Hey all! Cassandra here, making my LupusChick blog debut with one of my favorite topics: food. A couple weeks ago, I went into a root vegetable frenzy. Yams, carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic, and ginger. I was so intrigued by this roasted root vegetable recipe I found that I instantly bought enough produce to make multiple batches. And let me just say, it was GOOD.

That recipe also happened to be the first time I can remember eating parsnips. I had no idea what they would taste like, but I like carrots—how different could they be? Turns out they’re pretty different, but they are really good. A semi-sweet, semi-nutty, rich flavor, contained in a root with the same consistency as a carrot.

While they taste great and are easy to prepare, it was my research into their health benefits that convinced me to make them a regular part of my diet. They’re amazingly good for you. Here are the top benefits:

1. Heart Healthy

Parsnips have high levels of potassium and folate. The potassium helps in keeping your arteries and veins wide open, which reduces blood pressure and heart stress. The folate decreases homocysteine levels in your blood, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

2. Good Fiber

They have a lot of soluble fiber in them, which reduces both your bad cholesterol, and your risk of diabetes! It also keeps things moving in your digestive tract, if you get my drift.

3. Immune Boost

Both vitamins C and E show up in parsnips, which fight off free radicals, and the C also boosts your body’s white blood cell production, giving your immune system a little extra punch.

With that said, let’s talk about this recipe I’m sharing with you today!

I had some parsnips left over after making that roasted root veggie dish—they were just sitting there. I refused to let them go to waste, but I wanted to use them for something healthy AND fun…so I tried making veggie chips for the first time.
Let me just tell you now…they came out amazing. I seriously recommend trying this out if you’re looking to use up some spare parsnips, or if you love veggie chips. Yum.

Since I didn’t know what would be the best flavor for these sweet chips, I decided to try a few versions. And none of them disappoint. I wanted a good variety of flavors for the coatings on my chips—a bold, a savory, and a sweet—and they all turned out amazing, but I’ll straight up admit now that the garlic & pepper were my favorite. Absolutely yummy. They didn’t last long.

A few quick tips before we jump into the recipe:

When I sliced the parsnips, I used a mandolin. It worked wonders for ease of slicing, but it cut my chips a little thicker than most people would probably like, at almost an eighth of an inch. If you want your chips to be crunchy, I suggest you go thinner and cut the baking time by a few minutes. For me, it worked out perfectly. My chips weren’t super crunchy—they were meaty—and I loved them because I could taste the natural flavor of the parsnip under the seasonings.

The size of the chip makes a difference in the baking time. The chips that were dime-sized or bigger all baked fine at the same length of time, but some of the slices from the tapered end that were smaller just charred. I suggest you stick with the bigger ones and use the small stuff for something else.For the cinnamon and sugar ones, make sure you let the parsnips dry a little bit before coating them. When I baked mine, a couple released a little too much moisture, and I ended up with a hard, carmelized coating. They tasted good, but they were sticky to chew. Just asking for cavities.

That’s it… Let’s do it!

Parsnip Chips Three Ways

  Dairy Free, Gluten Free

May 8, 2017

These healthy parsnip chips are delicious and will satisfy all of your cravings—whether you're looking for salty, savory, or sweet!

Directions

Prep the Parsnips

1Peel and slice your parsnips into 1/8 inch or thinner slices. Let them sit for a few minutes so the surface moisture dries off.

Garlic & Pepper Chips

1Mince the garlic clove as small as you can get it. (I used a garlic press because I'm lazy)

2Mix together garlic, salt, pepper, and oil in a small bowl.

3Toss the parsnips in the garlic/oil mixture until they're well-coated. Lay them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4Bake the chips at 350 degrees for 14–18 minutes (flipping once) until slightly browned around the edges.

Honey & Rosemary Chips

1Mix together the honey and oil in a small bowl until blended, then stir in the rosemary & salt.

2Toss the parsnips in the mixture until evenly coated and lay them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

3Bake at 350 degrees for 14-18 minutes (flipping once) until slightly browned around the edges.

Cinnamon & Sugar Chips

1Toss parsnips in a bowl with the olive oil until they're lightly coated.

2Sprinkle cinnamon over the parsnips, then dip them in the sugar, being sure to coat them evenly.

3Bake at 350 degrees for 16-20 minutes (flipping once) until browned.

Ingredients

Garlic Pepper Parsnip Chips

3 large parsnips, sliced into thin chips

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

1/2 tsp ground peppercorn medly

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Honey & Rosemary Parsnip Chips

3 large parsnips, sliced into thin chips

2 tsp honey

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp rosemary (I used dried)

Pinch of Himalayan Salt

Cinnamon & Sugar Parsnip Chips

3 large parsnips, sliced into thin chips

1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs sugar

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