Lentil Nachos with Grated Avocado

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Snacks like these Lentil Nachos with Grated Avocado are beautiful, delicious messes, with ingredients tossed on top of each other and baked to hot, crispy, crunchy, gooey perfection. For game day, parties, or fun family nights this recipe is a lighter version that will satisfy your nacho cravings.

So what makes these nachos lighter?

The toppings!  Lentils, peppers, grated avocado, tomatoes and low fat cheese make these nachos lighter & healthier. Cook the lentils with onions, garlic, mexican spices and tomato purée and they will develop lots of flavour. Grating the avocado like cheese adds creamy richness and reduces the amount of cheese needed.  Low fat cheese tops it all and glues the nachos together.

Why low fat cheese? 

Low fat cheese is naturally made cheese from 2% fat milk instead of whole milk.  It is not processed cheese. Part Skim Mozzerella was the first natural low fat cheese, made with “part skim” milk.  More and more varieties of cheese are becoming available made with lower fat milk, often labeled “Light”.  General nutrition guidelines suggest using cheese with 20% milk fat or less.  Most traditional cheese is 30% or more, the same milk fat as whipping cream.  If cheese is usually on your grocery list, this is a very healthy change that significantly reduces the saturated fat in whatever quantity of cheese you are using.  Have you tried low fat cheese?

Whoa! Lentils on nachos?

The inspiration for this recipe came from within my own blog.  The first time I made them, I used left over filling from Lentil Tacos, one of my most popular posts.  Lentils are delicious on nachos and add texture, protein, and flavour. Lentils are a creative substitute for ground meat.  Check out Lentils.org for an amazing, comprehensive collection of recipes, basic cooking instructions, and useful information on the health and nutrition of lentils.  Lentils are low in fat, high in plant based protein and a good source of iron, folate and potassium.

For another healthy delicious topping for nachos, try my Black bean, Corn and Red Pepper Taco filling.  Nacho toppings are really limitless, so have fun getting creative.

Print

Lentil Nachos with Grated Avocado

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Mexican, Vegetarian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8

Author makinghealthychoices.ca

Ingredients

Lentils

• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 Onion, small, diced small
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1/2 Tsp Chili powder
• 1/2 Cup Brown lentils
• 1 Cup Puréed tomatoes

Nachos

• 1 Bag Tortilla chips
• 1/3 Cup Orange pepper, diced small
• 1/3 Cup Yellow pepper, diced small
• 1/2 Jalapeño pepper, minced Or more if you want more heat
• 1 Tomato, seeded, diced small add the seeds and liquid to your salsa
• 1 avocado, pitted and peeled firm, but ripe
• 3/4 Cup Cheese, low fat, grated Cheddar, Mozzerella, or Monterey Jack
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• Fresh pepper
• 1 cup tomato salsa for serving, homemade or your favourite brand

Instructions

For Lentils

1. In a small saucepan (with lid) heat oil and add onion.  Sauté until translucent and starting to brown.  Add garlic and continue cooking until garlic is fragrant.  Add spices, tomato purée and lentils.  Turn to low, cover and cook until lentils are al dente, about 20 minutes.  Be careful not to over cook. 

For Nachos

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a layer or tortilla chips overlapping them to cover parchment completely.  

2. Spread lentils, peppers, and tomato over tortilla chips.  Grate avocado directly on top of nachos. as it may clump together a little.  Top with cheese, distributing it evenly.  

3. Bake for 5-7 minutes until hot.  Change oven to low broil and place under the broiler for a few minutes to make cheese bubbly and slightly toasted.  Watch carefully as this can happen fast! Top with cilantro, and serve immediately with your favourite salsa.