Fall Nachos with Brussels Sprouts and Peach Salsa

If you’€™ve ever wondered how to introduce a new or disliked ingredient to the dinner table, here’€™s a story for you: last fall, we discovered a new tortilleria in our neighbourhood. One day my husband popped into the store on his way home from work and walked in the house with a bag of warm tortilla chips, cinnamon sugar-dusted churros, and a package of freshly grated Oaxaca cheese.
It took less than three minutes to know that an extra-large tray of nachos was destined for our dinner table, and I immediately began to season and sauté the leftover poached chicken sitting in the fridge into something flavourful to add to the dish.

Instead of using traditional toppings like chopped tomato and mashed avocado, I went with a fall flavour profile by adding some shredded Brussels sprouts and green onions to my chicken and cheese covered chips before baking them. I know what you’€™re thinking. Brussels sprouts? All I can say is’€¦trust me.

The vegetables crisped up nicely, becoming tangled in the mozzarella-like, stringy Oaxaca cheese, and when paired with a jar of summer’€™s homemade peach salsa, it all made for a unique twist on a very ordinary meal. But the best part was that the kids devoured it! They didn’€™t ask what was on top of the nachos’€”and I didn’€™t volunteer the details’€”but they did request the meal again, and now every fall we make nachos with Brussels sprouts.

The lesson I learned that day is that if your kids don’€™t like (or think they don’€™t like) a specific ingredient, try incorporating it into a favourite dish you know they’€™ll be happy to eat. I’€™ve done it a few times and it almost always works.

Tell me, would you ever add Brussels sprouts to your nacho platter? What would be on your ‘€˜fall’€™ version of this dish?