Dried apple rings dusted with curry powder. Perfect healthy snack for autumn!
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I'm on the hunt for sugarless snacks that are healthy. They need to be something I realistically want to eat more than once, and they need to be super-super-easy. I'm so busy these days with various projects, long drawn-out kitchen projects aren't possible.
And I'm about to get even busier, it that's even possible. We're adopting a puppy, and next week we bring her home. I'm anticipating a rough first few days for her, since she'll be missing her mom and litter mates (there were nine puppies in the litter!!). And I'm anticipating a rough first few months for Carnivorous Maximus and me. It's been a long time since I've trained a puppy, and my husband's first. We're nervous and very, very excited. Here's her photo at 6-weeks. Her name is Rika, short for Paprika.
OK, back to healthy snacks.
To be clear, I mean unprocessed snacks. But where do you draw the line? Technically honey is processed, and so is most milk unless you live on or near a farm and get your milk right from the cow.
For me, I'm focusing on my worst offender, sugar. It's been as hard to cut sugar out of my diet as it was to quit smoking many years ago. So I've decided to make a project out of finding or creating sugarless snacks that I really, really like.
And I've got my first one. A clear home run. Apple chips. I made this batch with a dusting of curry powder, but if you don't care for curry, I can attest that cinnamon is pretty wonderful too.
One of my favorite batches was with ras el hanout, which I think of as a North African version of apple pie spice.
Feel free to experiment, but don't add any sugar - both Fuji and Honey Crisp apples are sweet enough on their own, with Honey Crisp having a slight edge.
Cooking Tips:
* Buy an apple corer for these. It's completely worth it since they make such quick work of neatly coring the fruit. Here's where you can get them on Amazon.
* Use a mandolin to get even slices. If the slices vary in thickness, some will be crisp while others may not be dehydrated nearly enough. I have a small one that I use all the time. Go here to buy one on Amazon if you don't have one. You'll be surprised how often you'll use it - and I find I really don't need the large chef version I worked with and nearly lost part of my thumb on in cooking school.
* A little spice will go a long way. Err on dusting too lightly than too heavily.
* Use parchment paper to prevent any thinner edges of the apples from sticking to the baking sheet.
* Try not to check the slices during the dehydrating. You're working with such a low temperatureย setting that it's easy to lose a lot of heatย by opening the oven even for a few seconds.
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Curry Apple Chips
Equipment
- baking sheet
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 2 apples Fuji and Honey Crisp work great!
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ยฝ cup water
- โ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200หF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Core the apples using an apple corer, and thinly slice on a mandolin. On my small mandolin, which has three settings, I used the second setting. If the slices are too thin, it's difficult to get a full apple ring and they'll be more crispy. If too thick, they'll be very chewy and won't crisp easily.
- Whisk the lemon juice, water, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Soak the apple slices, five or six slices at a time, for two minutes. Dry with paper towels and lay on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the curry powder in a small strainer and lightly dust the apple slices. A little curry goes a long way, so it's not necessary to dust both sides of the apple rings.
- Bake for 45 minutes without opening the oven even once. Since you're baking them at a low temperature, it's easy to lose what heat you have. Turn the slice over and bake another 45 minutes, again without opening the oven. If they need a little more crisping, bake another 15 minutes.
- For the crispiest texture, allow to cool before eating, but they're pretty fabulous slightly warm.
Mary @ Fit and Fed
I just bought apple chips today when I was in Wenatchee (the Apple Capital and all that) and can't stop eating them! So good! But perhaps too addictive to be a good thing for me to have around. And these are just absolutely plain, if they are better with spice (maybe harissa?) I almost don't want to know! I like how you are doing dehydrating just in your oven, I've got to try that.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You are truly in apple country, Mary! I love apples and can never get enough of them this time of year. They're so easy to dehydrate in the oven. The setting on my oven goes down to 200, and I put it on convection and it works like a charm. Just made another batch today for our road trip tomorrow to pick up Rika ๐
The Ninja Baker
Congratulations on your adoption, Susan! Rika is super cute =) Undoubtedly you'll be great parents =)
Congratulations also on your commitment to clean eating. Certainly your crisps are a brilliant way to conquer snack cravings.
P.s. Fuji apples are definitely sweet enough and can forego extra sugar.
I
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Some days clean eating is easier than others. My nemesis is definitely sugar. And you're right - Fugi's are PERFECT.
Renee
Rika is adorable! Congrats on your new puppy.
I've tried making apple chips before and it was a disaster. I'll try again using your recipe.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Renee! What went wrong with your apple chips when you made them?
Lynda - TasteFood
That's a great idea, Susan. The flavors of apple and curry go so well together. And congrats on your new family member! Can't wait to meet her!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Lynda! I can't wait for you to meet her too ๐ We leave tomorrow for Oregon to pick her up.
Liz
Oh, I could munch on these all day long! They look delicious!!! And Rika is adorable...I hope you share lots more photos ๐
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm sure you'll all be driven crazy with puppy photos. I promise not to overwhelm my blog with them ๐
Ethel @eatingininstead
OMG! I love Rika and I love these apple chips! I've been snacking on apple chips constantly since starting the unprocessed challenge and now I can make my own. Thank you for this great recipe!
Sarah
Curry and apple are so natural together, the chips are a revelation!
DB-The Foodie Stuntman @ Crazy Foodie Stunts
A cute name for a cute puppy! I like the balance of the curry with sweet apples.
Shaina
What a great idea!!! I've had apple chips with cinnamon, but never curry.. Yum!
Christy
Congratulations! Rika is gorgeous and you will love having a new puppy (most of the time, ours just turned 18 mos. and still eat paper like it is going out of style).
Love this recipe - curry & apple = genius!
apuginthekitchen
Oh I love the apple chips, also adding curry is such a great idea and I am sure it goes so well with the apple. Now that little Rika is ADORABLE, congratulations, how sweet is she and I can't wait to see more pics and stories about her.
Norma Chang
Rika is sooooo cute, you will be busy for sure but good busy. It is apple season so this recipe is very timely, thanks.
cheri
Hi Susan, your new puppy is adorable, after the initial adjustment period you won't know how you lived without her. And these curry chips sound wonderful, I bet apples and curry are wonderful together.
Christopher James
I haven't tried that. But I bet it's yummy.
Jessica @ BK
Susan! This looks so good. Love the apple flavor in it โ canโt wait to try. Cute dog too!