my Nachos are not junk food

[resetusername]

So yesterday I was talking to another mum, was saying what we were having for dinner and explained all the ingredients in my nachos and she replied "wow, you hit the junk food hard on a saturday night, I couldn't do that"

I thought my nachos were relatively healthy.

They contain:

Corn tortillas (just made of corn, salt and sunflower oil - no nasties and the corn counts as 1 of 5 a day) a great source of carbs
Fresh guacamole (avacadoes , lemon juice, coriander, garlic) 3 of your 5
Fresh salsa (tomatoes, onion and vinegar) 2 of 5 a day
Full fat sour creme and cheese, only a small amount but a great source of vitamin d, calcium and protein.

That's not junk right?

[Birdsgottafly]

But what makes crisps unhealthy is the crap ingredients added and the type of fats used.

Home made tortilla Chips eaten as the base of a meal, for veg etc isn't the same as eating your tea and opening a bag of crisps or Pringles etc.

What you consume over a three day period, counts and we need fat and salt in our diet.

[fredfredgeorgejnr]

What's junk food to you?

Some people think it's heavily processed food.
Some people think it's food with low nutritional variety.
Some people think it's food with excess amounts of a particular macronutrient (mostly either carbs or fats depending on the individuals bugbear) or salt.

It sounds like a perfectly good snack to me - although for me as a meal it's relatively lacking in protein, so I'd bug some beef with black beans in there. Also the amounts of the veg would be pretty little really so not actually count the 5-a-day as you think, but as part of a diet it's certainly not junk to me.

But of course, other people have different ideas, they are not necessarily wrong, as always you're better off thinking about diets than meals!

[MaidOfStars]

Oh my god, when I make it, I eat tons of homemade guacamole. It's not just dotted onto nachos, it's eaten by the tablespoonful.

OP, try lime instead of lemon juice and a little pasted red onion (maybe 1/4 onion per two avocadoes) to really pep it up. Also, no chillies? And I've never put garlic in mine...I can't imagine the flavour.

Salsa, easy on the salt, is practically a health food. Homemade carb source, perfect.

Swap your soured cream for half fat creme fraiche and add some homemade refried beans for protein and I think it's a fab meal.

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

I'm with Maid on the lime, onions & chillis in your guacamole, much beter. We do homemade refried beans too, which I could eat by the bucketful, although they do contain rather a lot of lard so not the healthiest of foods.

I make my own tortillas using masa harina and a tortilla press, leave them to go stale and then deep fry them, the BEST tortilla chips by far, about a million times better than anything you can buy. Would really reccomend anyone giving it a go if you can be arsed, it's quite satistying and theraputic squashing a big pile of tortillas oout of the press though, so not all toil.

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

Also make our coriander with lime, onion and chilli. Can't imagine it with lemon juice rather than lime! And homemade refried beans are amazing.

[Nomama]

Hound, could you let me know which press you have/would recommend?

My last one was about 50 years old and I haven't found a decent replacement... I miss it

[Gunpowder]

Oh my god got massive cravings for guacamole now.

Do people really get competitive over how healthy their supper is?

[crumblebumblebee]

I don't think it's junk but I do think it sounds delicious.

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

Nomama, this one, does the job brilliantly, some of the reviewers have said it's too small but I think maybe they were expecting it to make the large totillas that are commercially available in this country rather than the smaller taco style.

If anyone wants to try a more authentic corn tortilla rather than the ones you can buy in the supermarket that are mostly wheat-based anyway try [[

[CaptainAnkles]

Can't we just say that some foods are more nutritionally balanced and better for you than others, but all foods are acceptable as long as they're not eaten for every meal? Or something more punchy. I couldn't give a flying flip if nachos are straight out of a Doritos bag or homemade tbh, just don't eat them all the time seems to be the key.

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

Gah, posted too soon, The Mex Grocer, they're briliant for lots of harder to find Mexican ingredients and do pretty good corn tortillas ( and proper Mexican cheese), I do tonnes of Mexican food, love it.

[moshwuckler]

Sorry I need clarity- which bits do you make yourself?

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

And to the questions of health, I don't really pay much attention to nutritional balance when cooking, but do to flavour and bloody good eating. One follows from the other I find.

[Selinasupreme]

Food posts are exhaustingly judgemental and bitchy. So many perfect, amazing 1000 of your five a day mums posting on them.

Your nachos sound lovely, they definately don't sound like junk food, they sound like a healthy family snack to watch TV On a Saturday night. My son loves hummus and some people may say that's unhealthy and too salty but to be honest I couldn't give a flying flute!

[LadyLuck10]

YY Selina!

Mn has an unhealthy obsession about food! Op your nachos sounds delicious.

[tobysmum77]

well its no more junk than the 'healthy' packed lunches they trill about.

But hey nothing like a bit of competitive healthy eating on a Sunday

[Bakeoffcakes]

Everyone eats treats on a Saturday night don't they?

When I was a child, we were allowed to eat tea infront of the tele on a Sat night. We ate things like cut up apple sprinkled with sugar followed by artic roll I bloody loved Saturday night teas.

Your Nachos with guacamole and salsa sounds delicious

[Mintyy]

I thought op was a joke?

As in the oft-used "a glass of wine = one of your five a day"

Perhaps I've got the wrong end of the stick

[Selinasupreme]

I felt bad giving my son beans in a jacket potato with salad the other day because of a thread on Mumsnet. Silly isn't it.

[Nomama]

Thanks Hound. I worked in a Mexican restaurant way back in the 80s, owned by an authentic TexMex couple. I learned a lot and she gave me her aunts prensa when they sold up. It was a lunky wooden affair and we kept it through 2 very small kitchens until it fell apart in an unfixable manner.

I could go for the metal one you linked to....

We tend to do Mexican on Saturdays. Burritos or nachos for ease of use I could get adventurous and dig out the green pork chilli recipe and maybe a mole for over Christmas

[HoundoftheBaskervilles]

I hope I'm not being accused of competitive eating, I just REALLY like food and cooking and was trying to advise on how to make the tastiest nachos known to humanity, no salt or fat spared.

[Mintyy]

Which thread Selina? I'd like to see that one!

[Nomama]

And now my last post sounds smug too

Like Hound, I love cooking. I am also guilty of that other MN sin, the 5 day chicken. I just made stock from a freezer bag of bones and bits and we will be having chicken noodle soup next weekend!

[marnia68]

Nachos are not a meal surely? Thet are a snack or a starter at a push

[Nomama]

Oh marnia, marni, marnia!

Fully Loaded Nachos are a whole feast! You haven't lived until you have had to leave the last corner of nachos on the plate because you are utterly full up to bursting

Various recipes are up thread...