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.