I have been eating some baked green bean chips from the bulk section of my local grocer. however, I wonder if the oil in these chips is making me feel bloated as well as gaining weight. I only eat a few here and there, but I am starting to wean myself off. I could make my own lo carb chips, baked zuccini strips, baked green beans in olive oil. Just a thought.

I think I miss the crunchy idea more than the flavor.  

I have yet to find a "baked vegetable chip" that didn't have some corn ingredients. When you buy things in the bulk bins, things aren't always clearly labeled with ingredients the way sealed packages are.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

I have yet to find a "baked vegetable chip" that didn't have some corn ingredients. When you buy things in the bulk bins, things aren't always clearly labeled with ingredients the way sealed packages are.

Right. Good call. I knew the answer inside, but was looking for some validation that I am acting "neurotic"

Is this an okay place to ask what folks are enjoying for that crunch-need?  

Quoted from san j

Is this an okay place to ask what folks are enjoying for that crunch-need?  

Nuts, seeds, raw veggies, and rice cakes.

I really do not do well on rice cakes, but it is just preference.

Nuts are too fattening for me. I gain weight when I eat too many.

Guess it is back to veggies. I wonder if I was vegan in a former life?

Quoted from marjorie

I really do not do well on rice cakes, but it is just preference.

Nuts are too fattening for me. I gain weight when I eat too many.

Guess it is back to veggies. I wonder if I was vegan in a former life?

I measure my nuts out for the day....so overeating is difficult unless I go back and load up on
extra portions.  Even nut butters can be over-eaten if you don't measure.  I used to just dip
into the jar of peanut or almond butter and smear it on something like toast or veggies....only
when I actually measured out what was one portion, I surprised myself realizing I was probably
eating closer to two portions.  Easy to fool yourself.

A set of measuring cups, a cheap kitchen scale and measuring spoons are a necessity for me.
As much as I think I'm good at eyeballing portions, I find I'm much too generous when it comes
to foods I like.  A handful of nuts is what you can hold loosely in the well of your hand should
be about 1/4 cup.......not to have nuts bulging out of the top of your hand or falling through the sides of your fist

My favorite raw veggies are red peppers, carrots and cucumbers.  All are great when dunking into a yogurt/dill/garlic dip. I just take Greek yogurt and add flavors I like. Pretty filling, good fiber and very crunchy.

If you want a compliant crunchy veggie, try making kale chips. The recipe was originally for
baking the chips at a high temperature, but I was forever burning the kale.  What I do is rinse
and chop pieces of kale....dry off damp pieces and put into a bowl with some EVOO and a little
sea salt.  Place on a cookie sheet so no pieces touch....and bake at a low temperature...250-275
for how long it takes to dry the kale out...then I flip all the pieces and slow bake till all pieces
are crunchy.  You could feel guilt free if you ate the entire batch.....accounting, of course for
the EVOO.  I rarely use even a Tablespoon....you just want the pieces lightly coated. I like
doing this with lacinto curly kale.

Quoted from Chloe

If you want a compliant crunchy veggie, try making kale chips. The recipe was originally for
baking the chips at a high temperature, but I was forever burning the kale.  What I do is rinse
and chop pieces of kale....dry off damp pieces and put into a bowl with some EVOO and a little
sea salt.  Place on a cookie sheet so no pieces touch....and bake at a low temperature...250-275
for how long it takes to dry the kale out...then I flip all the pieces and slow bake till all pieces
are crunchy.  You could feel guilt free if you ate the entire batch.....accounting, of course for
the EVOO.  I rarely use even a Tablespoon....you just want the pieces lightly coated. I like
doing this with lacinto curly kale.

I confess I've never done this with kale. Just may give it a try. Thanks, Chloe.

Quoted from marjorie

I have been eating some baked green bean chips from the bulk section of my local grocer. however, I wonder if the oil in these chips is making me feel bloated as well as gaining weight. I only eat a few here and there, but I am starting to wean myself off. I could make my own lo carb chips, baked zuccini strips, baked green beans in olive oil. Just a thought.

I think I miss the crunchy idea more than the flavor.  

Dehydrated anything is going to blow up in our stomachs, grabbing every bit of moisture in sight!! The more you drink, the fuller you will feel! I LOVE that feeling. These s. potato and beet chips are making me lose weight without even trying. Believe me, I am NOT gorging on them or anything, either! In fact, I even weighed them to make sure I wasn't eating too much! I didn't trust these things a bit when I first ate some of them. I could just see the pounds piling on!!

I just baked some s. potato chips in my convection oven, and I ate them all but one as soon as they started curling - they were THAT delicious! I saved one to see how much crunch factor it had after it cooled. Ohhhh, they were so good and my stomach is so happy!!! I can't wait to try beets! Sprayed the s. potatoes with a little oil before I cooked them, but most of that is still in the pan. I only cooked them about 11 minutes at 325 degrees. Probably in a regular oven to get them really crisp I would cook them at 300 for 20 - 30 minutes, but practice makes perfect. And they are even doing parsnips now too. I LOVE parsnips! I wouldn't eat my foods cooked this way to get the most nutrition out of them, but it surely breaks the deadly boredom that can creep in. I feel utterly pampered!

Quoted from Spring

I just baked some s. potato chips in my convection oven, and I ate them all but one as soon as they started curling - they were THAT delicious! I saved one to see how much crunch factor it had after it cooled. Ohhhh, they were so good and my stomach is so happy!!! I can't wait to try beets! Sprayed the s. potatoes with a little oil before I cooked them, but most of that is still in the pan. I only cooked them about 11 minutes at 325 degrees. Probably in a regular oven to get them really crisp I would cook them at 300 for 20 - 30 minutes, but practice makes perfect. And they are even doing parsnips now too. I LOVE parsnips! I wouldn't eat my foods cooked this way to get the most nutrition out of them, but it surely breaks the deadly boredom that can creep in. I feel utterly pampered!

Something just dawned upon me... I have a big Viking oven that has a setting for convection...
I'll just bet I can do what you're doing with veggies.  Is convection dry heat?   What types of
foods would you use a convection setting for?  I cannot believe I've had this oven for nearly
15 years and never once thought about that convection setting.  You must educate me, please Spring

Quoted from Chloe

Something just dawned upon me... I have a big Viking oven that has a setting for convection... I'll just bet I can do what you're doing with veggies.  Is convection dry heat?   What types of foods would you use a convection setting for?  I cannot believe I've had this oven for nearly 15 years and never once thought about that convection setting.  You must educate me, please Spring

How exciting to remember your convection option, Chloe!!! Yes, it is dry heat. I have cooked some of the most delicious turkey breasts I've ever cooked in my life in this oven! And, nice, juicy turkey burgers  --- Yummy! You can cook anything using the option that you cook otherwise, it simply cooks a lot quicker. I wonder if you have your manual after all these years...... I think mine says take off 25 per cent of the cooking time. You are going to enjoy this sooooo much!!! I can't describe the difference in baked stuff, etc. Just have fun, Chloe, because this will be a fun trip for you!!

Quoted from Spring

How exciting to remember your convection option, Chloe!!! Yes, it is dry heat. I have cooked some of the most delicious turkey breasts I've ever cooked in my life in this oven! And, nice, juicy turkey burgers  --- Yummy! You can cook anything using the option that you cook otherwise, it simply cooks a lot quicker. I wonder if you have your manual after all these years...... I think mine says take off 25 per cent of the cooking time. You are going to enjoy this sooooo much!!! I can't describe the difference in baked stuff, etc. Just have fun, Chloe, because this will be a fun trip for you!!

This is great...like having a new appliance without buying anything new.......so is the rule that you just adjust the temperature by 25%?  Are there foods that wouldn't work with convection?  Given it's dry heat, how do you wind up with juicier foods? As for my manual, whether I have it or not, I can probably download one online.  Off to study convection cooking.  So muffins and quick breads are better baked in convection than conventional heat?  Guess I've been Mrs. Rip Van Winkle for the past 15 years.    This is why bells and whistles are not my thing.  I'm so used
to "turn on, turn off" that when I get extras with appliances, cars, cell phones, I tend to ignore
everything but what I already know about.  I always like less, rather than more.  But not missing
out a chance to "convectionize my foods".  Thanks.

Quoted from san j

I confess I've never done this with kale. Just may give it a try. Thanks, Chloe.

Do it. I just had some kale chips for breakfast with my egg whites. AWESOMENESS.

Chloe, don't try to bake cakes or muffins on the convection setting, everything else seems to work well. I love the convection setting for casseroles or kale chips ( I do them dry, don't really like the EEVO on them).

Quoted from grey rabbit

Chloe, don't try to bake cakes or muffins on the convection setting, everything else seems to work well.

Hummmmm? That is news to me... Maybe you would explain why yours doesn't bake muffins, etc., and mine does.....? Oh, something else that I just love is egg custard cooked using convection. So nice and fluffy.

It is easy to stir kale, collards, etc., around in a bowl with a little oil that is a favorite. It coats them very satisfactorily for me. Macadamia is delish!

Chloe, the idea is that the food cooks quickly, and the heat doesn't dry it out as much as slower cooking. But I just finished eating a turkey burger that is very moist and delicious. As usual, I put a nice coating of spices on them before I bake them. Cardamom, turmeric and garlic. I spray a little EVOO and then sprinkle one or two of these on the pan all around before I put the burgers on, then I load the top with all three. I spray a light coating of EVOO on top. Eight of them cook in about 17 minutes with no turning. I use 93% lean ground turkey. And I always use a thermometer to make sure they are done. Sometimes ground turkey won't look done when the temp is 190 degrees!! (I have cooked them several times to that temp, before I lowered the timer to 17 minutes, but they were still delicious!) Oh, and I use a mix of dark and light meat. All white meat is not bad but the mix is much better. Oh, and the fat drains out nicely while they cook!

Once you get your timing right, you need to take the food out as soon as the timer goes off or it will keep cooking in there from the heat of the oven. My oven automatically goes off, but I don't know how yours would work. I still have to take the food out immediately.

I don't know what GR means about the muffins and cakes, but I wonder if leaving off some of the liquid would solve the problem. I'm puzzled because I've never heard of anyone having that problem.

The problem baking anything that rises in a convection oven is that it can rise too quickly and compromise the quality of the baked goods. It isn't that mine "won't" it's that I don't recommend it.

Quoted from Spring

Hummmmm? That is news to me... Maybe you would explain why yours doesn't bake muffins, etc., and mine does.....? Oh, something else that I just love is egg custard cooked using convection. So nice and fluffy.

Egg custard ....now that's something I'd like to try.  Do you have a favorite recipe you could share?

Quoted from grey rabbit

The problem baking anything that rises in a convection oven is that it can rise too quickly and compromise the quality of the baked goods. It isn't that mine "won't" it's that I don't recommend it.

I did read about this issue today when I googled convection baking, Viking oven.

http://www.experienceviking.com/documents/blog.php?entry_id=1260316635

Maybe it has something to do with the size of the ovens that makes a difference in the way they bake. But, oddly enough, I have never had this problem at all. Strange, isn't it?

I tried the baked kale chips once and while they came out crispy I found them too bitter.    I make amaranth chips/crackers sometimes.  I make a dough using amaranth flour, sea salt, a little oil & water, roll it out as thinly as possible, cut it into wedges with a round pizza cutter, and I bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes until crisp.  They are really good, though a little labor intensive.  Sami's Bakery millet & flax chips are good, but they are expensive.  Rice cakes are still a staple for me.

I use my convection oven for nearly everything baked.
Maybe muffins and cookies would be better with conventional heat, but convection seems to cook more evenly.  If I forget and overbake a bread or muffins, they don't easily burn, but sort of dry out.
I set the temp 25 degrees lower than I would for a conventional oven.

Forgot about Sami's, thank you!