Baked Salt & Vinegar Zucchini Chips
My kid keeps eating my snacks! Probably a “complaint” that has been exclaimed in many a home for decades. (I say decades because frequent snacking is a fairly new habit of humans…you don’t have to take my word for it; ask your grandparents.) But when Jeremiah first came into my life, I never thought I would have to worry about him eating my “healthy” snacks. That’s just not how his diet was set up 😋 (No judgment!)
But over the years some of my habits have worn off on him and his dad (and unfortunately some of theirs on me…we’ll talk about that another day) and I’m now in the same boat as every other mom I know – “I just can’t have anything to myself!” But who can blame the kid??? I have good snacks.
Listen, I grew up with the same Standard American Diet as the majority and I still have those cravings built into my subconscious. So my better-for-you snack items tend to be pretty darn tasty in order to keep me away from the traditional items in the center aisles of the grocery store when I want to munch on something other than my usual snackable veggies, portable protein, and fresh fruit.
Snacks like these super yummy salt & vinegar zucchini chips.
I can’t take the credit because I know I found this recipe somewhere, but I also can’t seem to find a pin for it on any of my boards on Pinterest. Thankfully I shared the recipe on Instagram because I’m really reigning things in on my nutrition and I want a salty crunch option that I don’t have to count as a “treat.” They’re really easy so definitely make them yourself and I promise you won’t miss the deep-fried potatoes.
So how do you make these crunchy wonders? Super simple – toss zucchini slices with oil and vinegar, lay on a sheet tray, season with sea salt and bake. Two crucial parts to the process:
- Making sure your slices are thin and uniform.
- Keeping an eye on them in the oven so they don’t burn.
For those thin slices…I don’t keep a ton of gadgets around and I typically use my chef’s knife for most of my cutting needs, but I DO use a mandolin whenever I want really thin, uniform slices. It’s a really cool tool to have in your kitchen. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or professional grade. Mine is super old (I’ll probably be replacing it soon) and I don’t even think the company is still around, but click here to see the one we got for my dad because I’m pretty confident in OXOs products. I’ve never had any issues with them in the past.
As for making sure they don’t burn, it’s a fine line between done and burnt. When I’ve seen baked varieties online before, they somehow always look lighter than mine have ever come out. Maybe it’s my oven. But I know that in order for mine to completely dehydrate and have that snap of a chip, they get a bit brown. I still always check the texture throughout the cooking process. If you notice yours are nice and crisp while they’re still light in color, fantastic!
I can’t wait for you to try these! Tag me on Facebook or Instagram (@excellentlyimperfect) so I can see how they turn out 🙂
RECIPE: Baked Salt & Vinegar Zucchini Chips
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2-3 hours (inactive)
Yields: about 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2T olive oil
- 2T white wine or white balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini, about 2 medium (I used my mandolin set on 2 out of 3)
- Sea salt
Directions:
- Whisk the oil and vinegar in a large bowl.
- Toss the zucchini slices in the mixture.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and lay the slices in a single layer and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake them at 200F for 2-3 hours, rotating the trays halfway through.
Let cool and enjoy! You can store then in an airtight container for 3 days… if they last that long😜
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