Taco Salad with baked tortilla chips

I wasn't sure if I should blog about this one.  It's so simple, it's kinda stupid. But, I think baked tortilla chips are a really good thing to know how to make, and if you don't already have this down, it's worth a try.  I hardly ever have a bag of tortilla chips handy when I want to make taco salad, and I usually don't want to keep them around anyway because they aren't always low in points.

I had some 4-inch white corn tortillas in my fridge that I've been using for soft tacos and fajitas.  Turns out they make really good chips too, and 12 of them (3 tortillas worth) equals only 1 WW Point.  It's a little more than a Point because of the little bit of oil I bake them with, but that's not bad!

For my salad I used green leaf lettuce, chopped tomato, canned kidney beans (drained and rinsed), a little queso fresco, cilantro, and some sliced Ailsa Craig onion.  This is a type of onion that tastes good raw, like you would want for a hamburger.  Of course I had some Chipotle Yumm! Sauce on the side.

Baked Tortilla Chips
(I think I got this recipe idea from someplace, but I honestly can't remember where.)


Preheat oven to 350 F.

If using 4-inch corn tortillas, cut into quarters.  If using 6-inch tortillas, cut into 6 triangles.

Drizzle a baking sheet with a little grape seed or vegetable oil.  Spread it out so it evenly coats the pan in a very thin layer.  Arrange the tortilla pieces on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Put about a tablespoon of the oil into a small dish.  Using a pastry brush, dab each chip with a tiny bit of oil and spread it out over the chip.  This is very tedious, but it helps to be sure you are only using a small amount of oil per chip.  If you don't care about the chips being low fat, just drizzle the top of the chips with oil and spread it out evenly over the chips.

Sprinkle the chips with a little kosher salt.  If you have it, sprinkle some paprika or smoked paprika over them too.

Bake the chips for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are as crispy as you want them.  Keep in mind that they will become a little more crisp as they sit on the pan even after you take them out of the oven.  I like mine with a slight chewiness to it right out of the oven, then after they've sat for a couple minutes, they are perfect.  You can figure out what works best for you.