Summer is officially here, so let’s start it off with a bang! Here are three of my favorite, go-to recipes to make that require minimal effort but have the ultimate taste. I’m all for recipes that are made with ingredients that you already have in your pantry, and these are no exception. Finding a fun recipe to try out does not mean needing to schlep to the grocery store for a sacred spice or specific vegetable species. So grab your shades, slather on some sunscreen and let’s dive right in.
Let’s start with my favorite: dirty nachos. If you thought nachos were good, you just wait and see. Picture this: a bed of crispy homemade tortilla chips piled high with layers of savory seasoned ground meat, creamy guacamole and your favorite veggies. This recipe is messy, flavorful and downright delicious. Serve it at your next party, pool hangout or Sunday night BBQ. There’s so many ways to customize this dish into one that calls to you. So, get the chopping board out and let’s create the dirtiest (tastiest) nachos we can.
Easy Dirty Nachos
Ingredients:
Ground meat:
- 1 cup ground meat of choice
- 2 tablespoons oil/favorite sauce
- Salt, pepper and garlic
- Homemade tortilla chips:
- 1-2 tortillas (depending on how many chips you’d like)
- Spray oil
- Seasoning
Additional toppings:
- 1 ripe avocado
- ¼ cup beans of choice
- Other desired toppings like tomatoes, onions, dairy free cheese, etc.
Instructions:
- Cook the meat for 10 minutes on a medium flame with oil/sauce and seasoning.
- For the tortilla chips: cut the tortilla into triangles and spray with oil and seasoning. Air fry for 10 minutes, flipping them half way through.
- First layer the chips.
- Next, top the chips with the ground meat.
- Put your favorite toppings on top like onion, beans, tomatoes, etc.
- Top it off with guacamole made with avocado, salt and pepper
- Dig in and enjoy!
Potato chips are a classic, but ever tried making them at home? If your answer is: “Yes, but I failed.” Trust me, I’ve been on that boat. I tried countless potato chip recipes but they were never crispy. Instead, they were soft and not giving that potato chip texture that we like. I experimented with different techniques to get the crunchiest potato chip, and have found this one to be the crispiest of them all.
So, if you got potatoes laying around in your pantry, then you’re going to want to try these homemade baked potato chips. Potato chips are so easy to make at home, especially if you have a mandolin. If not, no worries, a sharp knife will also work to thinly slice them. These crispy delights offer all the satisfaction of traditional potato chips without any of the greasy regrets.
Homemade Fry-Free Potato Chips
Ingredients:
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper — measure with your heart
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Thinly slice the potatoes with a sharp knife/mandolin.
- Pat down the potatoes to remove excess moisture.
- In a bowl mix the sliced potatoes with oil and seasoning.
- Lay out the potatoes on a baking sheet. Make sure the potatoes are spread apart and not touching.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then flip to the other side for about 8 minutes — watch on them towards the end so that they don’t burn.
- Let them cool and enjoy!
It wouldn’t be summer without a no-bake dessert, so here are my delicious layered caramel bars that are beyond easy to make and have such a rich and creamy texture. These bars have three layers. It starts off at the base with a soft cookie dough texture and then you make your way up to the caramel layer and then you finally hit the chocolate layer at the top.
There’s nothing like opening your fridge/freezer with the confidence that a snack is already prepared for you. I love to make what I call “freezer treats.” Sometimes a processed, store bought snack is not what you’re craving, and instead you want something that’s homemade, high quality and delicious. That’s why I always prepare some freezer treats to have for when the sweet tooth kicks in. These snacks are usually no-bake recipes that I thaw 15 minutes before eating. My no-bake bars have been one of my go-to and highly requested treats that I make many batches of, so that we always have a sweet and nourishing treat just a freezer door away.
No-Bake Caramel Bars:
Base:
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon peanut/almond butter (add more if needed)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
Caramel layer:
- ¼ cup peanut butter/almond butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Chocolate layer:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions:
- Mix the almond flour, maple syrup, vanilla and salt to form the base.
- Flatten the batter onto a piece of parchment paper on a tray.
- Mix the caramel ingredients and spread on top.
- Melt the chocolate and drizzle it over.
- Option: top with kosher salt.
- Freeze for 30 minutes, slice up and enjoy!
Tali Chobara is a recipe developer who loves creating recipes that take minimal effort yet taste delicious. She started her Instagram account @behindthesnack back in 2019 and has grown it to 63K+ fans who all share the same love of easy and delicious recipes.
