Monday makeover

chip & dip

These vege chips are delicious fresh from the oven, I sometimes toss them through a salad for a crispy texture or as a replacement for corn chips in a Mexican meal, but mostly they are eaten on their own with homemade aioli. You could use different root veges to the ones I have used here — the three different colours look gorgeous together but if I had to pick one flavour-wise, parsnip would top the list.

The first time I tested this I ended up with some very charred unrecognisable chips. Learn from my mistake and set a timer, as these chips go from perfectly cooked to charred in moments.

Aioli is a staple in our house. We have three different types in rotation: avocado aioli, cashew aioli and a more recent addition, aquafaba aioli, that I make when we have chickpea water around. Aquafaba is the latest craze in vegan cooking, most notably for the way it can be whipped into fluffy peaks like egg whites. It’s the liquid you have left over after cooking chickpeas (other legumes work as well, but chickpea is the most readily tested and used) or the liquid you find in a tin of chickpeas. It makes a beautiful thick aioli that is hard to tell apart from a regular one.

Baked vege chips with rosemary

Makes around 2 cups 2 parsnips 2 beetroots 2 carrots 3 Tbsp olive oil or melted

coconut oil ¼ tsp sea salt (add more

to taste) A few sprigs of rosemary

or thyme 1 Heat the oven to 200C. 2 Wash your veges really well — I chose not to peel them as the veges I was using were really fresh with thin skins, so a good scrub was enough. You could peel them if you prefer or if the skins are dirty or hardy. 3 Using a mandolin or very sharp knife slice into 2-3mm thick slices. 4 Line two large baking trays with baking paper — if you have a smaller oven you may need to do this in two batches. Place the vege slices on the baking paper, making sure they don’t overlap. Drizzle with your choice of oil, and sprinkle with salt. 5 Place in the preheated oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes take the chips out and turn each one over (this isn’t essential but will give a better result). Add in the rosemary sprigs and return to the oven for a further 5-15 minutes, checking every few minutes to see how brown they are getting. If you are using different veges some will brown faster than others — take out any chips that are browning and return the rest to the oven until they are done. 6 Allow to cool for a few minutes — the chips will crisp up a little more as they sit. Serve fresh, with aquafaba aioli.

Aquafaba aioli

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 clove garlic, peeled ¼ tsp sea salt 3–4 Tbsp chickpea or white bean water/brine, at room temperature 1 tsp mustard (optional) Pinch of volcanic salt

(optional) ¾ cup mild flavoured coldpressed oil (e.g olive, sunflower or safflower oil)* 1–2 Tbsp water 1 Place all ingredients except oil and water in a blender. Give it a little pulse to blend the ingredients, then — keeping the speed low — very slowly add oil until it’s all been absorbed and the aioli has changed colour and consistency. 2 It should be quite thick, and white or slightly yellow (depending on your oil). If it’s too thick, blend in a little water. Add mustard and volcanic salt, if using. Store in the fridge for at least one week in a jar. *Some olive oils will be too bitter for this recipe — you need a mild, neutral tasting one that has buttery notes rather than grassy ones.