Embedded deep in our biological make up, there is a drive to search out foods that are both crunchy and salty. Chips are the obvious quick fix – and our urge to overindulge is one of the toughest food habits to break. When we found Chips by Chris Bryant, a cookbook full of healthy plant-based chip recipes, we were instantly hooked. All baked, none fried, you’ll find that each recipe fits into your new years resolution criteria. Start with these parsnip and carrot chips, our new chip of choice for 2015 – move aside kale! Not into these root veggies? Choose from an array of other savory or sweet varieties, including vegetables (potatoes of all kinds, beets, squash), fruit (apples, bananas, pears), and other fun options (pitas, tortillas, wonton wrappers). Whatever your poison, get your chip fix without the fear or guilt of eating fried fats and body-bloating salt. Here are a few notes from the chip connoisseur. before you get cooking…
Carrots, parsnips, and dill are cousins in the plant world and kissing cousins in this recipe.These pretty orange-and-yellow sticks are seasoned with lots of zesty dill seed and lacy dill weed. The recipe follows the low-and-slow method to prevent the sweet carrots from browning too quickly. If you’re impatient and don’t mind some dark chips mixed in with the light, check out the alternate cooking methods. Carrots and parsnips have an affinity to rich Indian spices.
Hunting/Gathering: Select stout carrots and parsnips—the wider the better. To offset the significant shrinkage that will occur during the cooking process, use carrots and parsnips that are at least 1 inch wide, or your ribbons may look more like fettuccini. For a colorful presentation, track down some of the red, purple, or yellow heirloom carrots available at farmers’ markets and some grocery stores.
Double Dill Carrot and Parsnip Ribbons
4 cups
Ingredients:
1/2–1 pound carrots, choose wide ones
1/2–1 pound parsnips, ditto that wide
1 tablespoon walnut or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dill seed
1–2 tablespoons fresh dill weed, loosely chopped (or 1/2–1 teaspoon dried)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 225°F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
To make the slices, I recommend a Y-shaped vegetable peeler for this recipe. Lay the carrot or parsnip on a counter and hold it firmly at the stem end. Pull the peeler down the root in a steady, even motion, bearing down to make thicker shavings than you would for peeling.
Hint: When my Y-shaped peeler can’t get at the last part of the root, I make a platform to perch it on out of the flat-sided handle of a large knife. This allows you to get every last ribbon.
Combine the oil and spices in a mixing bowl. Drop in the carrot and parsnip ribbons and toss them until they’re evenly coated.
Arrange the ribbons in straight lines on the baking sheets. They can touch and overlap slightly.
Bake the ribbons for 30 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets and switch their positions in the oven. Bake for another 20 to 40 minutes (or more depending on thickness), until the color begins to deepen and some of the edges start to brown.
Pluck out any ribbons that are done early. Sprinkle the chips with salt, if you like, as soon as they come out of the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before serving. They’ll get crisper as they cool.
