It was tense around here on Super Bowl Sunday as my husband’s Steelers were getting walloped by the Packers. Â Nevermind that I had just laid out a fresh batch of baked chips and guacamole, no one was really hungry…except me, of course. Â As everyone watched in agony as the Packers’ Nick Collins returned an interception for a touchdown, all I could think of was, “I wonder if I can make sweet chips with whole grain flour tortillas in the same way I make traditional chips out of corn tortillas?” Â You know what they say, “when the going gets tough, the tough get making sweet chips!” Â You never heard that before? Â I quickly got to work on what would become my kids’ new favorite snack.
These chips are as tasty as they are easy. Â By the time the oven is preheated, you will have the chips assembled on baking sheets ready to go. Â The best part is that you can improvise, veganize, de-gluten and really make these your own. Â I like both Rudy’s 7-Grain Tortillas with Flax, as well as Food For Life’s Brown Rice Flour Tortillas, if you want to make them gluten-free. Â Believe me that no one will have any idea these chips are made with whole grain tortillas. Â Just brush both sides with either melted butter or coconut oil, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, cut and bake. Â That’s the recipe! Â But the fun doesn’t stop there. Â You can drizzle the baked chips with melted chocolate or if you have a little extra time, dip each one in melted chocolate. Â I usually serve them with a fresh fruit “salsa” which is basically nothing more than diced mixed fruit. Â Sometimes I’ll add some finely chopped mint and a squeeze of fresh lime to the fruit if I’m feeling fancy or if serving these to adults. Â Strawberries and mangos are in season now, but diced bananas, ripe peaches, nectarines and apricots all work beautifully, too.
This is also a fun project to do with your kids. Â I love cooking with my children, especially with just one of them at a time. Â There’s something about cooking together that makes them chatty. Â I always learn something new about what’s happening in their lives, which is not an easy thing with teenage girls! Â Daughter #2 helped me with this batch and she had the clever idea of using a heart cookie cutter to make some heart-shaped chips. Â I wish I had thought of that for Valentine’s Day. Â Well, you know what they say in football — “there’s always next year!”
Cinnamon "Nachos" with Fresh Fruit Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 organic whole grain or brown rice tortillas I like Rudy's 7-grain with Flax or Food For Life Brown Rice tortillas
- 3 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil
- 1 mango peeled and diced
- 1 pint strawberries hulled and diced*
- A few leaves of fresh mint finely chopped and a few wedges of lime, squeezed (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If your oven tends to run hotter than average, preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine sugar and cinnamon. If you have a shaker, that's helpful to use for distributing the cinnamon-sugar. Otherwise a spoon is fine.
- Place tortillas on a cutting board. Brush both sides of each tortilla with melted butter and sprinkle one side with cinnamon-sugar to cover lightly. Spread with fingertips if needed. Stack tortillas and cut into wedges or strips or use cookie cutters to cut in decorative shapes.
- Transfer to baking sheets cinnamon-side up in one layer and bake for 10** minutes or until lightly browned. Tortillas will crisp further out of the oven. Allow to cool on pan.
- Combine mango and strawberries in a bowl. Mix in mint and lime juice, if desired. Place fruit salsa in center of platter and surround with tortilla chips.
Notes