One afternoon I defrosted two pounds of ground beef and had no clue as to what I was going to do with it. I even talked to my husband and he didn’t have any ideas either. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again… Going to the edges of your pantry demands creativity. At first I thought tacos…But, I can’t do cumin, chili powder, and other such taco seasonings. I don’t often feed my kids AIP (autoimmune protocol recipes). Simply because they do not have conditions that require it. We value them being able to eat 80/20 paleo. 80% of the time they eat paleo…20% of the time they can include good quality bread, dairy, or other (in moderation) treats. However, this recipe was a good exception because it had plenty of veggies….but they loved it!
Here’s what you’ll need for these nifty nachos:
- 2 Pounds of Ground Beef
- Taco Seasoning of Choice (I did salt, pepper ((omit for AIP)), ginger, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder.)
- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Cut in half lengthwise if too wide for Food Processor
- Cooking Oil of Choice (I’m still figuring out how to source something better but admit, I used sunflower oil.)
- AIP Salsa from ‘He Won’t Know It’s Paleo’
- 3 Avocados
- Lime Juice
- Garlic, Minced
- Green Onion
- Cilantro (Because we aren’t huge fans, I used a couple of teaspoons of dried for both guac and ground beef.)
Add your ground beef to a pan. Start browning it. When done, drain the fat off. Add the taco seasoning spices with 1/4 cup of water. Let it cook down until well seasoned. Set aside.
Heat your oil to medium heat. Understand that the oil will retain heat and that you may have to turn it down as you continue with the batches.
The easiest way to do the sweet potato chips is to peel and size them to go into the food processor with the slicing blade. That was the easy button on this recipe. You could also use a mandolin. If you have to slice them, you will need a very sharp knife to thinly slice the sweet potatoes. I set the bowl next to the stove, and grabbed a casserole dish with some paper towels in the bottom.
Add your sweet potato pieces into the oil. Do not crowd them. This will be a lot of batch cooking, but it is well worth it! Finish a batch and add some salt and pepper if you like. I even sprinkled some ginger over it. Powdered organic ginger is my secret “add to everything” ingredient.
Here is the recipe for nightshade free (tomato, jalapeno, etc free) salsa. I actually follow this recipe, word for word. Surprising, I know! http://hewontknowitspaleo.com/recipe-items/nightshade-free-salsa/
For the guac, I added 3 avocado to my food processor. with cilantro, lime juice, onion and garlic powder, with some salt and pepper. The guac turned out a lovely, creamy consistency.
When all of this is done you throw it all in a bowl and enjoy!
At first, I figured the kids would enjoy it, but I was not prepared for how much they really liked it. They kept saying they loved it, the entire meal! My 3 year old, and pickiest eater, asked me to make it again tomorrow! To this momma, that like earning a Michelin Star. Quite frankly, I think these were the best nachos I’ve had in my entire life.
So I hope you enjoy this different take on nachos. If you try it out, make sure to come by the Facebook page and share a picture with me! Make sure you come back next time to see what the edges of the pantry will inspire next.
-Ami M. Lee, Nacho Nacho Gal, Kiddo Tummy Pleasin’, Common Sense Cook
The Common Sense Cook 