Homemade Beet Chips with Kale Parmesan Dip

So, what do you do when you have an abundance of beets and kale in the fridge? I say, make chips and dip!
 
Don't get me wrong, I do love roasted beets with thick slices of goat cheese on top of a bed of mixed greens, but this time, I wanted to try something different. I love Terra Chips, I've tried almost all of their varieties out on the market, so I thought I'd give making them a try. 

To be honest, it wasn't that hard. It was a little time sensitive because I tried making them two different ways—baking, and pan frying—since I didn't know how baking them would work out. I had tried making potato chips in the oven once, and wasn't so thrilled with the results. They got too chewy, and not crispy as I would have liked. So, even though I know baking is the healthier option, I wanted to try pan frying half the chips just to see. Heck, Terra fries theirs, so why shouldn't I? And, of course, as I suspected, I did like the pan-fried chips better. First of all, they were much quicker to make. The pan fry time was about a quarter of the amount of time it took for me to bake them in the oven. The fried batch came out a bit crispier than the baked ones too. Overall, the baked ones came out fine, and yes, I would make them that way again. But, you know how it goes, pretty much anything fried always seems to taste better. I think it's one of those Murphy's Law things.

The one thing about beets you should be aware of before making these, is their beautiful red color juices will stain just about anything they come in contact with, so be careful not to get it on your clothing. The juice will stain your cutting board too, but don't worry, eventually it will come out after enough use.

The dip was pretty easy to make as well. It reminds me a bit of spinach and artichoke dip because of the kale and parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, I did not have any artichoke hearts on hand, but if I did, I would have certainly added them into the mix. My husband said it reminded him of the garlic scape pesto I make. Which, I too, agreed with him on. Either way, it was good!

So, anyway, here are the recipes for both the chips and the dip. Enjoy.

Beet Chips (2 Ways)
Ingredients:
4 medium to large beets; washed, dried, and sliced thin
Oil (coconut, peanut, or canola), for both methods
Sea Salt to taste

Directions:
For oven method:Preheat oven to 350°.
For pan frying (when ready): Put about 1" or so of oil in a large skillet and preheat oil to about 350°.

Using a mandolin, slice beets unpeeled to about 1/16". Try not to cut them paper thin as for they will burn too easily. Place sliced beets onto a few paper towels to remove any excess moisture.

For the pan frying method: 
Take dried beet slices and place them in an single layer in the heated frying pan. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, turning over half way, or until crisp. Be careful not to cook them too long, or they will burn. Once the are done, remove from the pan and let drain on a few paper towels. Season with sea salt and allow chips to cool completely.

For baking:
Take dried beet slices and toss in about a teaspoon or two of oil, sprinkle with salt, and then place the beets in an single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, checking on occasion to see if they are drying out. Once the edges begin to dry out, flip them over and put back in the oven for about 15-20 more minutes. Keep checking them about every 5 minutes. Remove once chips have crisped. Place on a paper towel and season with sea salt. Let chips cool completely before serving.

Makes 4 servings.
This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and nut-free if you do not use peanut oil for frying.

Kale Parmesan Dip
adapted from FitSugar
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale (or about 4 cups), stems removed and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup water
Sea salt, to taste
3/4 cup greek lowfat yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
Lemon zest (to taste) 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes  

Directions:
In a large skillet, combine kale, garlic, onion, and water. Set over medium heat, cover and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if pan dries out. 

Transfer vegetables to a food processor or blender. Add yogurt, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and zest, a pinch or two of sea salt, and red pepper flakes. Process until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and let chill for about 1 hour.

Serve with beet chips or tortilla chips.

Makes 6 servings.
This recipe is gluten-free, nut free, and vegetarian. It can easily be made vegan but substituting the greek yogurt for a vegan variety.    

Mel's Simple Salsa

Let me just start off by telling you that I love, love, love Mexican food. There are so many ingredients in Mexican cooking that I am a big fan of, such as cilantro, avocado, garlic, onion, oregano, and even chocolate—used in mole sauces. Need I say more?
 

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the Capital Region is Pancho’s, located on Cresent Road in Clifton Park, NY. My favorite thing to eat at Pancho’s is their complimentary chips and salsa, both gluten-free. I usually eat so many chips with their amazing salsa that by the time my meal comes I am already full.

After many visits to Pancho’s over the years, I decided I would try to replicate their salsa that I love so much just so I could have it at home whenever I wanted to. I figured it couldn’t be that hard to figure out, so I began experimenting with the ingredients I thought were in their salsa. And the result? Some pretty darn good salsa, if, I do say so myself.

I tend to make my salsa a little on the spicy side by keeping in half the ribs and seeds of the jalapeño. However, if I’m having guests over or serving it to children, I usually make it mild by removing all ribs and seeds.

I have made this recipe with fresh tomatoes when in season, roasting them in the oven with olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. And, in the winter I use canned tomatoes, and it  still comes out fantastic. I’ve tried most of the canned tomatoes on the market, and Hunt’s Fire Roasted are my favorite. They taste the freshest, and closest to the oven roasted tomatoes I use in the summer.

This salsa recipe is usually the star of any get-together I host, and I usually end up with at least one person asking for the recipe. Up until now, I have kept my salsa recipe a secret, and shared it with only family and close friends. However, I feel no need to keep the secret any longer, so I’m sharing my recipe here.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

INGREDIENTS:

Four 14.5 ounce cans of Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained and chopped*

1½ - 2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium jalapeño pepper, diced**

¼ cup fresh cilantro including stems, chopped

Juice of a lime

1 tablespoon Marukan Rice Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
Drain tomatoes in a fine sieve, strainer, or colander, removing as much liquid from the tomatoes as possible.

In a food processor or blender, pulse tomatoes in batches until coarsely chopped, or chop by hand.

In a large mixing bowl, season the tomatoes with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
 

Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and vinegar; mix thoroughly.

Serve salsa at room temperature with Xochil gluten-free chips.

Will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.

Makes 1 quart, serves 6.

*When tomatoes are in season, you can replace canned tomatoes with about 16-20 medium-sized plum tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and season with the same amounts of sugar, salt, and pepper called for in the recipe. Roast in oven at 400° for about 45 minutes. Cool, and remove skins (add hint on how to do that, perhaps?).
Note: Since you roasted the tomatoes with the sugar, salt, and pepper, skip that step in the recipe.

**For mild salsa, remove all seeds and ribs from the jalapeño pepper; for medium salsa, remove half seeds and ribs; for hot salsa leave in all seeds and ribs. Be careful when handling hot peppers such as jalapeños. Do not rub your eyes (or take out your contacts!), and wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling the peppers, or wear disposable rubber gloves.