Ok - so nachos are not health food. That's probably the understatement of the year. But maybe they don't have to be quite so bad.
Start with baked tortilla chips, or bake your own using this simple recipe:
Cut 6" corn tortillas in half and then cut each half into three triangles. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and place the triangles in a single layer. If desired, season with taco seasoning, chile pepper or seasoned salt. Bake until crispy, flipping once during cooking. Each tortilla makes 6 chips, and each chip is a mere 10 calories each - about half the amount as fried chips.
To build your own healthier nachos, start with baked chips and layer them with any (or all) of the following:
- chopped tomatoes
- jalepenos
- low-fat, or fat-free, shredded cheese
- olives
- crumbled cooked Boca burgers
- black beans (canned - rinsed and drained)
- refried beans (get the fat-free version)
- chopped spinach, broccoli, or any vegetable of your choosing
- diced avocado (caloric, so beware, but healthy)
- crumbled Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers
- chopped red & green bell peppers
- sauteed ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning
- roasted corn
- cubed jicama
- roasted tomatillos
The point is that you can add whatever you'd like as a topping for nachos, so feel free to break out of the usual Velveeta mold. The more vegetables you throw on, and the less meat and fatty cheese, the healthier you will be. Need something a bit heartier for the football crowd? Try topping tortilla chips with turkey or veggie chili.
