Mention beets to some adults and they revert back to a dramatic six-year-old with puking sounds and gagging faces. Beets have gotten a bad rap, which is unfortunate because according to the site World's Healthiest Foods:
The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets' potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies.Read more about the health benefits of beets here.
Fortunately I've found a snack that seems to appeal to most adults and children that contains none other than this powerful, darkly packed root vegetable. Terra Chips, known for their veggie chips of all varieties makes Sweets & Beets: a crispy antioxidant rich snack, lightly salted that's great on it's own or with a creamy onion dip, herbed goat cheese or piquant sour cream.
These fried chips contain no trans fats and make a lovely presentation with their rich purple and orange crinkle cuts. These are some pretty chips, and easy to pass off as snacks because both sweet potatoes and beets carry (along with their cancer-fighting antioxidants) a natural sweetness that doesn't need artificial enhancement.
Sweet potatoes are no slouch on the nutritional front either, as World's Healthiest Foods reports:
This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron... Since these nutrients are also anti-inflammatory, they can be helpful in reducing the severity of conditions where inflammation plays a role, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.To learn more about the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes click here.
I've noticed kids love them because of the rich colors and slight sweetness. And adults love them because they make a gorgeous, sophisticated alternative to the bland chips-and-dips presentation. Click here for some really sexy sounding recipe ideas using Terra Chips like Spicy Grilled Tuna with Heirloom Tomato Salsa and Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips, Shrimp Salsa, Rack of Lamb with Terra Crust and Spiced Sweet Potato Chips Stuffing with Sausage and Sage.
As a plus, Terra Chips claims you get one full serving of vegetables in 1 oz. of their vegetable chips. What a delicious and snackily decadent way to eat your veggies!
