Chips...that I can actually eat!

 Beets are extremely good for you.  Not only are they a great vegetable to cleanse the liver but they help with anemia.  Both these things are important for me.  And right now I am getting an Organics to you box so in an effort to eat the whole box every week, I must use the vegetables provided.  This week, there was a large amount of beets.  My husband said he will not eat them and the rest of my kids are scared to.  So determined to turn this into something everyone would eat, I focused on a preparation that seemed more like snack food.  The coleslaw and smoothie recipes were fine, but still too beety for my family.  So I gave this one a try and I have got to say that everyone ate them!  Of course I had the biggest portion, but they were consumed and we will definitely make them again.

First, slice your beets as thin as possible.  I have a mandolin for this and did 1/16th of an inch.  The recipe calls for 1/8th of an inch, but I am all about saving time, so the thinner the better for me.  Pat them dry or lay them out on paper towels to absorb the moisture.

Fry them in oil that is 350 degrees.  It should only take a minute because as soon as the edges start to curl, your chips are almost done.  Take out with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.  (note: we don't buy paper towels but we happened to get some as a gag gift for Christmas..funny!)

Here is your finished product!  I sprinkled the still hot chips with a mixture of kosher salt, rosemary, and garlic.  They are sweet and crunchy so try them sometime.

GlutenFree, SugarFree Crust

I am attempting to cut sugar out of our family after a huge stomach fiasco happened from Halloween to well past Thanksgiving.  I wasn't exposed to any gluten, but still got super sick.  So I decided to fast for 6 days and I felt great!  Now, I am not eating any grains or refined sugar.  So this crust I used for a blueberry tart.  Since I  now cook like an Italian Momma, I really don't know exact amounts on much but I will do my best to help you...

2 cups of hazelnuts
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 tsp of salt

Melt honey and butter together and add salt.  Place hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until ground into a consistency of coffee grounds or course breadcrumbs.  Err on the side of too big unless you want to make hazelnut butter :)  Place the processed hazelnuts in a bowl and pour the honey mixture over the nuts.  Combine and press into pie pan.  This recipe works well for anything that you would use a graham cracker crust for.  I also used a piece of saran wrap on my hands to press it down.  It can be a tad sticky with the honey in it.  It works well in a springform pan.  I roasted the crust in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes before putting my filling in.  Let me just say, that I could eat this crust as is it's that good!