Macho Nacho Crunch Puffs

Cooking Method: Oven Baking

Courses: Sides, Snacks

Description

If you like a crunchy side to your sandwich, the Macho Nacho version can help fill that void. Craving salty cheesiness? No problem. Cinnamonyness? Sure. Cocoa Peanuttyness? Yep, we got ya’ covered. Macho Nacho Crunch Puffs is part of the Crunch Puffs series found in the "All Things Smooth and Crunchy - Crackers, Chips, and Dips" section of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, pages 460 through 462. Other Crunch Puff variations are listed below.

2 or 3 Servings

Ingredients

For the "Macho" Nacho Crunch Puffs:

3/4 cup egg white (s) (carton or fresh)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (no substitutions)
1 pinch TH Mineral Salt
2 tsp TH Baking Blend
2 tsp TH Psyllium Husk Flakes
1 tsp Macho Nacho Seasoning (See Recipe Notes Below)
coconut oil spray

For the "Macho" Nacho Crunch Puffs Coating:

1 Tbs natural nacho cheese seasoning (See note below)
1 tsp Macho Nacho Seasoning (See Recipe Notes Below)
1 Tbs TH Nutritional Yeast

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line two 9 x 13-inch baking sheets with parchment.
2
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites and xanthan gum on high speed until stiff peaks form, approximately 3 minutes. The egg whites should be stiff enough that if you tilt the bowl, the whites should not slide around.
3
Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add the salt, Baking Blend, psyllium, and seasoning of choice. Increase the speed to high and beat for 1 more minute.
4
Place the mixture in a quart zippered freezer bag, seal the bag, and cut a ½-inch hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe the batter onto the prepared sheets in ½-inch balls (or 2-inch doodles). You will fill the trays completely full with balls.
5
Bake for 35 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the puffs to sit in the closed oven another 25 minutes or so. Remove the puffs from the oven and allow to cool for about a minute. Pull any puffs apart that are stuck together.
6
Put the puffs in a bowl. Spray some coconut oil onto all the puffs.
7
Mix together the seasonings/flavorings for the desired recipe variation listed on the following page. Toss the puffs with half the seasoning/flavoring of choice (for savory puffs, be sure to match the seasoning you put into the batter). Spray again with coconut oil and sprinkle on the remaining seasoning/ flavoring, tossing well for a double coat. (Remember that you can have up to a teaspoon of fat with an FP, so you don’t need to be too stingy with the coconut oil spray. If you want to go full-on S with these, you can get real spray happy)
8
Store any puffs you don’t eat immediately in an airtight container for up to a couple of days. To re-crisp, place on a baking sheet and put in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.

Note

From page 460 of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook:
PEARL CHATS:
"If you are a late-night snacker who desires that savory or sweet crunch, let this FP snack come to your rescue. My husband is in this boat. Thankfully, he doesn’t mind that I tell on him. “Honey, I just wrote about you in the book!” He just rolls his eyes and grins a little. Charlie can eat thousands of calories of nuts and cheese in the evening. No kidding! Even if he already had a hearty dinner! He sits there and keeps eating and eating. Hand to mouth, hand to mouth! It is the salty crunch he is after. It’s amazing to me that he was able to lose his excess weight (45 pounds) on THM owing to the huge amounts of food he eats, but he’s a guy and guys can sometimes do what we women cannot when it comes to weight loss. All that to say, while he still eats plenty of nuts and cheese, he also enjoys these puffs now, and since they are Fuel Pull, he can sit there and do his hand-to-mouth thing and I don’t have to nag him—not that I would, of course (wink)."

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Crunch Puffs Variations:

Master Recipe Crunch Puffs
Ranch Crunch Puffs
Peanut Cocoa Crunch Puffs
Cinnamon Crunch Puffs

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NOTE:

You can find completely purist versions of nacho cheese seasoning online. Frontier Natural has a nice option, but if you’re a Drive Thru Sue and don’t care much about purism, use a simple MSG-free cheesy popcorn seasoning found at most grocery stores.

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Complementary Recipe:

"Macho" Nacho Seasoning Recipe

Read it online: https://trimhealthymama.com/recipe/macho-nacho-crunch-puffs/