Nachos keep diet on track
Dear Chef: Super Bowl is coming up and I’ve been eating healthy since the start of the year, and I don’t want to sabotage my goals. What is a healthy dish I can make to stay on track but not feel completely deprived while everyone else is eating junk food?
— Desperate Health Conscious Football Fanatic
Dear Desperate Health Conscious Football Fanatic: Congratulations on sticking to your healthy eating habits! Super Bowl Sunday is no doubt a day of pigging out on chicken wings, pizza, chips and dips and just about anything fried. It can almost seem impossible to stay on track.
But have no fear, Healthy Chicken Nachos are here! This recipe is simple, tasty and your guests will never know it’s healthy.
Healthy chip tip: When picking which chips to use, check the ingredients. The first ingredient should say something like, “Whole Ground Corn.” If the first word of the ingredients reads “Enriched,” keep searching.
Mozzarella cheese is good for the health-conscious cheese lover because it’s lower in fat than most other cheeses.
Worcestershire sauce is a great marinade for healthy cooking because it is very low in calories, sugar, carbohydrates and sodium. This marinade won’t overpower the taste of the chicken, but because of the vinegar in the sauce, it’ll make the chicken tender.
Enjoy these guilt-free, Healthy Chicken Nachos for Super Bowl Sunday and focus on what really matters, the game! Blair Bidwell-Duran owns ABQ Fit Food, a meal-prep delivery service that specializes in clean, healthy food.
HEALTHY CHICKEN NACHOS
Servings: 6-8
Prepared chicken (see recipe) 1 bag multigrain tortilla chips 1-2 cups green chile 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 2 cans whole black or pinto beans 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce 2 cups diced tomatoes 1 cup chopped onion Salsa Guacamole Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
Take a standard size cookie sheet and line it with aluminum foil. Then spread your multigrain tortilla chips across the cookie sheet. You’ll want the chips to cover the entire sheet but make sure they aren’t overlapping too much.
Next, open both cans of beans and rinse thoroughly with water. By using rinsed whole beans instead of refried beans, you are saving yourself from excess sodium and fat and instead reaping the protein and fiber benefits that beans have to offer. Sprinkle half of the beans over the chips. Top the beans with half of the cooked chicken, half the green chile and half the mozzarella cheese. Cover the cookie sheet with one more layer of chips and layer the remaining ingredients the same way. Now your nachos are ready for the oven.
Place nachos in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until all the cheese has melted and your chips are looking nice and crispy! Once out of the oven, transfer the nachos to your serving platter and top them with the shredded romaine, diced tomatoes and onion. The more veggies, the better! As for condiments, use salsa, guacamole and instead of sour cream, save yourself the calories and fat by using nonfat, plain Greek yogurt.
CHICKEN
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ½ cup Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the 4 chicken breasts in a glass baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour mixture over chicken, cover with foil and let marinate while oven preheats.
Bake chicken breasts for 45 minutes or until they reach 165 degrees.
Once the chicken is cooked, cut into roughly 1-inch cubes. You can also shred the chicken if you prefer.