Guilt-free Veggie Chips

​If you're on a mission to consume more vegetables, why not enjoy them as chips?

• They are not complicated to make, include only a few ingredient and require no special tools
• Most of the time involved is letting them crisp up in the oven
• It's a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen - get them ripping kale and massaging sweet potato
• Many vegetables can be made into chips - kale, sweet potato, carrot, zucchini, turnip, parsnip, etc. 
• No one can resist crunchy, salty chips - they will disappear in a flash!

Below is a recipe for Kale Chips, and another for Sweet Potato Chips, both are equally delicious! They are oven-baked (not deep-fried) fun to eat, and good for you too. 

Some nutrition notes:
Kale is a powerhouse of nutrition. It is packed with vitamin K which is very important for proper blood-clotting and healthy bones. It's also high in vitamin A which helps support eye health, immune system function and bone health, and vitamin C which is also important for immune function. It also contains many minerals, a small amount of protein and Omega 3 fats. It's high anti-oxidant content is very important for the heart protective and cancer preventive support it can provide. 

Sweet potatoes are also a very nutrient-dense food. They are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, as well as containing good amounts of the B vitamins, and several minerals, including the electrolytes potassium and phosphorous. The bright orange flesh of the sweet potato also provides anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. They may also help to regulate blood sugar metabolism. 

Kale Chips
by Tracey Ratelle-Westdorp, CNP

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of curly kale, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• drizzle of EVOO

Method

1. Set oven to 275 F. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. Tear kale leaves from centre stem and toss into a mixing bowl. 
3. Drizzle olive oil over the kale and squeeze the lemon over as well. 
4. Sprinkle sea salt over the kale, then massage with your hands until all the kale is covered in the liquids. 
5. Spread kale out over the cookie sheet, then place in oven.
6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, stirring the kale around the pan every 10 or 15 minutes.
7. Kale is done when it's dry and crispy. Watch it near the end so it doesn't burn!

Sweet Potato Chips
by Tracey Ratelle-Westdorp, CNP

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, washed
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• EVOO

Method

1. Set oven to 300 F. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. Using a sharp kitchen knife, or mandolin slicer if you have one, cut sweet potato into rounds as thin as possible. 
3. Add potatoes to mixing bowl and drizzle with oil. Massage slices with your hands to ensure they are coated on both sides with oil. 
4. Spread slices out in a single layer on cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt. 
5. Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes, flipping over about halfway through. 
6. They should be mostly rigid but will also crisp up a bit once cooled.

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