Gluten Free Nachos

People traditionally don’t think of nachos as something that is considered healthy, but we are always looking for ways to make things more nutritious for you and this is no exception to that rule. This recipe combines the delicious flavors of nachos, fish, cheese and mangos. Sounds good, right?

Normally people steer away from blue colored items unless it’s produce because it’s associated with being overly processed or fake. Blue corn tortilla chips, on the other hand, are 100% natural in their blue hue because they are made from blue corn! Now you must be wondering what the difference is between blue corn tortilla chips and regular tortilla chips. Researchers have found that blue corn contains 20% more protein compared to white corn products. The blue color of the chips also means that they contain important anthocyanins which act as powerful antioxidants and scavengers of free radicals. The blue corn variety offers 30x more antioxidant power compared to the white corn varieties.

Did you know that you can also enjoy corn when you are following a gluten-free diet? Corn is naturally gluten-free and can be safely consumed by people adhering to this diet. Further, corn is also considered a whole grain and is a good source of fiber. This recipe is especially great for people who are new to the diet because typically nachos are considered a no-no. You can easily follow a gluten-free diet while still enjoying delicious nachos, especially with a simple swap like exchanging traditional corn tortilla chips for blue corn tortilla chips.

Rainbow Fish Taco Nachos

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tilapia fillets

2 teaspoons cajun or blackening powder

6 ounces (4 big handfuls) blue corn tortilla chips

4 ounces freshly-shredded monterrey jack cheese

Rainbow mango slaw (see below)

Optional toppings: crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco, extra chopped fresh cilantro

Rainbow Mango Slaw:

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced

half a red bell pepper, core removed and diced

half a small red onion, peeled and diced

1 cup shredded fresh cilantro leaves, loosley packed

juice and zest of one lime

Instructions

1) Preheat the broiler.

2) Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add tilapia and cook 3 minutes on each side, turning once, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and transfer the fish to separate plate to cool. Use a fork to flake the fish into bite-sized pieces.

3) While the fish is cooking, spread the chips out evenly on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Place the sheet in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Watch the oven carefully so that the cheese doesn’t burn.) Remove, then top the chips evenly with the mango slaw, bite-sized tilapia, and optional toppings.

4) Serve warm.

5) For Mango Slaw: Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl until combined. Use immediately on the nachos.