Have you heard of a packaged snack called Takis? It’s crunchy, fried, spicy and, apparently, quite addicting.
Karen, a blog reader, first reached out to me a few months ago, asking that I hack the recipe for her school aged son who was eating the crunchy snack daily. She knew it wasn’t good for him and wanted a healthier option…
Why is it unhealthy? Oh gee, let me count the ways. It’s highly processed, deep fried, contains trans-fats, contains controversial artificial colors and flavors, contains BHT and TBHQ as well as being high in carbs and (unhealthy) fat.
So I set out to re-create a Takis-like snack with wholesome ingredients…and failed miserably. I mixed sliced veggies (zucchini, parsnips, carrots, etc) with a fuego blend of spices and put it in my dehydrator for hours on end, in the hopes that it would crisp up. Not only did it NOT get crispy, it was a mess to clean up and was super labor intensive all the way through…total flop!
Karen, bless her heart, kept emailing. And emailing. And emailing. Her son was now about to start a new school year and was still waiting on me to conceive of a healthy snack for him to take. So I spent a lot of time analyzing the properties that make up this fried, rolled, corn-based snack – racking my brain for a way to recreate it simply and healthfully.
And then it hit me: What makes Takis enjoyable is the crunch and the flavor.
So I focused there, crunch and flavor, and let go of the technicality of the rolled, fried corn chip. From here it was simple: sliced jicama, doused in lime juice and coated with fuego seasoning. It’s crunchy and flavorful (SPICY!).
Is it just like a fried, rolled corn chip? Uh no. And guess what…that’s OK!
If your goal is to be healthy and fit then to achieve that you simply must make changes (and sacrifices) in the foods that you include in your daily diet. It’s all about adapting your palate to crave and thrive on real, whole foods. Foods that aren’t grain-based, deep fried and coated in food coloring and artificial flavors.
It’s about being able to take fresh, sliced veggies, coat them with real seasoning and consider it an addicting snack! Enjoy
1 jicama
1 lime, juiced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
pinch of white pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
½ teaspoon fajita seasoning
Peel and slice the jicama into ¼ inch thick strips. Place in a large ziplock bag and toss with the lime juice.
In a small bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients (salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, sweet paprika, white pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, coconut palm sugar and fajita seasoning) mix to fully combined.
Add the seasoning blend to the bag of jicama pieces, seal, and shake well until all of the pieces are evenly coated. Serve immediately and store chilled in the fridge. Enjoy (and watch out – these are spicy!!!)
Calories: 34
Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 7g
Sodium: 612mg
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 1g
Sugar: 6g