Last week, we went out to a Mexican food buffet. Oh my, does that take self control. Granted, my plate was yummy and satisfying. I made a bed of lettuce and topped it with slow simmered shredded beef, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Good as it was, I stopped myself from adding an enchilada to my plate. But once out of the buffet line, the temptation should end. But no. Of course the super nice waitress just kept bringing extra baskets of freshly fried tortilla chips to the table. Grr.
It took me a week, but I finally got a nacho fix. My Sprouts store had these mini bell peppers on sale, and I used the whole bag to make a big cookie sheet of loaded pepper nachos to share with the family. Well, honestly just the hubby and dogs. They were delish--probably even better than the tortilla kind. These don't leave you with those disappointing bald chips at the bottom of the pile. And yes, you can pick them up with your fingers like a true nacho. Just have a napkin handy. I made this recipe for three, although we probably could have eaten them all. So even without the corn chips, think portion control. They are really filling though. Just so addictive...
Mini Bell Nachos16 oz mini bell peppers
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Adobo seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced cilantro
1/4 cup diced onion
Cut the tops off the peppers. Cut in half and remove seeds. Cut the base if needed to make the pepper lie flat(ish). Arrange the peppers on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to add toppings.
While peppers are pre-baking, brown the ground beef and drain off fat. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin and Adobo seasoning. Stir to coat meat well. When peppers have baked, distribute the beef mixture over the top. Then sprinkle cheese, onion and cilantro. Go ahead and add jalapenos and salsa if you like. Place the pan back into the hot oven for an additional 7 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Serves 3: 478 calories 8 net g carbs
I really love the fresh cilantro in these nachos. Leave it out if you want. I have a little advice for trimming the cilantro leaves from the bunch without having to pick out so many stems. That will be a part of the May issue of the Diner News. It is going to feature Kitchen and Food Hacks--shortcuts and clever ideas to make the low carb life easier. You will have to wait to see how to do that one, but you don't have to wait to try some of these delicious treats.
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| the entire cookie sheet filled with Mini Bell Nachos |
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3 comments:
Oh my goodness! I made these tonight not knowing exactly what to expect and I'm sure glad I did!!! I'm having to stop myself from eating the whole sheet by myself. I made a full pound of meat and just adjusted the seasonings accordingly. Question though... Are the peppers supposed to be crispy almost like a chip? I mistakenly put them on 375 instead of 350 and still had to bake for about 20 minutes to get a slightly roasted feel and look. Sometimes I think the oven in this apartment is crappy. I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be crispy and didn't want them to burn, so didn't bake them longer.
No, they are not crispy. But you can pick them up with your fingers. Ovens can vary. I feel for you there!
Eek, I tried this other day and was expecting crispy peppers as well. I really didn't enjoy the texture at all, but ended up picking the cheesy meat off and eating that part at least :) Yum.
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