Tag Archives: Dip

Healthy Purple Baked Potato Chips & Creamy Vegan Tasty Tuber Topping Dip Recipes

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These healthy recipes for purple baked potato chips and creamy vegan tasty tuber topping dip will transform your snack time into a guilt-free indulgence. They’re a great enticement for those store-bought fried chip lovers to take better care of their health, and for the picky eaters in your life… because who can resist purple food!? The tasty tuber dip is also the perfect topping for baked potatoes and can be prepared well in advance for ease of week night dinner preparation. All in all, this is a winning combination worth trying… if I do say so myself!


Purple Baked Potato Chip Ingredients:

  • 5 purple fingerling potatoes, per plate full (or any fingerling potato)
  • olive oil (enough to lightly coat potatoes)
  • sea salt (or salt free seasoning)
  • dried garlic powder (optional)
  • dried onion powder (optional)

Tasty Tuber Topping Dip Ingredients:

  • 2 cups unsweetened vegan coconut yogurt (or any variety of plain yogurt)
  • 6 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (or another healthy oil)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon veganaise (or mayo)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or lime)
  • ½ cup shredded cheese (I used Follow Your Heart brand soy-free vegan.)
  • 5 tablespoons fresh chopped chives (or 5 teaspoons dried)
  • ½ teaspoon dried garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground black peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt (or 2 tablespoons salt free seasoning)

Purple Baked Potato Chip Instructions:

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First, wash and scrub the potatoes well with a brush.

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Slice them easily with a mandolin (or slice thinly by hand… the harder way).

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Next toss the potato chips with enough olive oil to coat them lightly in a bowl with the seasoning.

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Place the chips in an even layer over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then sprinkle them with a light coat of seasoning.

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Bake at 375ᵒ for about 25 minutes or so depending on your oven’s nature. (They will shrink a little and change color when they’re done… so keep an eye on them.)


Tasty Tuber Topping Dip Instructions:

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Simply combine all of the ingredients.

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Then blend everything with an immersion blender, or a standard one.

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Scoop into a serving bowl, and garnish with extra chopped chives.


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This tasty topping also makes the perfect baked potato filling. It’s great to make ahead, along with baked potatoes, when you know you be in late the next day. Just reheat the spuds and serve with bagged salad.

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Who needs fried potato chips when these can be enjoyed guilt-free!? These are less expensive than the store-bought kind too! And… they are purple! Enough said.

“It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple” potato “eater, sure looks strange to me.”

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Spicy Guacamole Shooters / Avocado Appetizers Recipe (Allergy-Friendly & Nightshade Free = No Red Pepper or Tomatoes)

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This allergy-friendly guacamole recipe has no nightshades like red pepper or tomatoes, but it still has a spicy kick which makes is the perfect party appetizer that everyone can enjoy. It contains my secret Tex-Mex trick for adding creaminess, which also serves to keep the avocado from browning during the festivities. Serve it rustically in chunky form or blend it into creamy perfection. I can be served with any variety of veggies, chips, or even as a sauce for a meal. Think beyond taco pairings, and embrace it as dressing for your veggies. The heart-healthy avocados make this a guilt-free food, even though it tastes like a special treat, so enjoy!

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Ingredients:

  • 3 large avocados (add more if using small ones)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime juice)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons unsweetened coconut yogurt (or use plain yogurt, or mayonnaise, or veganaise)
  • 1 diced leek (or use onion or spring onions)
  • 2 teaspoons dried cilantro (add more if using fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground black peppercorns
  • 1½ teaspoons sea salt (or no salt seasoning)
  • Dipping Foods: veggies for crudité or chips (pictured are pomegranate potato chips)

Instructions:

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First, gather all your ingredients. Using bottled citrus juice is perfectly acceptable, just make sure that it is pure juice and not the fake variety… or else your guacamole will brown. I’ve used Haas avocados for this recipe. Ensure that they’re ripe by gently squeezing the outside. If they give in a bit, then they’re ready to eat. If not, then store them on the counter until they are.

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Wash the outside of the leeks, cut off the excess green tops, and then slice them in half. Wash the insides of the two halves, and then dice them. (I really like the flavor leeks add to the mixture, and they won’t make you cry!)

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Mix all of the herbs into the lemon juice to allow them time to soften while preparing the avocados. Adding yogurt or mayo is the secret Tex-Mex trick to making smooth and creamy guacamole. Both this and the lemon juice will keep the guacamole a lovely shade of green during your party.

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Wash the outsides of the avocados before cutting into them to avoid transferring bacteria. Whack the avocado seed with a knife, then twist it a half turn to remove it. Slice a grid pattern into the green flesh. Use a spoon to scoop out it out, or just squeeze the rind to squish it into the bowl.

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Mash and mix everything together. I use the back of a serving spoon to smash the avocado against the side of the bowl. You can serve it in a bowl rustically like this…

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…or you can use a blender to smooth the guacamole into a perfect concoction. (Find a powerful one at Le fidèLe Design’s affiliate Blendtec at the link in the side bar.) Made in this way, there are no chunks of leeks or clumps of herbs, but all of the flavors are equally distributed. (I grew up making traditional guacamole with a molcajete, but I used an immersion blender here… which I admit is much faster and easier.)

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Spoon the spicy guac into shot glasses or individual serving cups.

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Add any variety of veggies or chips, from matchstick cut carrots (for Easter) to Fritos (for Cinco de Mayo).

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On this day, I used pink pomegranate potato chips from Simply 7 to coordinate with my Candyland party theme. They are so yummy by themselves, but are really amazing when combined with the spiciness of the guacamole.

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The little avocado shooters fit perfectly into the treat towers I crafted to match my theme. (I’ll be posting the tutorial on this very soon.)

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You can also serve my Heartbeats Veggie Chips made from beet root with the guacamole, or try the Lettuce Turnip the Beet Dip I made to accompany it. It is a pink savory herbed avocado dip that I made for Valentine’s.

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Faithfully Yours,

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“Heartbeats” (Heart Shaped Beet Root Chips / Croutons) & “Lettuce Turnip the Beet” (Pink Savory Herbed Avocado Yogurt Dip / Salad Dressing) Recipe (Healthy, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan) AKA- Undercover Valentine Veggies!

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This is the perfect Valentine savory snack for the picky eater who turns away from anything green or labeled as a healthy vegetable. Who can turn down trying an adorable hot pink heart chip, even if it is an undercover veggie! The avocado’s green is also disguised as pink and creamy yumminess thanks to a couple of healthy secrets, and the seasoning can be adjusted to any taste. It’s also easy to spoon out a bit of the dip into another bowl then turn up the flavor in the first one (hence the “let us turn up the beat” veggie pun in the title). Enjoy them as a healthy chip and dip combo, or make smaller “heartbeats” to use as croutons in a salad flavored by the dip as creamy dressing!

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Heartbeat Chip Ingredients:

  • 3 beet roots (or as many as you’d like to make)
  • olive oil (enough to drizzle, & try any oil you prefer)
  • salt & pepper to sprinkle atop (or garlic salt, lemon pepper, no-salt seasoning, cinnamon & sugar, etc.)

Lettuce Turnip the Beet Dip Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 8 ounces unsweetened vegan coconut yogurt (or any unflavored yogurt, but note that “unsweetened” is less sweet than “plain”)
  • 1 ⅟₂ teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon beet juice (or pomegranate juice)
  • herbs & spices according to taste, on this particular day I chose…

♥ ⅟₂ teaspoon ground white pepper

♥ ⅓ ground ginger

♥ ⅓ teaspoon ground coriander

♥ ⅓ teaspoon ground thyme

♥ 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

♥ ⅓ teaspoon salt

♥ + lots of cracked red peppercorns & black carbon sea salt for fiery garnish

… but you might want to omit the ginger, coriander, & thyme for a more traditional taste experience J


“Heartbeats” Chip Instructions:

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First wash the beets roots thoroughly, and cut off the plant tops.

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Then remove the tough outer part with a veggie peeler.

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The best way to prepare beet chips is to use a mandolin kitchen tool to cut really thin slices. I have a beautiful stainless steel one that can be cleaned in the dishwasher, but I wanted to make sure that you could make these at home using a knife, cutting board, and old fashioned elbow-grease! It does take a little longer, but as you can see they turned out beautifully. They also took longer to bake because the slices were thicker. If you’re trying it this way, try to cut them as thin and uniformly as possible. You can also try cutting them with a food processor.

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Once you have those cut, you can use cookie cutters to press shapes into the slices. I wanted hearts for Valentine’s Day, but you can choose any shape that will fit. Tiny flowers would make delightful pink chips and look lovely atop a spring salad like healthy croutons!Take the leftover bits and dice them further to spike another meal with vitamins. You can bake these into croutons for soup or salad, or steam them with some olive oil and seasoning to add to a pilaf or veggie mix.

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Toss your cut out shapes (or plain slices) with olive oil in a bowl. Then spread out your lovelies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake these in a 375ᵒ oven, to preserve the vitamins in your veggies, for 45 minutes to an hour. If you’ve cut these thicker, by hand, add cooking time. Thinner mandolin cuts will of course finish faster. Either way, I would advise checking on them often (by turning on the oven light, not opening the door).

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About halfway through the cooking time, when the top side looks fairly done like this picture, take out the tray and flip them over before returning it to continue baking. If utilizing a dehydrator, cook them at 145ᵒ for 45 minutes then reduce heat to 115ᵒ for 24 hours until crunchy.

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They’re done when crispy but not brittle. Blot these with a paper towel and sprinkle with your preferred seasonings. I used the same ones (cracked red peppercorns in a mill and black carbon sea salt) that I garnished the dip with. These not only showed up beautifully on the chips but also gave them an amazing fiery zing. You can even make sweet chips by sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar like a pink veggie buñuelo!

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Enjoy the heartbeat chips by themselves or prepare this Avocado yogurt dip while they’re baking…


“Lettuce Turnip the Beet” Dip Instructions:

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Wash and cut open a lovely ripe avocado. They’re best when just slightly softened to the touch. The easiest way to get the seed out is to whack it with a knife, twist, and pull it out in one motion. Slice the flesh into tiny crosshatch squares right in the shell, and then squeeze it into the bowl. (I do this all the time when making my “minute guacamole”, because it can then be smashed with a spoon into the side of the bowl very easily and quickly.)

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Add the lemon juice and plain yogurt into the bowl along with your favorite mix of spices… or try my crazy combination. I love to cook by adding different flavors until it just tastes right… just remember to use different spoons with each tasting. No double dipping people! J If making this into a salad dressing, just add more yogurt, lemon juice… or both.

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I used an immersion blender to completely emulsify and thicken the dip, but any good blender should be fine. Of course the “smash-against-the-side-of-the-bowl-with-the-back-of-a-big-spoon” method also works… it just burns more calories.

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Spoon into a pretty dish and refrigerate until ready to eat. Garnish with a contrasting seasoning like these (cracked red peppercorns in a mill and black carbon sea salt) that also serve to turn up the flavor.

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I have to admit that I enjoyed this recipe so much that I would have eaten the whole thing by myself (guilt-free) had I been alone. Next time, I will be making so much more!

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Happy Heartbeating!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

P.S. What are your favorite seasonings to add to dips & dressings? Tell me how you like to “turn up the flavor” in the comments section, and I may use them in a future recipe!