Veggie Loaded Nachos

Veggie-loaded-nachos
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I don’t think I have ever met someone who isn’t a fan of nachos. The big flavours, the crunch and the creamy guacamole really are a great combination. So when we get to the weekend and want an easy crowd pleasing dinner, veggie loaded nachos seem like a great option.

These nachos are clean, loaded with veggies and a decent meal being macronutrient balanced with protein, fat and carbohydrate. We have crammed in nine different types of plant based foods; black beans, corn, capsicum, zucchini, onion, avocado, tomato, coriander and lime with some corn chips, lean beef mince and optional sprinkle of hard cheese. You can leave the cheese off if you are dairy free or leave the beef mince out if you are vegetarian, vegan or plant based and they will still be full of flavour and crunch, just like good nachos should be. 

You will probably find you have some leftover beef and bean topping too which is great for putting with some avocado, leafy greens or some black, red or brown rice the next day for lunch.

When choosing corn chips go for the original organic packet as flavoured varieties tend to be crammed full of flavours and processed ingredients that provide very little nutritional value. You only have to compare the ingredient list of the original corn chips usually with about three ingredients being corn, oil and salt against the 15 or more processed ingredients in the cheese varieties. Plus the cheese varieties often contain flavour enhancers that are usually numbered in the 600 range on the packet and these are there to improve the flavour and smell of the food making them much easier to overeat.

Dietary Suitability of Veggie Loaded Nachos

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Veggie Loaded Nachos Food As Medicine

 
✓ Black Beans

Black beans are a great source of protein and fibre, as well as our B vitamins that have a key role in energy production – especially folate known as B9 and thiamine known as B1. This nutritional profile makes black beans a good protein source for vegetarians, vegans and even those of us meat eaters wanting to eat a bit more plant based. The outer black shell of black beans has also been shown to be rich in a number of phytonutrients and flavonoids such as anthocyanins that have antioxidant activity. This antioxidant activity can destroy free radicals and this is a good thing as excess free radicals is a driver linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and ageing.

We understand eating black beans as part of a healthy balanced diet can support good gut health by promoting the growth of beneficial gut microbes. Black beans also provide a steady release of carbohydrates to maintain blood sugar levels making them a good option for those managing their weight and energy.
 
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Veggie-loaded-nachos

Veggie Loaded Nachos

  • Author: alanakrahe
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4
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Description

These clean veggie loaded nachos provide big flavours, crunch and creamy guacamole with a decent macronutrient nutritional profile too. They cram in nine different types of plant based foods; black beans, corn, capsicum, zucchini, onion, avocado, tomato, coriander and lime with some corn chips, lean beef mince and optional sprinkle of hard cheese.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 500g lean beef mince
  • Spices: 1/2 tsp paprika , 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp oregano (optional)
  • 1 zucchini, grated
  • 1 capsicum, finely diced
  • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 cob of corn, kernels cut from cob
  • 140g or 1/4 cup of tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans or 400g can of black beans, well rinsed and drained
  • 1 200g packet of corn chips
Toppings
  • 3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 1/2 avocado
  • 1 bunch of coriander
  • 1 lime
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup of grated hard cheese (optional)
  • jalepenos (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  2. Heat a large frypan on medium to high and once hot add some extra virgin olive oil and onion. Once the onion is starting to go translucent, add the beef mince, salt, pepper and optional spices paprika, cumin, chilli powder and oregano. Break the beef mince apart as you cook for about five minutes until browned.
  3. Then add the zucchini, capsicum, corn kernels, tomato, black beans and tomato paste and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
  4. While the beans and beef mixture is cooking you can get the toppings ready. Make the guacamole by peeling, deseeding and mashing the avocado and combine with salt, pepper and juice from 1/2 the lime. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves, slice the jalapenos (optional), cut the remaining half a lime into four wedges and tear some coriander leaves from the bunch and set aside.
  5. Lay out your corn chips on a tray, top with the beef and bean mix and sprinkle with hard cheese if adding (optional). Place in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
  6. To serve top with guacamole, cherry tomatoes, guacamole, lime and optional jalapenos.

Notes

  • You can make this vegetarian or vegan by removing the beef mince and doubling the black beans or using a mix of both black beans and kidney beans. This will keep the protein content high.
  • You can make this dairy free by removing the cheese.
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 30

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