All that flavor…all that fat.

Cool Ranch Doritos remind me of those days I’d peer into the bag, desperate to find the chip with thickest layer of spices. It was a game with a sensationally savory reward. Little did I know the nature of the gift – or so I thought it was – that I was really giving my body.

One serving, or 12 chips, of Cool Ranch Doritos contains 150 calories, nearly half –8 grams – which come from fat. It also has 180 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, and only 2 grams of dietary fiber.

The bottom line is that with ingredients such as sodium acetate, artificial color, sodium, caseinate, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and maltodextrin, not only are you stuffing yourself with 16 grams of empty carbs but also you are ingesting a lot of nothing “real.” Some of these synthetic ingredients are just downright dangerous. Doritos contain MSG, which is a flavor enhancer that can trigger headaches, sweating, facial pressure or tightness, a rapid or fluttering heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, and weakness.

The following recipe starts from scratch, using simple ingredients that pack a serious flavor punch. With the right combination of spices and a few minutes to spare, you’ve got yourself a bottomless bowl of your favorite chips. Enjoy!

Homemade Spicy Cool-Ranch Doritos

Servings vary

Ingredients:

1 large potato or 2 small potatoes (white or sweet)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Slice the potatoes into thin strips, just thick enough so they are not transparent.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the spices and mix.

Add the sliced potatoes to the spice bowl and toss until all sides of each potato slice are evenly covered.

On a greased baking sheet place potato slices side by side, each with its own place so that they bake evenly and to a crisp. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and place in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the potatoes have crisped, but not burned.

Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Revamping Doritos appeared first on EcoSalon.

Skipped the bagged version and add some dill.

During the summer season, there’s always room for a light appetizer. Instead of putting out a bowl of chips or a junky bag at your next dinner party, make your own.

The mustard and dill dressing is a classic Swedish recipe that I often use for fish and boiled potatoes, but used on these chips, it gives them an extra kick; they’re oily, salty and just a little sweet. Pair with a glass of bubbles and you’re on your way to a good evening.

You can make this recipe without the dill and mustard, simply coat the potato slices with oil and sea salt and bake.

Mustard and Dill Potato Chips

Ingredients

• 1 russet potato
• 1.5 tablespoons mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• pinch sea salt
• pinch pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
• 1/4 cup cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped dill

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Thinly slice the potato, into about 1/8″ slices and set aside.

To make the dressing, mix mustard, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar in a bowl.

Add oil in a slow and steady stream, whisking quickly the entire time. If oil is added too quickly in the beginning, it will separate from the rest of the sauce.

Once oil has been added and sauce has been mixed, whisk in dill.

In a bowl, combine potato slices and mustard dressing and mix until potatoes are well coated.

Place on a baking sheet, preferably on parchment paper or a Silpat.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, turning the potato slices over about halfway through.

Remove from baking sheet and let cool. They will harden as they cool. Serve immediately.

Want more food inspiration? Check out the rest of our Sunday Recipe series.

The post Sunday Recipe: Mustard and Dill Potato Chips appeared first on EcoSalon.

When potato farmers won’t eat the very potatoes they are farming and instead have a small backyard garden to grow a separate stash for their own personal consumption, something is clearly not right. This came to light when I read Michael Pollan’s section on potatoes in The Botany of Desire. The description of the farmer’s potato plants as “doused with so much pesticide that their leaves wear a dull white chemical bloom and the soil they’re rooted in is a lifeless gray powder,” is what really got me.

Like anyone with a concern for personal health and that of our environment, I strive to buy organic. However, this can add up to an eye-popping, hefty bill at the grocery store register. The question is, what food is most important to buy organic?

It seems the American’s love of the French fry, the perfect French fry, no less, created what’s become a disastrous need for the perfect potato. The resulting bumper-to-bumper monoculture crops of russet potatoes have in turn resulted in the intense overuse of pesticides.

What does this mean for the consumer? Most likely, any non-organic potato you buy has been repeatedly sprayed with harmful, poisonous chemicals. Still in the mood for those mashed potatoes? Reach for the stack of organic!

Image: adactio

The post Looking to Buy Organic But on a Budget? Don’t Skimp When It Comes to Potatoes appeared first on EcoSalon.