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Veggie Crisps with Chestnut Hummus Dip

Chestnut hummus dip is smooth, creamy, nutty, naturally sweet, slighty savory, has a touch of roasted garlic flavor and tastes amazing just one spoonful after another.
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizers/ Snacks, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Sauces and Dressings, Vegan
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

  • Chestnuts - whole fresh about 1 pound or about 25 chestnuts
  • water - enough to cover the chestnuts in a medium pot
  • garlic - 3 cloves whole (leave skin on)
  • olive oil - ¼ cup or more to blend into a creamy dip and 1 teaspoon to pan roast the chestnuts
  • sea salt - ¼ teaspoon or to taste for chest nut hummus and 1 teaspoon or more as needed for seasoning veggie crisps
  • diakon radish - 24 slices cut thinly with a mandolin
  • japanese sweet potatoes - 24 slices cut thinly with a mandolin
  • beet root - 24 slices cut thinly with a mandolin
  • olive oil spray - spray pan and root vegetables on both sides
  • oregano - 1 teaspoon
  • cumin - ¼ teaspoon
  • cardamom - ¼ teaspoon

Instructions

  • Make an "X" with a sharp knife on the flat side of each chestnut to make it easier to peel after they are boiled. (Be very careful as the skin is very tough, maybe a rough edged knife like a bread saw might work good for this) My chestnuts were already partially peeled as that is how they prepare then in the wet market. However, most generally in other parts of the world, they will not have been prepped.
  • Place your prepped chestnuts in a pot and cover with cold water to cover. Turn on the burner to high. When the water boils, set your timer for 3 minutes. Then turn off the burner.
  • Take out only a few chestnuts out of the hot water at a time and peel, Start at one end of the "X" and peel back and the skin should slide off pretty easily. If not, maybe you need to boil then for a minute longer. (Do not remove all the chestnuts from the hot water all at once as if they cool down it will be very difficult to peel, just take out a couple out at a time)
  • Remove or pitch any chestnuts that have mold or are brown or have blemishes. (Fresh chestnuts do not have a long shelf life. Prepare them within 3-5 days of purchasing and store in refrigerator)
  • Place about 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan and heat up to medium heat. Bash the whole garlics with the skins on the counter with the flat side of the cleaver. Add the chestnuts and garlic to the pan and gently roast until slightly golden and aromatic. Take out of pan to cool.
  • Roughly chop the chest nuts and remove the skin of the roasted garlics and place these items into you food processor. Add about ¼ cup olive oil and sea salt to taste. Process mixture until smooth and creamy. A little bits of chunks are actually nice as thy give the dip a bit of texture. Set aside and try to refrain from eating all the dip before your veggie crisps are out of the oven.
  • Make your veggie crisps:  Preheat oven to 200 celcius (390 F). Wash and thoroughly dry all root vegetables. (They need to be really dry, so I even put mine in front of a fan to speed up the process) I personally like the peel on the veggies so did not even bother peeling mine. Use your mandolin (use gloved protection on your fingers, use a mandolin guard, remember the mandolin is not your friend and if for one little minute you let your guard down you will be the 9 finger bandit) to very very carefully slice your root vegetables super thin.
  • Place you vegetables in a bowl and use spray oil or a little olive oil to coat both sides. I seasoned my beet roots with just sea salt, I seasoned my Japanese sweet potatoes with cumin, cardamon and sea salt. I seasoned my diakon radish with oregano and sea salt.
  • Spray your baking sheet with spray oil and lay your thin root veggies slices in a row not overlapping and in a single layer. Don't crowd root veggie slices as you want to make sure they have optimal baking so they get crispy and all moisture is removed. Bake them for about 4 minutes on one side and gently flip over and put back in oven for another 4-8 minutes. You need to watch them closely as they cook fast after you flip them. The goal is to take them out when they look like they are just turning brown all over but not burnt. This is tricky. I always verge on the side of error and take them out for a moment when they look ready as they will continue to crisp as you need to leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes when you take them out of the oven. If they are not crispy or are still moist, just pop them bake in the oven and watch closely. I can't give you an exact time as each veggie has a different moisture content, size and type. However, the beet roots took almost 12  minutes, my sweet potatoes 10 minutes and my diakon about 8 minutes.
  • Serve veggie crisps hot out of the oven with the delicious chestnut roasted garlic hummus.
  • Not that I would ever have leftovers in a household with teenagers, but if you did, the chestnut hummus needs to be refrigerated and I would use within 3 days. Veggie crisps are best when eaten fresh out of the oven.  If you have leftovers, store in aluminum foil and reheat in oven to remove moisture before eating. Don't store in tupperware container as this will create moisture.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g