Zesty Baked Tortilla Chips

Throughout this month, I've been committed to not wasting food. From juicing vegetable and fruit scraps to turning leftover pasta into a completely different meal, I get a certain type of satisfaction from my new found commitment. Motivated more by the economics of not throwing food out, I love the creative challenge of coming up with new and tasty dishes to serve my family. 

A couple weeks ago, I hosted (along with my sister) a large celebratory gathering of about forty people in our home. We kept the menu simple by serving a food truck style taco bar. However, I had a ton of leftover corn tortillas I had purchased at a large warehouse store. Every time I open my refrigerator, I saw those tortillas and it bothered me. 

So tonight, I decided to use them in an entirely different way. Inspired by Trader Joe's Spicy Soy and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips, I came up with my own zesty spicy blend which includes ground flaxseeds. Only taking a few minutes to prepare and one of those types of recipes kids should easily be able to assist you with, these chips are awesome! Not only that, what a great way to use leftover tortillas which would otherwise sit in the refrigerator or end up in the garbage. Enjoy!

Make three equal cuts so that each tortilla makes 6 chips. Massaging the spices to make a uniformed blend works way better than just mixing the spices in a bowl.  The best way I've found to do this is to add the spices to a food-grade bag and rub the spices with my fingers on the outside of the bag.

I love mixing the spices with the unbaked tortillas in a sealed bag as a fuss free (not to mention mess free) way to coat each chip uniformly. Kids will love helping you with this step. Look how beautiful they are in the bag!

And voilà! Ready to go in the oven. Crispy baked chips!