6 Healthier Alternatives to Potato Chips

These veggie-filled recipes are loaded with nutrients and are baked instead of fried.

Coconut Chips

Ingredients
1 coconut
Coarse salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Test each of the three eyes at the stem end of the coconut to see which is the softest. Then use an ice pick (or a screwdriver) and a hammer to pierce two of the eyes. Strain water through a fine sieve into a bowl; reserve for another use or discard.
Place coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake for 30 minutes, or until coconut shell begins to crack. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Wrap coconut in a clean kitchen towel; holding coconut with one hand, hit it with a hammer in the same place several times to crack the outer shell and split the coconut into several large pieces.
Separate coconut flesh from shell, and use a vegetable peeler to remove the dark outer skin, if desired. Rinse and dry coconut. Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, remove strips from edges.
Divide coconut strips between 2 rimmed baking sheets in a single layer; season with salt. Bake until toasted, about 10 minutes.

Apple Peel Twigs



Faced with the usual pile of apple peels after baking a pie, food editor Anna Kovel came up with this tasty snack.
Martha Stewart Living, October 2012

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

12 organic apples

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Directions

Combine cinnamon and sugar then peel apples. Toss peels from apples with cinnamon sugar; sprinkling peels with a few drops of water will help the mixture stick. Spread in a single layer on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake in a preheated 250-degree oven until peels are curled and crisp, about 2.5 hours, rotating halfway through. Let cool before serving.

Plus: Our Favorite Apple Recipes


Baked Plantain Chips


These make a great snack or appetizer for a Cuban-themed meal. If you are unable to find green (unripe) plantains, use very green bananas instead.

Everyday Food, September 2010

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 pounds plantains or green bananas, scored, peeled, and thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide plantains between two rimmed baking sheets. Toss with oil, then arrange in a single layer on sheets. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets and flipping plantains halfway through. Drain plantains on paper towels.

Carrot and Parsnip Fries



A salty-sweet dish of oven-roasted carrots and parsnips is a quick, healthy alternative to traditional French fries.

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 medium carrots

3 medium parsnips

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center of the oven.

Peel carrots and parsnips and halve crosswise. Slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick planks. Slice lengthwise again to make 1/4-inch-thick fries.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, and red-pepper flakes. Spread into a single layer and roast, turning veggies once, until crisp and golden brown in places, about 20 minutes.

Beet Chips


To create thin, evenly sliced beets, use a mandoline slicer -- plastic models are available at housewares stores.

Everyday Food, January 2010

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 medium beets
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Peel beets and slice 1/16 inch thick with a mandoline. In a large bowl, toss beets with extra-virgin olive oil.
On two rimmed baking sheets (or use one sheet and bake in two batches), arrange beets in a single layer. Stack another rimmed baking sheet on top of each. Bake until edges of beets begin to dry out, about 20 minutes. Uncover and rotate sheets. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, removing chips as they become lightened in color. Transfer to a wire rack; chips will crisp up as they cool.

Kale Chips


Get kids excited about healthy kale with this crispy recipe from stay-at-home dad Benjamin Frank.

"The Martha Stewart Show"

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 large bunches of kale, rinsed well, dried, and torn into 1- to 2-inch pieces

2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place kale pieces in a single even layer on baking sheets; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.

Transfer to oven and bake until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve.

Plus:

No-Bake Desserts
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Our Best Chicken Recipes
A Look at Martha's Kitchens
Cooking Basics You Need to Know