brussels sprout chips (austin-style)

It’s official. I’ve either been living in Austin too long, or just long enough, to adopt the belief that everything is better on a taco. Everything. Seriously, I’ve never seen a city so in love with a certain type of food. Take a moment and Google “Austin breakfast tacos” and you’ll see what I mean. It’s hard to go more than five minutes in any direction without seeing a cute little taco joint or a Zagat rated taco food truck. And likely one that uses local, organic ingredients. Ah, I love this place. In fact, check out what just opened right across the street from me… Tacos Delicioso’s. Everything is fresh and homemade on the best tortillas I’ve ever had. It’s been fun to watch this little place grow and be discovered by more and more people making it a regular stop in their day, like me.

The truth is, soft corn tortillas have become a staple in my diet. They’re cheap, healthy, and oh so versatile. My dinner most nights of the week consists of two soft corn tortillas topped with black beans, Newman’s Own pineapple salsa, baby spinach leaves and avocado chunks. Not only is it super yummy, but it more than satisfies my dietitian brain… a whole meal for less than 300 calories, vegan, and high in protein, fiber, and omegas. There’s so much to love about a taco, which is why, when I recently tried my hand at making Brussels sprout chips, I knew exactly what to do with them.

I don’t know how you feel about brussels sprouts, but it seems they may have gotten a bad rep from childhood memories of them being unseasoned, soggy and boiled. Yeah, ew. I would encourage you to revisit them. To me, they are the popcorn of the vegetable world, as in I can stand there and pop those mini cabbage-like clusters into my mouth by the handful. One of my favorite cooking methods is to sauté them in a pan with olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and toasted walnuts. They caramelize into something amazing. Roasting them is just as good. But with both types I’ve noticed a pattern… my favorite thing about them is the way the outer leaves get brown and crispy and soak up the most flavor. So, why not make all of it that way?!

Ingredients:

• 15-20 Brussels sprouts, larger size is better for bigger chips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. avocado oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
• 3 small russet potatoes, cubed or cut bite size
• Salsa (I’m obsessed with Newman’s Own pineapple medium salsa)
• soft corn tortillas (try to find one with as few ingredients as possible- basically ground corn flour and water- and watch out for ones with hydrogenated oils!)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Trim sprouts at the end releasing leaves and pull them apart. Continue trimming the ends to make more chips, should get about 8-10 each sprout.

4. Toss cubed potatoes with 1 tbsp. oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and spread evenly on baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes. Stir potatoes after 20 min when you add sprouts to oven.

5. Meanwhile, toss sprout leaves in a bowl with 1 tbsp. oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and diced red onion. Spread evenly on baking sheet. Put in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Stir leaves to separate, cook about 5 min more or until edges are nice and browned.

6. Remove both baking sheets from oven.

7. Top tortillas with potato, Brussels sprout chips, and salsa. Wrap em up and enjoy!