Vegetable chips have been all the rage in recent years, shooting straight to the top of the snacks charts. And it’s no surprise: they’re devilishly addictive, but deceptively healthy.
Now, most people prefer to eat foods that simply taste good, without considering if they are beneficial to our bodies. And usually, what our taste buds like most tends to be the worst for us in terms of nutrition. When creating recipes for my family, I stick to one basic tenet: eat in a balanced way. I eat healthy dishes and not-so-healthy dishes (sparingly), so I can treat both my taste buds and my body well.
But these chips! Oh, the deception. These chips are both a healthy snack and a fun bite. Beets are rich in protein and low in fat and cholesterol and full of fiber, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C. I pair them with a creamy spread of cilantro, roasted garlic, and red pepper goat cheese. They have a great texture and flavor to them and a beautiful color and they add a feminine and elegant pop to any table.
This dish is also great for company but consider yourself warned: these chips will steal the show.
Beets not only have a beautiful color and flavor, they are very nutritous and inexpensive. Making homemade vegetable chips is so easy and, in this recipe, the chips get an extra kick from a zippy dip made with roasted garlic, goat cheese, cilantro, lime, and aji molido.
Ingredients
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
2 large or 3 medium beets
* aji molido, to taste
* fresh lime juice, to taste
* olive oil, as needed
* kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Procedure
1) Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. To prepare the garlic paste, place whole garlic and a touch of olive oil in a baking pan. Bake until the garlic is very soft, approximately 1 hour. Remove the tray from the oven and cool. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
2) Squeeze 2 garlic cloves out of skins and mash them with a fork in a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese, cilantro and aji molido, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3) Wash the beets. Trim off the top and the bottom of each beet and peel. Slice the beets very thin (preferably with a mandoline) and toss with just enough olive oil to coat the slices.
4) Place the slices on 2 baking sheets lined with silpat or parchment paper. Bake until they get crispy on the outside edges. (Check them once in a while, redistributing the pieces until they are done!)
5) Enjoy with the cheese dip!
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