Dec 15, 2015 in dairy-free, dinner, epicurious, recipes, sides, taste, vegan, vegetarian, avocado, black beans. Read the original on: Simply Quinoa
Classic foods remade with a healthy twist = probably one of my fave things ever.
We’re all about the comforts foods — I mean who isn’t, right? — just maybe not in the ways they’re traditionally made. You know…fried. floured. buttered. fried again. then dipped in sugar. Tasty sure, but pretty much disastrous to your health.
So when we can come up with ways to enjoy not-so-healthy meals in a totally healthy way, I’m all in.
This time….it’s NACHOS.
That’s right. NACHOS. And it’s nachos in all caps because hey, it’s healthy nachos – hard to beat that!
You probably already know what traditional nachos are made with: fried corn tortillas, some sort of shredded meat, loads of cheese and sour cream, then *maybe* topped with some fresh salsa and guac if we’re lucky. Not a whole lot of clean eating foods, but dang are they good.
A few weeks ago Matt and I decided to stay in on a Friday night (which I’m not going to lie usually happens) and rather than ordering takeout like we normally do, we — and by that I mean I — decided to cook. He gave me a few stipulations:
Challenge accepted Mr. Henderson.
So I looked at what I had…and somehow this concept for sweet potato quinoa nachos just popped into my head.
Honestly, it couldn’t be a simpler meal to make.
We start with the base which is baked sweet potatoes. While I would have looooved to make these with corn tortilla chips, me and corn tortilla chips have quite the tumultuous relationship. I’ll demolish a whole bag like it’s nothing, so I try to steer clear as much as possible.
Plus, sweet potatoes are totally my jam — and Matt tolerates them — so that works out well for both of us
Then it’s onto the toppings.
The next layer was black beans because I’m not really eating much meat right anymore, but rather than just trowing them onto the sweet potatoes and calling it a day, I gave them a little more pizzazz.
I just popped them into a pot with a little water, seasoned them with cumin, coriander, chili powder and a touch of salt, then let them simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes until they started to soften. Once soft, I tossed in some cooked quinoa and frozen corn and bam, that was that. <– here is where Matt added some shredded chicken (totally optional for you, but I think they’re absolutely scrumptious sans meat)
On top of the beans was a layer of organic jarred salsa — any variety you like will do — then some fresh guac, chopped cherry tomatoes, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
(side note: if you want to add cheese like Matt did, do it on top of the salsa, then pop them back in the oven to melt the cheese, thennn move onto the guac)
And then….WE DIG IN.
My friends, these are epic. They totally satisfying your Mexican comfort food cravings, but in a healthy, non-tummy-ache sort of way. Plus, they’re well balanced! We’ve got veggies, complex carbs, protein annnnd healthy fats!
Now when someone asks you to bring nachos to the party, you know what you’re making, right?
Sweet potato quinoa nachos will win every time. YES!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 3 - 4 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
If you use chicken or cheese, follow the instructions through Step 3 and top the salsa with chicken and cheese. Pop the pan back in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes until cheese has browned.
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The post Sweet Potato Quinoa Nachos appeared first on Simply Quinoa.
Read the original on: Simply Quinoa
I'm Alyssa, the writer and photographer behind the gluten-free website Simply Quinoa. My passion is creating wholesome, nutrient-rich recipes all with a little quinoa twist.