I have to be honest. I want french fries in my life. I crave that crispy outside and creamy middle that only a french fry can satisfy. So what do I do when I crave a forbidden food (at least for now while I’m being low-carb?) Like a good primal girl, I set out on a quest to find an equally satisfying substitute.

Behold, my latest creation – Ancho Avocado Chips with Cool Cilantro Lime Dipping Sauce.

The crispy coating on the outside of the avocado chip perfectly mimics that crispy texture of a good french fry. Then you have the creamy avocado on the inside that gives the same mouth feel as a french fry. The bonus is these are high in protein and fat and low in net carbs (only 4g)!

I tried multiple methods to make the chip. Slicing the chip was my first issue. I tried the normal way with cutting the avocado in half and scoring the flesh with a knife then scooping out with a spoon. The problem I had with that method was that my slices were uneven and inconsistent and also probably would not be very easy to do if the avocado was not the perfect ripeness (either too ripe or too underripe). I developed this method to slice the avocado in perfectly uniform slices. It will be my new go-to for slicing avocados!

As for cooking the chip, I also tried multiple methods. I tried to bake the chip naked. No no no no no! Horrible. Though the texture was perfect, all it did was make the avocado turn extremely bitter. Yuck. Not good at all. I also tried quickly sautéing them naked in a bit of olive oil. This tasted great, but resulted in a chip that was soggy and would not stand up to dipping after sitting for a minute or two.

Then I decided to coat the chips in an egg wash and parmesan cheese dredge to crisp up the outside while preserving the delicate taste of the avocado. The coating served to wrap the soft avocado in a hard shell so it could stand up to dipping. Problem solved! And I wanted to spice things up with the flavors of the dredge by adding ancho chili powder. I love ancho chilis since they are vaguely spicy hot (with an emphasis on vaguely), but have a smoky richness that is hard to replicate with anything else.

To go with the smoky spiciness of my Ancho Avocado Chips, the dipping sauce needed to be cool and refreshing, creating the perfect contrast of flavors. The dipping sauce uses greek yogurt and sour cream to provide a cooling background, while the lime and cilantro serve to give a tangy and bright flavor. The perfect yin to the yang of the spice and smoke of the avocado chips!

Try this out and let me know in the comments how it went. Also if you like it, please share this recipe with everyone you know!

~Terri

