Not-so-bad-for-you nachos? We’re in! Orange is the New Black star Alysia Reiner opened up her surprisingly spacious New York City kitchen to Us Weekly to demonstrate her take on nachos and a side of guac that are both healthy-ish! Watch the video above from our Inside My Kitchen series to see how it’s done.
So how does one go about making everyone’s favorite comfort food a little bit better for you? According to Reiner, you’ve got to hide a little bit of green in there!
“I made these kale chips, they’re so easy to make, I happen to have a dehydrator, you can also make them in an oven. But you can also buy kale chips pretty much anywhere now,” the actress explained. “What I do is I hide the kale in the [blue corn] chips. You don’t see any green, right? What green?”
She topped the mix of chips with a ton of organic veggies including tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and cucumber. For protein, she went with BPA-free black beans, and of course, no nacho is complete without some Mexican cheese!
For another healthy twist, Reiner topped the nachos with fat-free Greek yogurt instead of the standard nacho staple – sour cream. “You’re adding the probiotics. It’s a way to do a little bit of secret health for your family. So, never feel guilty when eating nachos!”
The New York City native moved to her Harlem apartment over 10 years ago with her husband David Alan Basche and they now share it with their 9-year-old daughter, Livia. While it’s a total dream kitchen today with high-ceilings, a custom bar and chic modern cabinetry, that wasn’t always the case!
“My kitchen used to be a crack house!” she told Us while showing old crack vials she saved from when they first moved in. “It was bad news – no windows, no doors, no electric, no plumbing and no roof. We made it into my dream house!”
Check out her gorgeous kitchen and see her cooking in action in the video above. Plus, catch Reiner as fan-favorite Fig on Orange is the New Black season 6 streaming now on Netflix, and in her debut season as Kiki Rains in The Deuce on HBO September 9.
Alysia’s Healthy-ish Nachos
Makes 4-6 servings
NACHO INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups organic corn chips
- 2 cups kale chips
- 1 can black beans
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1 cup Mexican Cheese, shredded
GUACAMOLE INGREDIENTS
- 3 avocados, pitted
- 1 lime
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
- ½ cup mild salsa
- 2 Tbsp. Cilantro
- Pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.On a sheet tray, layer corn chips and kale chips. Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and black beans. Sprinkled shredded Mexican cheese generously over chips. Place in an pre-hated oven for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make your guacamole.
- Into a large bowl, scoop avocados out. Add minced garlic, hot sauce, salsa, cilantro and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine. Drizzle guacamole with lime.
- Remove nachos from oven and top with guacamole, fat-free Greek yogurt, hot sauce, cilantro and jalapeños.
