After about 10 minutes in the oven, they came out perfect! We topped them with salsa (half of a jar for me, I’m not ashamed to admit) and a scoop of guacamole. We enjoyed them right at our kitchen table, nowhere near a desert island, though the thought of escaping to an island with a plate of nachos is pretty appealing…
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
