Dessert Nachos with Strawberry, Mango and Avocado Salsa

This is the thing I like about nachos. If you agree, you’re invited to the party. If you don’t, I’ll be the first to pass along an elementary-style lunch tray to ensure all of your primary food groups stay at arm’s length of one another.

Nachos. They’re layers upon layers of my favorite tastes. A little bit of salt, a lot of spice, maybe a little bit of protein—if I’m feeling the urge to act like a well-rounded adult—all blanketed in cheese, aka the glue that melds this flavor bomb together.

Last week I asked my friends on Facebook for help on what recipe they wanted to see this week: spring pasta or salsa? By the looks of today’s post I think you can see which dish came out as the clear winner.

The confirmation that this recipe was the clear winner came from my Smudge who declared it would had judiciously been added to her birthday party menu. This is serious stuff folks. Maybe it received this exclusive validation because she had become invested in the recipe as my scribe, studiously practicing her cursive skills as I dictated the ingredients and portions. By the way, I DO know there is no “t” in avocado. Most of the time. Can you even tell the difference between my handwriting and a 3rd graders? Aye—yi—yi. Scary.

Cinco de Mayo is on the calendar for this weekend’s celebrations replete with menus full of chunky guacamole, tacos (you gotta try this fried avocado version), enchiladas and a serious round of salsa. I thought about adding to the Mexican madness by recreating a standard savory affair, but headed off on a bender, pointed South and conquered the sweeter side of the border, thanks to mangos in my refrigerator in dire need of a destination resulting in this Mango, Strawberry and Avocado Salsa.

But I couldn’t just leave you, or the salsa, hanging about with no buddies to blend with. This salsa needs a date. A pairing to do the latin tango with. To keep it in tune as “la cucaracha” breaks out in song after that celebratory tequila shot. Or four. I’ll take Lime and salt with mine, and the salsa will too, please.

Cut to this: Fresh tostada chips sweetened with cinnamon sugar and baked to a golden crisp. A smattering of creamy, melted Monterey Jack cheese. With citrus spiked fruit kicked up with jalapeño heat. Cinco de Mayo celebratin’. It doesn’t take much more than that. Well, besides a trusty sombrero and some fine dipping skills.

Wing it! Try one of these recipe adaptations or add one of your own. Tell us your idea in the comments below. 

1. This is one of those recipes that can be so easily adapted and given a heartier protein punch by simply adding a handful of grocery store rotisserie chicken chicken, turning it into a quick weeknight main mealio.

2. Mango and spice go oh so nice atop a freshly grilled piece of halibut, salmon or any Hawaiian fish. Blacken the fish with creole seasonings to really emphasize the contrasting sweetness of the bright fruit flavors.

3. I can see this as a bruschetta topping, perfect as an appetizer. Cut a few slices of baguette, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the toaster oven for a few minutes. Spread with a creamy brie cheese if you’re looking for savory, a bit of mascarpone if you’re sticking with sweet, and top with the salsa and serve with a tequila spiked lemonade.

Dessert Nachos with Strawberry, Mango and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips 10-12 4-inch white corn tortillas For the Mango, Strawberry and Avocado Salsa 1 1/2 cups mango, cut into a large dice 1/2 cup strawberries, cut into a large dice 1/2 cup avocados, cut into a large dice 1 red jalapeño, seeded, deveined and minced 2 tablespoons cilantro, slivered 2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup) 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese Mango, Strawberry and Avocado SalsaInstructions

For the Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Stack 3-4 white corn tortillas and cut in half with a sharp knife, then cut the halves into thirds so you end up with 6 triangle shaped chips per tortilla and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave set on high for 20 seconds. Brush the tortilla chips with the butter and sprinkle each with a generous amount of the cinnamon sugar. Toast a toaster oven until golden and let cool, repeating until all of the chips have been toasted. Set aside. For the Mango, Strawberry and Avocado Salsa Mix all of the ingredients up to the cilantro in a medium size bowl. Heat the lime juice and honey in the microwave in a microwave save bowl for 15 seconds and then whisk to combine. After it has cooled, add 2 tablespoons to salsa and gently fold to combine. Add more honey lime juice to taste. Place a layer of Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips on a heat proof plate then top with a handful of shredded cheese, then a few spoonfuls of salsa, top with more tortilla chips and repeat 2 or more times ending with cheese. Place in a toaster or regular oven and broil for 3-5 minutes until cheese melts. Top with more salsa and serve hot.http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/04/dessert-nachos-with-strawberry-mango-and-avocado-salsa/

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Tagged as: cheese, fruit, mango, mexican, nachos, salsa, strawberry, sweets

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Game Day Chicken Nachos with Avocado

Back in high school I considered myself a pretty good cook. Or at least better than most of my friends who subsisted on string cheese and instant cup o’ noodles. I’ve never been one who was too lazy to cook when I’m hungry and if the pangs struck I would come up with some pretty satiating recipes. And anything with melted cheese was my favorite snack of all. Slices of cheese, tomato soup and of course tortilla chips.

In our house my dad was the nacho maker, and I’ll share that recipe and his tenacity with you sometime soon, but today I have another nacho recipe for you, something hearty and spicy and cheesy.

Because dad made nachos for weeknight dinners when mom was busy or just didn’t feel like cooking, he taught me that nachos are incredibly easy to prepare and are far heartier than to only be deemed as an average appetizer. These babies can become the main meal.

Welcome Chicken Nachos.

If we go out for beers with friends, most often to watch football (here’s why I’m cheering for the Niners!!), I usually crave a little spice to accompany my favorite hefeweizen, and nachos are what fit the bill. And the drill as I like to remember goes like this: Pick out the cheesiest chip—my special talent—then layer puckery pickled jalapeño, a scoop of salsa, chunks of avocado or guacamole and then washing it down with a really cold swig ‘o suds. Oh man, my mouth is watering just dreaming about it.

In reality, those nachos were usually about as far from hearty as a brew pub knew how to get, with somewhat dried out refried beans and semi-melted cheese on chips that spent just a minute too long under the broiler. Those poor were the guys that were always the last to be picked in the nacho eating game.

Learning from the brew pubs mistakes, and remembering the taste of my dad’s melty cheese nachos, gave me the inspiration to add a tasty enchilada sauce laced protein—in this recipe I’m declaring it to be chicken and kick these nachos straight to the dinner table in about the same amount of time it takes to say, “¡Buen apetito!”

Protein filled veggies keep the filling theme going with black beans and Avocados from Mexico taking center stage in their creamy union with the melty, gooey cheese that cements each little nugget of olive, beans, salsa and chicken to one another like 10th grade BFFs clinging to one another on the first day of high school. Yep, I remember that day too.

And now all these years later, I’m still happy to greet my family’s hungry stomachs with my chicken nachos and my favorite melty cheese.

Game Day Chicken Nachos with Avocado

Ingredients

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken 1 cup canned mild enchilada sauce 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 10 ounces Mexican mix shredded cheese 1 4-ounce can sliced black olives Sour cream or Mexican crema for garnishInstructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a medium skillet to medium-high heat and add vegetable oil, then onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add chicken and enchilada sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through. On a baking sheet lined oven save platter, layer one-third of the tortilla chips and top with one third the black beans, chicken mixture and shredded cheese. Repeat two more times. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and chips are lightly browned along the edges. Remove from oven and top with avocado, cotija cheese, olives, black olives, green onion and pickled jalapeno. Drizzle with sour cream and serve immediately with salsa on the side.http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/02/game-day-chicken-nachos-with-avocado/

Related Recipes
Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche Stuffed Avocados
Chipotle Shrimp Burritos with Avocado Crema
Avocado Cream and Chicken Suiza Enchiladas

Don’t forget to enter the Avocado from Mexico Game Day Sweepstakes on Muy Bueno Cookbook and Fritos & Foie Gras until 11:59 PM, February 3, 2013 and you just might win an iPad 2 and other great prizes. 

The winner of the FoodieCrush Game Day Sweepstakes prize package will be announced on this post within 24 hours after the game on Super Bowl Sunday. Good luck, and go Niners!

This is a working partnership with Avocados from Mexico and Muy Bueno Cookbook. 

Pin It Tagged as: appetizer, avocados, cheese, mexican, nachos, recipe

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