Adding that "CRUNCH" to your taco salad!

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tectactoe
tectactoe Posts: 73 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I make taco salad often - lean ground beef, lettuce, greek yogurt, salsa, hot sauce, peppers, olives, dressing... and of course we all need something in there to provide that nice CRUNCH. Problem is, that's where a lot of excess, unnecessary calories can get lumped in.

Not saying that I'm against eating regular tortilla chips at all (I do it often - with cheese dip usually), but in a taco salad, I really only want the chips for the texture, more than the actual flavor, so why not get the most calorie friendly chips you can find?

So far, these are the best things I've found on a volume-to-calorie ratio:

http://seasoningandsalt.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/cracker-chips-002.jpg

Special K Cracker Chips. About 27-30 chips (30g) for a serving, which is around 110 calories. Not so bad. I usually break these up & sprinkle them over the salad, & they work good enough.

I'm wondering if anybody else has any other ideas to provide that necessary crunch, perhaps at an even lower calorie-to-volume count?

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Fiber Gourmet makes very low calorie crackers. Not tortilla chips, but probably not so different from Special K crackers.

    There are also several brands of high fiber (low net carb) tortillas and wraps for 90-100 calories that you could toast up.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I don't think I'd like them in a taco salad but I've got these brown rice chips on my desk that are 36 calories for 21 chips, and are each about the size of a silver dollar.

    Cabbage is kinda crunchy.

    I just made a taco salad the other day and used tortilla chips and they were kinda worth it. I was craving a loaded plate of restaurant nachos so it was already 'settling'.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I just break up a taco shell when that happens. They're only like 45 calories.
  • GodMomKim
    GodMomKim Posts: 3,658 Member
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    what about some jicama? it is a super low calorie veggie with lots of crunch
  • sunseeker43
    sunseeker43 Posts: 17
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    what about trying pepperidge farms crackers. they come in a variety of flavours and they may satisfy the crunch. 90 cals for a serving (20 gms) I believe
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I sometimes buy baked Doritos. I try to find individual lunch sized bags....but always end up with the variety pack (has a bunch of other baked snacks.

    Have you tried baking up a couple of tortillas? The flour ones are just ok......the corn ones are better. If you spray them with oil first you can get salt or others seasonings to stick.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    If you aren't doing grains at all for this you could use jicama, water chestnuts, thinly sliced radish. Probably you really do want the flavour of the grains - as I bet you're thinkin'... Ewww, just, NO! :laugh:
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    I love mexican food, so we have it often! One of the best "as seen on TV" purchases I ever made is those metal bowls that you put a flour or corn tortilla in and then you bake it in the oven to crisp it up. We had these last night using La Banderita - Whole Wheat Flour Fajita Tortillas. 1 tortilla is only 90 calories. I spray just a little bit of Pam on them to help with the crispiness and they are SOOOO good! I filled them up with pinto beans, shredded chicken, cabbage, sour cream, cheese etc.. YUM!!!

    I found my pans at Walmart. I think they were around $10 for 4.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
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    I refuse to give up my tortilla crunch in my taco salads. I will however skip the dressing in my salad because I use salsa or hot sauce with plain greek yogurt, this frees up those calories which I use to fully enjoy doritos, yes doritos are the crunch in my taco salad. Also don't forget the avacados, I know that doesn't add crunch but it packs a ton of extra flavor.

    I do make a cheeseburger salad and use french fried onions as the crunch on those, ketchup and mustard are my "dressing" on those.

    Also sunflower seeds/kernels are good for some crunch on your salads as well especially if you add fresh fruit. I personally go for the almonds/pecans/walnuts but I use them as a source of healthy fats.
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
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    I take corn tortillas and cut into four triangles. Spray with olive oil using my Misto. A little salt, bake for about 10 minutes at 335 watching closely. They will get crunchier a few minutes out of the oven.
    I also make roasted chick peas. They make a fantastic sub for corn nuts.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I think a taco salad ceases to be a taco salad sans tortilla chips. I'd personally just figure out a way to make it work with the rest of my day and enjoy a genuine taco salad.

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