Chips and guacamole are a crowd favorite, perhaps the most popular snack found at parties—and usually one of the healthier options. Our grain-free version is even better because it uses roasted taro chips baked with avocado oil instead of corn chips. Everybody loves chips and when you make your own at home it’s a fun activity for the whole family!
Taro root is a root vegetable that is a good source of fiber, manganese, and B6. Taro root can be sliced thin, and made into chips, as in our recipe, or when cooked it becomes soft, like a potato. Taro root is a starchy vegetable, but it has a low glycemic index.
Our chunky guacamole is full of flavor from the shallot, roasted pumpkin seeds, and crunchy sugar snap peas . The base uses avocados which are a rich source of healthy fats plus vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, and more.
Ingredients
Taro Chips:
- 1 ½ pounds taro root
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Guacamole:
- 3 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
- ¼ - ½ jalapeno pepper, minced
- 1 medium tomato, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 6 sugar snap peas, finely sliced crosswise
- 2 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cut into ½ dice
- ¼ cup coriander leaves, whole
- ½ lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Preparation
- Start by peeling the taro root. Place the peeled root in ice water for 1 hour, in the refrigerator.
- After an hour, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the taro root from the water and dry using a paper or kitchen towel. Thinly slice the root to about 1/16 of an inch thick using a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Keep in mind that the taro root can be slimy and can slip from hands very quickly. Protect your hands by holding the root with the towel while slicing, to keep the root from slipping.
- Rinse and dry the sliced root using a kitchen towel.
- Place the dry taro slices in a bowl and add the avocado oil, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne (if using). Toss well and spread slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. You might need to use more than one baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are slightly golden and curled up. Flip the taro slices and bake for another 12-15 minutes. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make the guacamole by dry roasting the raw pumpkin seeds in a skillet on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add the jalapeno, tomato, shallot, snap peas, and avocado into a mixing bowl, or mortar and pestle, and mash keeping the mixture quite chunky. Add coriander leaves, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves for garnish.
- Once the taro chips have cooled, serve with guacamole and enjoy.
Start by peeling the taro root. Place the peeled root in ice water for 1 hour, in the refrigerator.
After an hour, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Remove the taro root from the water and dry using a paper or kitchen towel. Thinly slice the root to about 1/16 of an inch thick using a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Keep in mind that the taro root can be slimy and can slip from hands very quickly. Protect your hands by holding the root with the towel while slicing, to keep the root from slipping.
Rinse and dry the sliced root using a kitchen towel.
Place the dry taro slices in a bowl and add the avocado oil, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne (if using).
Toss well and spread slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. You might need to use more than one baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are slightly golden and curled up. Flip the taro slices and bake for another 12-15 minutes. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, make the guacamole
dry roast the raw pumpkin seeds in a skillet on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the jalapeno, tomato, shallot, snap peas, and avocado into a mixing bowl, or mortar and pestle, and mash keeping the mixture quite chunky. Add coriander leaves, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves for garnish.
Once the taro chips have cooled, serve with guacamole and enjoy
Nutritional analysis (per serving): calories 277, total fat 14.1g, saturated fat 1.9g, cholesterol 0mg, fiber 8.4g, protein 3.8g, carbohydrate 36g, sodium 407mg, sugars 1.7g