Crispy Snacks - Healthy Fruit and Veg Crisps

I'm always on a lookout for healthy and hopefully still tasty version of snacks, cakes etc. Since I've started baking at home, I've replaced butter with light olive oil and the end product is still fab!! Snack-wise, i've yet to come to a point where i'll try to make my own crisps other than roasted chickpeas and kale so when Arthur from Crispy Snacks asked if I wanted to try their fruit/vegetable range of crisps that's free from additives, salt and sugar, I immediately said yes and was actually pretty excited about it since I've yet to see this brand in shops.  

According to the Crispy Snacks website, the wide range of fat and salt-free fruit and vegetable crisps are made by the innovative MIRVAC (worldwide innovative method of fruit and vegetable dehydation) technology. Using this method, the nutritional structure of the fruit and vegetables are not changed. They retain almost all of the nutritious values present in the fresh fruit and vegetables because water is evaporated from the product in a form of steam within a short time(2 hours, with temperature not exceeding 40 deg).


Having tried a selection of their products, I find that the above method truly retains the flavour and in fact intensifies the flavours of the fruit and vegetables. Good in most cases with the exception of one which I'll cover later. Crisps are also non-oily since they are not fried or baked so we can eat as much as possible with no worries at all!


Crispy snacks kindly provided me with 2 20g packs of each of the following.
Apple Chips

These crisps made from Idared apples were light and very crispy. I've always liked apple chips so it's not surprising that I loved these.


Apple Chips with cinnamon

Apples and cinnamon have always been a match made in heaven so this is definitely the perfect combo. The addition of cinnamon doesn't overpower the taste of the apples and it's a nice change from the usual plain apple chips.


Beetroot Chips with vinaigrette

These beetroot chips have been sliced thicker and feels somewhat heavier than the apple chips but the vinaigrette is cleverly added to offset the heaviness. Crunchy, sweet yet sour makes for a very appetising snack.

Carrot Chips with paprika

The carrot chips, like the beetroot ones are thicker and gives a very good crunch in the mouth. Lightly spiced with paprika, it brings out the sweetness and intensity of flavours in the humble carrot!

Tomato Chips with basil and oregano

I loved apple, beetroot and carrot chips but the tomato ones really needed some getting used to. It's amazing how they managed to extract all the moisture from the tomato and made it so crispy. However in my opinion, intensifying and concentrating the saltish flavour of the tomato in this way wasn't to my personal liking. I could only have a few pieces and it got a little sickening somehow. I have to stress that it's probably just me which had a problem with the flavour. I love tomatoes and sundried tomatoes and eat them all the time but I just don't really like it when prepared in this way. 

No harm done though since I'm happy Crispy snacks contacted me and I'll definitely be buying more of the healthy apple, beetroot, and carrot chips to keep at home to satisfy my snack related cravings! 

For those in London, Crispy snacks chips can be found at the following places.

• Partridges of Slone Square on Kings Road
• Portobello Wholefoods on Portobello Rd
• House of Mistry – Hampstead
• Heath Matters London – High Barnet
• Organic and Wholefood – Healan Centre in Crouch End

In addition to the above, they can also be bought directly from the Crispy Snacks website.

Bruschetta Al Pomodoro

It was just one of those mornings when I didn't feel like having my normal breakfast foods like cereal or peanut butter/jam sandwich so when I looked into the fridge, I found a box of very pretty and colourful red, yellow and orange plum/cherry tomatoes. It so happened that I also bought some lovely Pane Pugliese (Golden Durum Wheat Bread of Altamura) the previous night so the choice was clear! Bruschetta it would be! Light, healthy, simple, quick yet absolutely delicious! This is one of those easy dishes whereby fresh and tasty ingredients played a big part so be sure to get the best!

I wanted to quickly eat the beautiful Bruschetta before it gets soggy so the only photo I had was taken with my Iphone. ;)

Ingredients

1 big handful of Cherry or plum tomatoes(Sliced in half)

1 tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar (I used Belazu)

1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove of garlic (peeled)

A few leaves of Basil

1 slice of good bread( I used Pane Pugliese but sourdough would be great too!)

Method

1) Toast bread

2) Mix tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a bowl

3) Rub one side of the toasted bread with garlic

4) Place tomatoes and basil on the toast.

5) Done!

Peach and Tomato Pasta

I got to admit that I haven't been too adventurous with cooking savoury dishes with fruit of any kind. However, recently I came across a Peach and tomato pasta sauce recipe at Eat well with Others and decided that this 'not cooking with fruits' business has got to change!

And boy was I glad that I tried this out as it was delicious! The sweetness of the peaches cuts the acidity of the tomatoes making it a very well balanced dish and the use of cinnamon adds a bit of warmth. 

Adapted from Eat well with others.
Serves 3


Ingredients
5 medium sized tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 large peaches, chopped
1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 can chickpeas
A bunch of basil, leaves plucked and stalks chopped
250g penne pasta


Method
Heat oven to 200 deg C.
In a lightly oiled baking dish, stir together tomatoes, peaches, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, cinnamon, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Roast uncovered for 40 mins, stirring at least twice during cooking, until ingredients have softened and thickened.
Stir in chickpeas, balsamic vinegar and basil stalks after 30 mins.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Mix pasta with sauce and basil leaves.
Serve.