8 Great Ways to Celebrate National Tortilla Chip Day

Friday, February 24^th, is National Tortilla Chip Day and people across the country will be crunching and munching their way through tortilla chips of all varieties as they celebrate this very versatile snack.  Let’s celebrate this wonderfully delicious snack and the availability of fabulously fresh Arizona grown food.

Here are 8 ideas for great ways to make your celebration memorable.

1.     Make Your Own Tortilla Chips

What better way to celebrate than to make your own crispy tortilla chips.  You can go the traditional route and fry them or choose a lower-fat alternative and bake them.  Whichever you choose, here are a few recipes and a how to video to get you started.

• How to Make Traditional Tortilla Chips
• Recipe for traditional tortilla chips
• Recipe for baked tortilla chips

2.     Make Your Own Tortillas, Then Make Your Own Chips

Looking for a little more challenge?  Start by making your own corn tortillas and then use one of the recipes above to turn those tortillas into tortilla chips.

• Recipe for traditional corn tortillas
• Recipe for blue corn tortillas

3.     Make Your Own Salsa

The best thing about making your own salsa is that you can make it exactly the way you like it.  Here are a few great recipes that show just how versatile and flavorful the tortilla chip’s favorite companion can be.

• Corn and Black Bean Salsa
• Cantaloupe Basil Salsa
• Tomato Salsa
• Warm Southwest Salsa
• Salsa de Tomatillo
• Avocado, Tomato, Mango Salsa

4.     Host a “Make Your Own” Party

Get your friends and family together and spend the day making your own tortillas, making your own chips, and making your own salsa.  Just like a cookie swap at Christmas, this event can bring everyone together to share the joy of food.

5.     Have Family  Movie Night with Nachos

Skip the popcorn and whip up a batch or two of nachos for your family to snack on while you all settle in together to watch a movie.  With tortilla chips as your base, you can create whatever kind of nachos each family member likes best.  Not into watching movies?  Nachos make a great snack for family game night, too.

• Chicken Nachos
• Beef and Bean Nachos
• BBQ Pork Nachos
• Veggie Nachos

6.     Have Southwestern Salad for Dinner

Nothing says Southwestern like a fresh salad filled with fabulous Arizona grown ingredients, covered with salsa or spicy salad dressing, and topped with tortilla chip strips.

• Avocado and Black Bean Salad
• Southwest Layered Salad
• Southwest Salad with Cilantro Dressing

7.     Make a Tortilla Chip Dessert

Do something a little different with your tortilla chips and rather than salty and spicy, make them into the crunchy base of a dessert that is simply sweet.  Make your own tortilla chips with flour tortillas and swap the salt for cinnamon sugar and then create a sweet salsa-esque topping made with fresh Arizona fruit.

• Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Sugar Chips

8.     Have a Salsa Party

Invite your friends over for a Salsa party including a salsa bar filled with a variety of tortilla chips, salsa, and dips tailor made for tortilla chips.  Serve ice cold margaritas and get someone to teach your guests how to salsa dance.

• Chicken Enchilada Dip
• Jalapeño Pepper Dip
• Perfect Guacamole

If you have a favorite recipe for how you like to eat tortilla chips, please share it with us! We love learning from you and love getting to try your favorite recipes, too!

Related articles:

• How to Host a Holiday Cookie Swap (fillyourplate.org)
• Fill Your Plate with Chicken Wings (fillyourplate.org)