Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Summer is coming. It's not here yet. Not quite. But it's on its way. With summer comes pool days and get togethers, camping outside and block parties.

You're going to need something to munch on.

Which is why this week's recipe is for crunchy, addictive, healthy sweet potato chips. All you need is a few sweet potatoes, an oven and a really sharp knife. 

Why sweet potatoes? Because, they are jam-packed with vitamin A, B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, are fat free and have less calories than white potatoes. Whew! Good stuff, right? 

Best of all you can slice these up, toss 'em in the oven and have bags and bags of your own homemade potato chips ready to pop open whenever the need arises. Much cheaper than store bought and healthier because they are made in your own kitchen with only your own ingredients. Spice them with cinnamon for a sweeter bite, or add in the salt & pepper for mix of salty-sweet. 

Sweet Potato Crisps

Gather:

2  large sweet potatoes (organic preferable since you are eating the skin)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt or preferred spice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F and position rack in the center

2. Wash and dry sweet potatoes and slice them as thin as possible. Try to make them all uniform in thinness, as a thicker cut will result in a less crispy chip. A mandolin slicer would be best, but if you don't have one...no sweat. Just use your sharpest knife and take your time.

3.Toss the chips in olive oil to lightly coat and sprinkle each with preferred spice. 

4. Place on baking sheet in a single layer and bake for two hours, flipping chips once while baking to ensure both sides are evenly baked. 

5. Remove from oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before trying...sometimes they need a little shock of cold air to crisp up. 

Enjoy! A little preparation before the pool party or movie night is all it takes to have your own salty-satisfying snack, without the calories, fat and disappointment. 

Stay fit, and see you back here next week for another simple, healthy recipe!