Root Veggie Chips

Current batch of Root Veggie Chips: Red beets,
golden beets and sweet potatoes.

One of my favorite healthy snacks is Homemade Root Veggie Chips. They are perfect for satisfying those cravings for something crispy and crunchy. They are really good with dips, or on their own. There are lots of ways to make these, but I prefer to keep it simple with just a little olive oil and salt. For this batch, I used red and golden beets, and some sweet potatoes. Carrots and parsnips are tasty, too. Here's how to make them:

Slice up your root veggies, nice and thin. The best way to do it is with a food processor or mandolin slicer. You can do it with a knife, but it's REALLY hard to get uniform slices that way, and it takes a long time. Next, toss your slices in a bit of olive oil. You don't want them swimming in it, but you do want to make sure the slices all have a light coating. One word of warning: If using beets, toss them separately than the other veggies, or everything will turn pink!

Next, place the slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays (if you're using a dehydrator) or on a baking rack on a cookie sheet (if you're using an oven) Sprinkle with salt. For a dehydrator, follow the instructions for your particular appliance. To do them in the oven, put them in at the lowest temperature possible and watch them very carefully, so they don't get overdone. they should be just crispy, but not browned.

I do mine in a dehydrator. My cousin gave me one several years ago. It was the kind of thing that I wouldn't have ever thought to buy for myself, but now that I have it, I use it A LOT. I'm actually considering getting a bigger one! In addition to making these veggie chips, I also use my dehydrator to make kale chips, "sun-dried" tomatoes, dried apples, and other dried veggies and fruits.

Veggie chips with Cashew Cheese... yum!

These chips will keep for quite a while if kept in an airtight container. I'm not sure exactly how long they keep, as they never last for more than a day or two before they are eaten right up!