I can’t promise these will fit into everyone’s New Year resolutions. If you’re planning to waste less food – yes. If you’re intending to read more books… probably not. Vegetarian/vegan for January? Trying to eat healthier? I got you. Want to donate more to charity? You’re probably better off here or here.

These are nachos, but not the kind you get at a baseball game, or from a pub with a loose definition of the term nachos. They can be as home-made (and as healthy) as you want them to be. You can buy most of the ingredients pre-made. You do what you gotta to enjoy your nachos.

Here’s what I do, and I’ll try to clue you in on where you can save time or keep from buying a load of ingredients.

Whenever we have burritos, there always seem to be tortillas leftover from a pack of 8. I hate wasting food, so I often freeze the remainders until they’re ready for future burritos, or turn them into baked tortilla chips. Sometimes it’s hard to keep them for long enough to turn them into nachos because they’re so addictive. You’ve been warned.

Note for vegan eaters: If you can get your hands on a smooth cashew spread, it’s a delicious cheese alternative. And this is coming from an avowed cheese addict! Just dollop some on top of your nachos, or use it on the side as a dip. I first tried Gozo, a great option for those local to London.

New Year’s Resolution Nachos

Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a snack

baked tortilla chips (see below)
200 g refried beans
5 or 6 pickled jalapenos, chopped (optional)
50 mL (1.5 oz) sour cream (optional)

guacamole or… 
2 avocados, peeled, seed removed and chopped
the juice of 1/4 lime
pinch of salt

jarred salsa or… homemade pico de gallo
10 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 shallot or 1/4 medium red onion, diced
a small bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, chopped
1 red chile pepper, chopped (leave the seeds in if you like it spicier)
the juice of 1/4 lime
pinch of salt

grated cheddar cheese or… cheese sauce
50 grams (1.7 oz) cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp flour

What to Do

Mix the pico de gallo ingredients together and set aside. It’ll taste better if it’s had some time to sit.

Combine the avocado, lime juice and salt. Crush it up and set it aside.

Heat the refried beans, either in the microwave or on the stove top. I add a splash of water to loosen them up a bit. On the stove top, it should take about 5 minutes on low-medium heat.

In an oven-safe dish, spread your tortilla chips out so they’re in as few layers as possible. Top with hot refried beans, pico de gallo, cheese sauce and guacamole. (If you’re using grated cheese, top with beans, pico de gallo (or salsa) and sprinkle the cheese on top, then put them in the grill/broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.)

Top with japalenos and dollops of sour cream. Serve immediately.

Baked Tortilla Chips

4 10-inch (25.4 cm) whole wheat tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

What to Do

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F.

Slice the tortillas into triangles, or as close as you can get to triangles. You can get about 10 chip-sized pieces per tortilla.

Put the pieces in a bowl and add oil and salt. Top the bowl with a plate or another bowl, hold tight and shake to coat the tortilla pieces.

Spread the tortilla pieces in one layer on a baking sheet (or a few, depending how big your sheets are).

Bake for 5 minutes, then check on them. If they’re not brown and crunchy yet, check on them every 2 minutes. They go from perfect to burned in no time.

Right now, I’m what you might call “between vacations”. Two weekends ago, the gentleman and I were in Barcelona, where we enjoyed our share of tapas, gin and wine. (There are some truly great gin bars there.) This past weekend, I trekked over to Wales to visit a friend there, and ate even more.

Of course, with nearly every holiday, there’s plenty of eating and indulging. In my case, definitely too much, and all the walking in the world just isn’t enough to combat it. So, in this “between vacations” time, I’m working on cleaning up my eating a bit.

This recipe came to me in the middle of a craving for cheese, of all things. I have some smoked cheddar hanging out in the fridge, and it nearly made this recipe… until I realized I’d forgotten it and hadn’t missed it at all.

I want this recipe to be the start of me keeping track of the nutritional information for everything I make, even if sometimes I think I’m better off not knowing.

For me, this best parts of this recipe are how amazingly fulling and well-rounded the flavors are, and how even with a ton of ingredients, it’s still an easy and straightforward meal. Oh yeah, and it’s loaded with vitamins. Skip the cilantro cream and it’s vegan!

Serves: 4

On the Counter

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, julienned
2 bell peppers, thinly julienned
2 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp (or more!) cayenne pepper

1 can (260 g, drained) black beans
2 cups (460 g, or 2 medium sized) cubed sweet potatoes, boiled

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
2 cloves garlic, chopped
leaves from 10-12 stalks of cilantro (de-stemmed)
juice from 1/4 lime
salt

8 cherry (Piccolo, in my case) tomatoes
1 Hass avocado
juice from small lime wedge

4 whole wheat tortillas

What to Do

Heat the olive oil on med-low heat in a cast iron pan or non-stick skillet. Once shimmering, add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add in peppers, stir. Mix in paprika, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt Cook until peppers are soft and release some liquid.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and 1 tsp salt in food processor. Process to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Set aside.

Quarter tomatoes, cut avocado into chunks and combine both in a small bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and the lime juice on top. Set aside.

After peppers are finished, put everything into a bowl and set aside.

Put tortillas into the oven on 80C/175F heat (no need to preheat, unless your oven is ancient), and warm them.

In the skillet, add beans, cooked potatoes and 2 tbsp water. Stir and heat until hot. Add additional cayenne pepper if desired.

In the center of each tortilla, spoon beans and sweet potatoes (about 8 cubes), then top with peppers, jalapenos, fresh deconstructed guacamole and 1 tablespoon cilantro cream.

Wrap your burritos and enjoy!

Nutrition per serving
Calories: 488
Total fat: 10.7 g
Saturated: 2.5g, Unsaturated: 7.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg