Siete tortilla chips contain chia seeds, which are not approved for Plant Paradox eaters. With one easy swap, I came up with a great copycat chip. Get the recipe.
LFG's Copycat Siete tortilla chips are salty, crunchy and oh so satisfying. Siete tortilla chips, the once-approved chip that mentioned in the Plant Paradox book is no longer okay since the addition of chia seeds. Chia seeds have harmful lectins and should not be consumed on the Plant Paradox plan. But there is a chip that tastes exactly like the Siete tortilla chips we once love. And this one doesn't have chia seeds. Read on to see what I used instead.
Did you know basil seeds are a great swap for chia seeds? And it doesn't end at basil seed pudding. My friends at Zen Basil have the best organic basil seeds on the market. They're 100% raw and gram for gram swap for any chia seed recipe. Like chia seeds, basil seeds are great source for plant-based collagen, they're high in prebiotic fiber, rich in polyphenols, Omega-3 and -6, and have anti-inflammatory properties. But there's one big difference. Basil seeds don't contain lectins that can harm your gut.
Speaking of your gut, maybe you've read a little book called Th Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven R. Gundry. In it, Dr. G mentions that Siete tortilla chips made with cassava and coconut flours, avocado oil, and sea salt can provide a nice snack once in a while if you're hankering for something salty and crunchy. But since chia seeds were added to the ingredient roster, Siete chips are O-U-T!
But don't fret! I have an easy recipe to make your own tortilla chips that taste and look just like the Siete sea salt variety. You don't need any special equipment to make these, like a tortilla press. A tortilla press is fun to use, but if you don't have one, you can simply press the tortillas thin with the bottom of a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. A piece of parchment paper and a piece of plastic wrap will come in handy for this.
We'll cook the tortilla lightly in a frying pan, then fry the chips in oil to crisp them up. I used a deep fryer filled with avocado oil to fry my chips, but you can use a narrow and deep saucepan just as well. Easy peasy!
If you'd like to buy Zen Basil seeds, click here.
Now, let's get these delicious tortilla chips into your mouth.
The Recipe
LFG Copycat Siete Tortilla Chips
2/3 Cup Cassava Flour
1/3 Cup Coconut Flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Zen Basil Seeds
1/4 Cup Avocado Oil (plus more for frying)
1/3 - 1/2 Cup Ice Cold Water
LFG 4-ingredient Guacamole
1 Large Ripe Avocado (peeled and mashed)
1 Clove Garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
Instructions:
Step 1: Make the Tortilla Dough
In a medium bowl, mix flours, salt and basil seeds with a fork. Drizzle in oil, and cut into dry ingredients with a fork until you have pea size crumbs. Next, add one tablespoon of water at a time while stirring dough with a fork. Keep adding and stirring until a wet dough ball forms and you can pick it up and form it into a ball. You may not use all the ice water, but save it for the next step.
Step 2: Press the Tortillas
Lift the big, wet dough ball out of the bowl and onto a cutting surface. With a chef's knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is the cut it like a pie. Cut it in half. Then each half into thirds, then each pie piece in half for a total of twelve pie wedges. Next, place a 7"x7" parchment square on the cutting surface.
Now, for the fun part. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium flame. Wet your hands and pick up a wedge of dough and form it into a ball. Place the ball onto the parchment paper and lay a square of plastic wrap the same size as the parchment over the ball. With the bottom of a cast iron skillet, or the like, press the dough into a VERY thin tortilla. It's important to get it VERY thin. By thin, I mean 2-millimeters thin.
Step 3: Lightly Pan Set the Tortillas
Preheat one quart of avocado oil in a deep fryer or small and deep saucepan to 340 degrees F. Next, pick up the pressed tortilla still sandwiched between the parchment and plastic. Peel back the plastic, flip the tortilla face-down onto the dry hot frying pan (parchment side up). After a few seconds you can easily grab a corner of the parchment and peel it off. Flip the tortilla after about 10 seconds and barely cook the other side. We are just setting the tortilla, not cooking it. Repeat until all twelve tortillas are barely cooked.
Step 4: Deep Fry the Tortilla Chips
Once you've pan set all the tortillas, cut each into six pie wedges. Drop the tortilla wedges into the hot oil and fry for about 30 seconds each or until slightly brown and crisp. They will crisp up more as they cool. Fry about one-quarter of the batch at a time. Lift the chips out of the oil and drain on a paper towel.
If desired, lightly salt the finished chips and serve with my 4-ingredient guacamole.
ENJOY!