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Naihomy’s Nachos—Flipped to Healthy

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Nachos healthy
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We love nachos. Cheesy, meaty, crunchy, creamy, spicy. Sigh—they have it all, which is why they’re our dream snack. We say dream because almost always we say no to nachos and reach for something else on the right side of good-for-you. Trying to keep things somewhat healthy, you know?

Which is why we asked our favorite Latino food flipper Naihomy Jerez, a wellness and food consultancy expert, to give this super-high-calorie treat a healthy makeover. Naihomy is the founder of her own wellness consultancy, which helps women lose weight without dieting by making nutritious tweaks to favorite dishes. Having grown up in the Dominican Republic, she is an expert in keeping all the authentic sabor in our favorite Latino dishes—while nudging them in the direction of healthy and delicioso.

The first thing to go? The beef, says Naihomy. They’re not heart smart.

Nachos are usually made with high-fat ground beef and mega-rich ingredients like sour cream. In this Healthy & Delicioso flip for Familia Kitchen, Naihomy subs 99% fat-free ground turkey for the carne. She adds roasted brussels sprouts and loads up on tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and cabbage—all nutritious vegetables. And to make things even more good for us and our families, she calls for using raw apple cider vinegar to the pico de gallo sauce that will go on top of the nachos. Apple cider, she explains, has healing and probiotic properties.

Sound pretty good, right?

We’re in.

These is el snack perfecto for your next gathering on Friday night or to watch the game this weekend. You can happily feed this to your friends and family for a whole lot of guilt-free noshing.

To try more of Naihomy’s delicious flips on traditional Latino dishes, check out her Healthy & Delicioso makeovers of arepitas de yuca, arroz con pollo, Dominican moro de guandules, dulce con habichuela (for Easter, D.R.-style!), and pumpkin flan. She also healthied up our favorite drinks! Check out her vegan coquito and lighter margarita and paloma.

Ready to Make Guilt-Free Healthy & Delicioso Nachos?

Naihomy’s Nachos—Flipped to Healthy
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Naihomy’s Nachos—Flipped to Healthy

Recipe by Naihomy Jerez
4.6 from 5 votes
Cuisine: Everywhere Latino
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Savory Turkey Topping

  • 2 lbs ground turkey (99% fat-free white meat)

  • 2 Tbsp EV olive oil

  • 4 Tbsp chopped onion

  • 3 Tbsp chopped green pepper

  • 3 Tbsp chopped red pepper

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 3/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt

  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1/2 tsp oregano, ground

  • 1/2 tsp cumin, ground

  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder

  • For the Roasted Brussels Sprouts

  • 2 cups brussels sprouts

  • 1 tsp EV olive oil

  • 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt

  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

  • For the Pico de Gallo Salsa

  • 2 tomatoes, large

  • 1 English cucumber, mini

  • 1/2 red onion, large

  • 1/2 cup cilantro

  • 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt

  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

  • 2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

  • 1 lime, juiced

  • For Building the Nachos

  • 15 oz corn tortilla chips baked, whole grain (1 bag)

  • 2 cups green cabbage, thinly shredded

  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, low fat

  • 1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Directions

  • Make the Savory Turkey Topping
  • Finely chop the onion, green and red peppers, and garlic.
  • Add olive oil to the saucepan over medium heat. Let the oil warm up
  • Add the chopped onions, peppers and garlic. Saute and stir for about 5 minutes. Stirring will help make sure the garlic does not burn.
  • Stir in the ground turkey. Break it up and stir it around to make sure as much turkey as possible makes contact with the hot pan.
  • Sprinkle the salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, ground oregano, ground cumin, cayenne powder over the turkey mixture. Mix the ingredients well.
  • Keep the pot uncovered as the turkey mixture cooks, stirring occasionally. The turkey will release its natural juices.
  • In about 30 to 35 minutes, all the liquids will have evaporated. Stir occasionally to make sure the turkey stays loose (and does not clump) and does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the turkey meat is browned throughout, remove from the pan and set aside until you are ready to assemble the nachos.
  • Roast the Brussels Sprouts
  • Preheat the oven to 400°.
  • Clean, wash, and chop in half the brussels sprouts. Press with a paper towel or kitchen towel to remove as much of the water as possible.
  • In a bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and olive oil. Spread the brussels on a baking sheet and place in the hot oven.
  • Roast for about 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, toss the brussels sprouts to help ensure even cooking.
  • Most of the brussels sprouts should be caramelized and golden in color. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  • Make the Pico de Gallo Salsa
  • Wash and chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion into small cubes and place in a mixing bowl.
  • Wash and finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.
  • Sprinkle salt, black pepper, raw apple cider vinegar and the juice of the lime in the bowl. Mix until all ingredients are well combined. Place in the fridge until ready to build your tacos.
  • Party Time! Build Your Tray of Nachos
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • On a large sheet pan, spread the tortilla chips evenly to cover the pan.
  • Distribute the roasted brussels sprouts chunks evenly over all the tortilla chips.
  • Add a layer of the cooked ground turkey over all the brussels and chips.
  • Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the turkey topping.
  • Put the loaded nachos pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. You’ll know they are ready when the tortilla chis crisp up and the cheese melts.
  • Remove the tray of tortilla chips from the oven and let it cool for about 3 minutes.
  • Layer the thinly sliced shredded cabbage evenly over the nachos.
  • Sprinkle the pico de gallo over the nachos.
  • Add a final sprinkling of chopped cilantro and serve!
  • If you wish, you can serve alongside your favorite salsas, guacamole, refried beans, and hot sauces—to enjoy as topping or alongside.

Notes

  • Naihomy likes to use whole grain tortilla chips that have been baked, not fried.
  • Naihomy took these nachos one healthy step further and added blanched broccoli. She loves 🥦.
  • If you have leftovers, store the nachos in the fridge in an airtight container. When ready to reheat, put them for into a 325° oven for about 10 minutes, covered, and then uncover for 5 more minutes, says Naihomy.

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Naihomy Jerez is a food and health coach who helps overwhelmed moms lose weight without dieting and manage stress to regain their energy, confidence and life back. While working in the digital advertising industry in NYC, raising two toddlers, and running a home, Naihomy lost 50 pounds through exercise and balanced eating. Seeing how many women were also struggling to lose weight and feel good in their skin again, she launched her wellness consultancy, NaihomyJerez.com. She grew up in both the Dominican Republic and New York, where she lives with her family.
TAGS: apple cider vinegar, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese, cilantro, corn tortillas, cumin, English cucumber, garlic, green pepper, ground turkey, lime, red onion, red pepper, tomato, tortilla chips, big groups, Friday night, healthy & delicioso, snack, starter, weeknight basic, Everywhere Latino, Mexico, healthy nachos

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