Ahh, nothing like a good pun to start the day. If you know me in person, you've probably heard me quote this video a million times or made you watch it. Well I found it a rather appropriate addition to today's post. Apparently February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day, which coincides perfectly with our leftover tequila from National Margarita Day on Monday. So breakout the Hornitos and limes and lets make a snack to go with it that we don't have to feel guilty about the next morning, though the same can't be said for too much tequila...
Chips and salsa is a huge favorite of mine. They're so tasty and such a fast snack, but the calories add up waaaay too fast. Even though you will still be eating corn tortillas, by baking them off instead of deep frying them you can certainly save yourself some points. That's why I will call these 'Less Guilty' because they can't be completely 'Guilt Less' - here's what you'll need:
- ½ package of Corn Tortillas (or the whole package, depends on how many you want to make
- Olive Oil - either in a spray bottle or use a pastry brush
- Kosher Salt and any additional seasoning you want
Preheat your oven to 400*F. If using a pastry brush, lightly brush each tortilla with oil olive and cut into quarters. Line cut tortillas up on a baking sheet - I have a larger baking sheet and can fit 7 tortillas-worth of chips on the sheet. If using a spray bottle/spritzer type bottle, cut tortillas first, arrange on baking sheet and then mist olive oil over chips. Season with salt and any other desired seasoning (cayenne, paprika, lime, etc.) before baking. Bake the chips for 12-15 minutes until all the chips are firm. If you pull the chips out when there are still a few 'soft spots' they will have a stale texture once they cool. I found 14 minutes to be perfect for my oven.
Occasionally I will make salsa at home, but today is not a day for overachieving and settled for good ol' bought at the store in a jar salsa. I did however make some lazy guacamole. I don't know about you, but I constantly have a struggle with avocados - I buy them at the store, forget I bought them and then only 1 of my 2 avocados is still good. If you find yourself with similar issues, I've started incorporating them in my smoothies or with breakfast to make sure I use them before they turn brown. Conveniently, it's just my husband, myself and our 8 month old daughter so we don't need a ton of guacamole to satisfy our chips and salsa snack time. One avocado is usually the perfect amount.
Here's what you will need to make Lazy Guacamole:
- 1 ripe avocado - if there are any brown spots just scoop around them
- ½ a garlic clove minced - I usually look for the teeny tiny clove that I rarely end up using because it's so baby
- the juice from ½ a lime
- salt to taste
- if you have fresh jalapeños, definitely add a ¼ to ½ jalapeño (minced without seeds) for some spice. I usually don't keep jalapeños in the house unless I buy them specifically for a recipe, so my guacamole went without.
Cut your avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop out that green gold into a bowl. Smash the avocado with your scooping spoon. Chop up your garlic, or use a garlic press if you have one. I literally "chopped" my garlic clove using a pairing knife and my thumb because that's how lazily I made my guacamole. Add lime juice, salt and jalapeños (if you have them) and stir. And there you go, you have homemade guacamole and you only got 1 bowl, 1 pairing knife and 1 spoon dirty!
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