Loaded Kale Nachos

These Loaded Kale Nachos take indulgent, healthy snacking to whole new level. I’ve replaced all the unhealthy ingredients in your traditional nacho platter with wholesome, just-as-yummy alternatives. Let’s break it down:

1. Greasy tortilla chips. Crispy kale chips!
2. Fattening taco meat. Finely-chopped, seasoned, and roasted cauliflower!
3. Salty, processed nacho cheese. Cashew Nacho Cheese!
4. Watery, jarred salsa. Fresh tomatoes and veggies with a kick of lime juice!

For the taco “meat”, all you need is a head of cauliflower, a food processor, seasoning, and an oven and you’re on your way to making a healthy taco meat alternative. I made these nachos for the Super Bowl last year and totally tricked my mom into thinking she was eating seasoned ground beef. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her it was cauliflower.

For the cheese part of this beautiful nacho platter, check out this post for a little background! In short, it’s dairy-free cheesy goodness made from cashews and diced green chiles.

Last week I sat down to have enjoy a serving of these nachos for a mid-day snack, but who was I kidding. I plunged in face first with a fork and ate almost the entire sheet. See photo below. Oops. But I felt no guilt! Aside from the cashew nacho cheese, this appetizer is all veggies!

A word of advice: These nachos are best eaten with a fork. The curly kale chips don’t provide the best surface to maximize the topping potential. And, to be completely honest, the kale tends to wilt a bit. But no worries, everything eventually turns into the most scrumptious kale nacho salad. To ensure you get a little bit of cauliflower taco meat, veggies, and plenty of cashew nacho cheese in every bite, use a fork to scoop it all up. It’s time to dig into the healthiest and most scrumptious nachos you will ever eat!

Loaded Kale Nachos

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Author: Krista

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

Loaded Kale Nachos

• 6-7 cups of kale broken into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Cauliflower Taco Meat

• 1 head cauliflower, leaves and stem removed, roughly chopped into florets
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Additional Toppings

• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, seeded, deveined, and chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ cup black beans
• ¼ cup cashew nacho cheese

Instructions

1. Make the kale chips: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place kale pieces on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the kale with your hands to coat in oil and seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes until crispy, but still green.
2. Make the taco meat: While the kale is in the oven, prepare the cauliflower taco meat. Place the cauliflower pieces in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles rice. You may need to do this in 2 or 3 batches. Place the processed cauliflower in a large bowl. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir to combine. Spread the cauliflower out on a large, lined baking sheet. Increase the oven temp to 375 degrees. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Prepare the toppings: Combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and lime juice in a bowl.
4. Assemble: Spread the kale chips out on a large platter. Top with the cauliflower taco meat, cashew nacho cheese, and additional toppings. Dig in!

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This recipe was featured in my Clean Eating Adventure series. Interested in more clean eating recipes? Check these out:

• Tuscan White Bean Spinach and Quinoa Stuffed Red Peppers
• Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats
• Roasted 8 Vegetable Soup
• Zucchini Noodles with Kale Almond Pesto
• Tropical Island Green Smoothie
• Brussels Sprout, Sweet Potato, and Lentil Sauté
• Banana Hazelnut Breakfast Quinoa
• Lemon Rosemary Shortbread
• Cashew Nacho Cheese