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These vegetables make amazing, healthy chips

Zucchini fries. Photo: Getty

Zucchini fries. Photo: Getty

Chips, wedges or fries, made with potatoes and invariably deep-fried, were once a guilty indulgence.

Now, “chips” can be made with much more delicious ingredients giving them a wonderful range of taste and textures. Better still, the modern chip can contribute to your day nutritiously.

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Any vegetable from beetroots, carrots, kale, sweet potatoes and even the hugely popular avocado can be turned into a chip, as well as polenta.

So ditch the deep fryer, grab some baking trays, turn on the oven and give these a go.

Here’s the A-Z of healthier chips.

Avocado

Line two baking trays with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees.

kale chips

Kale chips, perfect with a lime mayonnaise. Photo: Getty

Chop avocados into eighths. Dust pieces in flour, egg wash and then breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper and a little cayenne pepper for some kick.

Transfer to the baking trays and cook for 30 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden. Serve on the side of a main meal or with a lime mayonnaise dip for some pre-dinner snacks.

Kale

Line two baking trays with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 120 degrees.

Chop the kale leaves into bite sizes. Discard stalks. Put chopped or ripped leaves into a large bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. Toss well so leaves are evenly coated.

Add any sort of seasoning you like — salt, pepper, garlic flakes, chilli and dried parsley all work really well. Transfer leaves to baking trays and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the leaves and cook for another 10 minutes.

The crunchy end result is fantastic served on top of braised purple cabbage or as a mid-arvo snack.

Sweet potatoes

zucchini

Fried zucchini pairs well with almond meal. Photo: Getty

Line two baking trays with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Sweet potatoes make an excellent chip and my best piece of advice is make double the quantity you think you need. You’ll thank me later!

Choose evenly shaped sweet potatoes. You can peel them if you wish but I don’t. Depending on their size, chop in half once length wise and widthwise. I like a chunky rustic wedge otherwise chop them into even matchstick sized fries.

In a mixing bowl, place melted coconut oil, a little salt and a good sprinkling of cinnamon. Toss sweet potatoes so they are evenly covered. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown.

Beetroot, carrots and parsnip

Line three baking trays and preheat oven to 180 degrees. Use a mandolin to ensure the vegetable discs are the same thickness so they cook evenly. Place discs in a single layer on baking trays and if you’re using a few different veggies, put them on separate trays as they will cook at different rates.

Brush the discs with olive oil, a grind of salt and pepper and crushed rosemary. Bake for 20 minutes, check, turn over and cook for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool a little before transferring to a big bowl in the centre of the table.

polenta chips getty

Polenta is made from boiled cornmeal. Photo: Getty

Polenta

Line a small baking tray measuring 20 x 28 cm approx.

Cook polenta according to instructions including a generous serve of grated cheese such as Parmesan and Gruyere.

Once cooked, transfer the mixture to a small baking tray and allow to cool. Turn polenta slab out and cut into wedges. Place wedges on a lined baking tray then season well with salt and pepper and any other spices you like. Top with a little (or a lot!) of melty cheese and cook on high for 20 minutes.

Zucchini

Cut into matchstick or rounds, zucchinis make a great chip. Dip in almond meal, beaten egg and crushed pistachio nuts and then cook in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

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