The nacho obsession in my family began when my siblings and I were in grade school at a sports spirit rally. Like most children, we didn’t really have high culinary standards, so salty crunchy chips drowning in a fake cheezy sauce hooked us immediately. In high school we looked forward to our parents’ night out so we could raid the kitchen our own way. Thinking we were teenage cooking ingenues–we piled cheese a foot high on stale chips and plopped it into the microwave. Regardless of the rubber coated mountain that resulted, we were proud of our DIY nacho achievements. As adults our tastes grew a lot more sophisticated, as we tried nachos with the works topped with beef, onions, tomatoes, chiles and sour cream. I think there are two categories of people–those that won’t touch nachos if their life depended it, and those that will dive full throttle into a nacho plate with no regrets–never mind the aftermath of meat sweats and lactose intolerance. Honestly these days I can’t afford to go on nacho binges anymore and still fit in my jeans the next day, regular nachos can do a double duty on the booty. How can I enjoy this treat somewhat guilt free? Alas, my machos were born.
Machos are essentially middle eastern nachos, packed full of lean protein, fiber, and yes, real cheese. I swapped out tortilla chips for crunchy pita chips. The thicker the pita chip the better for holding more toppings without breaking apart. Instead of ground beef I used lean ground turkey, though you can easily use ground beef if you’re a serious carnivore, or ground seitan crumbles for a veggie version. Instead of orangy cheese “product” I used real mozzarella which has lower saturated fat than most cheeses. I also added zesty feta cheese, because a little bit goes a long way. Instead of “salsa” a cucumber tomato salad does the job of adding a juicy and crispy texture. I replaced traditional sour cream with Arabic style “tarator” sauce, a nutty tahini sauce which you can get from my shawarma video. If you like a bit of spice, feel free to amp up the macho factor with a big splash of hot sauce. I had to pass this recipe to my picky brother first, cause he is really serious about his nachos. Aside from some snide remarks towards player Jed York in the video, he slayed that platter of nachos! Once I got his approval I was good to go. 😉
You can serve these machos in a platter, or in bowls, so each person can dig in with a fork. You can check out my video step by step instructions below–Happy macho munching!
Here is a shopping list for reference:
Ground turkey (or beef or seitan)
Onions
Garlic
Olive oil
Mozzarella and feta cheeses
Pita Chips (any flavor you like, make sure they are sturdy)
Allspice, salt and pepper
Salsa: Cucumbers and tomatoes
Tarator sauce: Tahini, yogurt, lemons
If you think you will give these macho nachos a try, hit like, drop me a comment, or better yet, share a pic of your creation! Happy superbowl munching!
#appetizers #nachos #middleeasternfood
