Thursday, August 7, 2008

Quick, Healthier Nachos with Prudence Pennywise's Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing

Lets face it it was a long, hard day and the week isn't over yet. I fully intended to go home and eat a salad with some really good salad dressing I made from a recipe found on Prudence Pennywise's site but by the time I got home what I really wanted was gooey, cheesy nachos. So...nice, healthy salad or yummy, gooey nachos? Hmm...how about yummy healthier nachos?


Healthier Nachos

I started with a layer of these chips (chock full of flax seeds, soy and some Omega 3 essential fatty acids). I found them at my local natural foods store. (They also have a organic veggie chip that is even more delicious here).

I topped the chips with some black beans (fiber), a low fat jack cheese (less fat & calories plus calcium), and some chopped, cooked chicken strips (protein) and popped it in the microwave for about a minute. Then I topped in with some chopped tomatoes (lycophine), avocado (mono-unsaturated fatty acids), some of Prudies wonderful dressing (check it out here! with calcium and probiotics), some cilantro (phytonutrients) and a lime wedge or two to squeeze over it all (vitamin c).

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Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing
Prudence Pennywise

1/2 cup mayonnaise or whole milk yogurt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa, such as Herdez
1 fat clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
juice of one lime
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

Process all ingredients in the blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until thickened, about 1 hour. (Prudy notes that if you can't find Herdez or any other tomatillo salsa that you can make it with 4 husked tomatillos and 1 Tbsp chopped jalapenos). I used 2% Greek yogurt in place of the mayo/full fat yogurt and found it worked just fine.
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Results for Dressing: Prudence Pennywise not only knows her ice cream, she knows her dressing too. This is a creamy, spicy delight. I have used it on salad, with cut up raw veggies and now as a nacho topping. Delicious!



Results for Nachos: Fresh, tasty and really hit the spot and so much healthier than standard nachos. Ready in about 6 minutes, including chopping time and perfect for enjoying sitting on the floor with Project Runway on television. I only used a couple of ounces of the low fat cheese but found I didn't need any more because the other toppings were so good. You could add salsa or spices but Prudie's dressing is so nicely spiced and so good, I found it zesty and flavorful enough. I feel satisfied and somewhat virtuous and I think maybe I earned a bit of dessert, but more about that in another post!

Thanks Prudy for a great dressing recipe! If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting her wonderful site, you should run by and check it out. There are lots of great recipes there.

5 comments:

  1. Deb:I'm craving nachos now, and I had tacos for dinner two nights ago and quesadillas last night. I do love that dressing drizzled on everything. I'm so glad you liked it!
    That potato salad looks wonderful too. I've never seen anyone use caper juice. I'm storing that in my what to do next mental file.

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  2. those nachos look great! I had taco salad tonight :)

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  3. That has to be the most perfect nacho chip bite I have ever seen! LB loves nachos (the unhealthy version) so I think we're going to be making these next time instead! You've definitely made a successful plug for that dressing - it sounds fabulous!

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  4. What a great idea! So simple to make also.

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  5. Prudy--yep the dressing was a definite hit with me! Thanks for the recipe. Yeah i thought the caper juice in the potato salad was interestin too.

    Kat--great minds think alike! ;-)

    Michelle--I strive for nacho chip perfection in every bite! ;-)

    Debbie--thanks!

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