Nachos (that’s not so naughty) …

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Apart from being delicious, most Mexican food is quite easy to prepare and, with a bit of “know how”, your kitchen will soon be known as the best “cantina” in the neighbourhood. And nothing is more Mexican than Nachos.  It’s always been a popular choice at my house, perfect as a snack, a quick Sunday night meal or great to eat when watching the footy.

This Nachos uses a homemade salsa loaded with rich, juicy tomatoes, tangy lime juice, fresh coriander, protein-rich kidney beans and a hint of chilli, so it’s also perfect for anyone looking for a vegetarian option.  It does take a little bit of work to chop up all the ingredients but once you taste it, you’ll definitely agree it was worth the effort.

My other secrets to making great Nachos are not too much cheese and organic corn chips.  I find it hard to go past the Macro Organic Plain Corn Chips.  They are gluten free (not all Corn Chips are so check the labels) and they don’t have that really salty taste that sees me reaching for a big glass of water.  I also love the round shape because they are easier to eat (no sharp edges) and much easier to scoop up any left over salsa.  Yum!

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So tell me, what’s your favourite Mexican food?

Nachos (that’s not so naughty) …
 
Author:
Ingredients ...
  • 6 roma tomatoes
  • 1 spanish (red) onion
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 420g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 packet corn chips (gluten free, if you prefer)
  • cheese, grated
  • 1 avocado
  • Sour cream, lite
Method ...
  1. Dice tomatoes and onion finely and place in a large bowl.
  2. Add garlic, kidney beans, lime juice, coriander and chilli sauce and mix to combine. Keep a little of the chopped coriander to sprinkle over the dish once it has been removed from the oven or microwave
  3. Mash avocado.
  4. Arrange corn chips on one large plate or several smaller plates for individual serves.
  5. Sprinkle the corn chips with the grated cheese.
  6. Spoon over a generous amount of the salsa.
  7. Bake in the oven at 180C for about 15 minutes but keep an eye on the nachos as you don’t want to burn the chips but the cheese needs to melt. Alternatively, cook in the microwave on High for 1 ½ - 2 minutes (this is the method I use).
  8. Add the mashed avocado and sour cream. Garnish with some extra freshly chopped coriander.

 

 

Clever Tricks, Tips & Hints:

Roma tomatoes are best used for this recipe, as they tend to have less juice inside than a regular tomato.  However, regular tomatoes are fine to use if that’s all you have.

Don’t buy grated cheese as it’s far more expensive than buying a block and grating it yourself.  Once grated, I prefer to store my grated cheese in a glass Pyrex dish in the fridge. Excess grated cheese can also be put in a zip lock bag and stored in the freezer.

Spread the corn chips evenly across the plate/s so you get a good coverage with the cheese and salsa rather than a large mound of chips in the middle of the plate.

If you’re not serving the avocado straight away, add a squeeze of lemon juice and mix through as this will prevent the avocado from going brown.

Comments

  1. I didn’t realise that some corn chips weren’t gluten free. I must take a better look at the packet when I have GF guests over!

    • Sandie says:

      It’s mostly the flavoured varieties like Cheese and Nacho Cheese that contain gluten but it’s always worth checking the packaging.