yuca Archives -

These Yuca Crisps have the perfect combination of crunchy and salty goodness. They make an excellent stand-in for potato or corn chips and you can make them easily in your own oven!

Have you not tried yuca yet? It’s becoming more and more popular and I see it now at most grocery stores in the produce section. Yes, it’s ugly! It’s a large tuberous root with a hard dark brown bark on the exterior, but inside the ugly exterior is a beautiful white slightly sweet and potato-like flesh.

A few week ago I stumbled upon a fellow food blogger’s post on Yuca Fries….Did she say FRIES!? OMG, just that word F.R.I.E.S. makes me want to run to the closest McDonalds and order up some of those salty and greasy sticks of awesomeness! So that was it. With one word she won me over and I was on a mission to find the YUCA.

I must admit I was overwhelmed when I found it in the grocery store! Yuca is also known as Cassava. This is what this thing looks like when you buy it:

Yikes! What am I suppose to do with that? Well, I am here to calm your fears. It’s not as bad as it looks, and it is so very worth it. Crisps, fries, mashed, whatever you want to make with it you will not be let down. And it’s gluten-free and an acceptable starch for paleo-ians.

So when you get your wonderful large and overwhelmingly tough-looking root home, break out your best pairing knife. Unless you have an industrial strength potato peeler you are not going to make much progress un-barking the exterior! They usually have a protective wax coating, so don’t freak out if you see that….. It’s ok!

Use you pairing knife to trim off the ends, then trim off the bark, leaving only the white interior. Please be careful with your knife wielding!

Next you want to cut it into “chips.” This is best accomplished with a mandolin, but you can use a knife as well. Just try to get them as thin as possible. Now you’re ready to cook!!

I have two recipes where I utilize this awesome root….The ULTIMATE Nachos….

And Smoked Salmon Bites that are on of crispy “smashed” yuca:

And Cricket wanted me to remind you not to forget your furry family members! One of her favorite crunchy snacks are these Chicken Jerky Treats. They are very easy to make. So when you make your Yuca Crisps, be sure to bake up some jerky for your pup! Hey, dogs like to snack too ya know!

Yuca Chips

These Yuca Crisps have the perfect combination of crunchy and salty goodness. They make an excellent stand-in for potato or corn chips and you can make them easily in your own oven!

1 yuca/ cassava root
2 tablespoons of oil of your choice (olive oil, ghee etc.)
1 + teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (s)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Peel and cut the yuca according to the directions above in the post.
Place the yuca rounds in a bowl and coat evenly with oil or use a oil spray to coat both sides of the rounds and place them on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, then flip the rounds and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. If they are browning too quickly, or not browning at all, adjust the temperature of your oven. I did end up turning my oven up the last 5 minutes to 425 degrees F to get the golden edges.

These Ultimate Nachos are loaded with spicy nacho cheese, flavorful and fresh tomatillo-avocado salsa, and tangy sour cream, on top of yuca crips. Sinfully delicious, these nachos are secretly healthy, paleo, grain free and dairy free!

I’ve always had a deep love for “junk” food. Crispy fried wings, fudgey brownies, salty french fries, rich and creamy ice cream, anything with chocolate, creamy dips, and nachos! What are some of your favorite junk foods??

These are some of my favorite things to indulge on, and if you frequent my blog, you know that most of my recipes are “junk” food that’s had a makeover. A healthy makeover! They don’t lack in taste and indulgence- they deliver! Most importantly of all they are made with clean healthy whole food ingredient, are gluten and grain-free, and most are dairy-free as well.

These nachos are everything you are looking for…. crispy salty chips that are piled high with nacho cheese, sour cream, and fresh tangy salsa. You can even add on some chili too if you are looking for a meal- see my Chipotle Bison Chili, it would make an awesome addition to these nachos.

And this nacho cheese is amazing (and happens to be dairy-free- No way?… YES WAY!) I experimented with so many dairy-free cheeses, and I actually do eat some pasture-raised dairy products- like butter and some cheese. (You can read more about the benefits of pasture-raised dairy HERE.)

I wanted to create a dairy-free alternative that is good for you, easy to make, and tastes like the REAL DEAL nacho cheese. This nacho cheese has a secret ingredient that makes it extra creamy- butternut squash! I didn’t want the cheese to be made of solely cashew cream so I lightened it up and added body, flavor and color with the butternut squash. I also added some chipotle chilis for a nice smokey spiciness.

The salsa provides a wonderful fresh tangy flavor, and it’s a bit different from the norm. Its made with tomatillos, avocado, lime juice and cilantro, and its simply amazing. You’ll want to put it on everything!

Is your mouth watering yet? You guys are going to love these I promise!

The Ultimate Nachos {Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo}

These Ultimate Nachos are loaded with spicy nacho cheese, flavorful and fresh tomatillo avocado salsa, and tangy sour cream, on top of yuca crips. Deliciously sinful, these nachos are secretly healthy, paleo, grain free and dairy free!

YUCA CRISPS:

I yuca (cassava root)
2 tablespoons oil of choice (olive oil, ghee, coconut, etc)

NACHO CHEESE SAUCE:

¾ cup soaked raw cashews (soak for at least 4 hours and drain)
¾ cup cooked and mashed butternut squash
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion (about ½ cup, chopped)
2 garlic cloves (diced)
½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

SALSA:

1 small red onion (or 1/2 of a large one, finely chopped)
1 habanero pepper (finely diced)
1 garlic clove (finely diced)
1 avocado (chopped into 1/2″ cubes)
6 tomatillos (peel off papery skin and wash coating off, leaving you will something that resembles a small green tomato., chopped)
1 red or orange sweet pepper (chopped)
1 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon extra vigin olive oil

SOUR CREAM:

1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours and drained)
1/4-1/2 cup water
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

To make the yuca crisps preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Peel the yuca, removing all the brown coating on the exterior.
Cut the yuca into 1/8″ rounds.
Coat the yuca rounds with oil/ghee and sprinkle with salt.
Place on a cookie sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden.
Remove, flip the rounds, and roast again until the other side is golden brown as well and crisps are crunchy.
The crisps are best when served immediately or shortly after they are prepared.
To make the nacho cheese soak the cashews in water for at least 2 hours and then drain.
In a sauce pan saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until slightly golden.
Place the soaked cashews, pureed butternut squash and water into a high speed blender, and blend on high until creamy.
Add the sauteed onion, garlic, salt, paprika, chili powder and nutritional yeast and blend until smooth.
To make the saslsa combine all the ingredients- red onion, habanero pepper, garlic, avocado, tomatillo, sweet pepper, salt, lime juice, orange juice and olive oil and mix.
Faxlor is best of you let it sit for a 1/2 hour.
To make the sour cream in a high speed blender combine the soaked cashews, 1/4 cup water, salt, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice and blend on high.
Slowly add remaining water, and stop to scrape down the sides, until desired consistency is reached.