It’s Summer!  (pretty much)  The kids are out of school and everyone is enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  You know what that makes us??  HUNGRY!  All day, every day.  But you don’t want to spend the whole Summer snacking on junk food.  If nothing else, it makes you feel sluggish.  And you’ve got pools and beaches and mini golf to tackle!

I bring you a list of Late Night Munchies you can make that are healthier than their preserved cousins.  These are things you need to consider making at least one night in advance because they take time.  Picture this:  You’ve got a night with not much going on.  Pop these babies in the oven and just let them do their thing.  Slow and low is the key here.  You cannot rush them; they will either burn or be soggy.  Just let them cook and cool and enjoy the next day.  Or late at night, when those Summertime munchies really kick in.

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Roasted Chick Peas

• 1 can chick peas
• olive oil spray
• seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 225º and line a baking sheet with foil.  Gently rinse chick peas in colander and thoroughly drain.  Spread chick peas on paper towels to absorb extra moisture and pat dry.

Spread chick peas on foil and spray lightly with olive oil spray.  Season liberally with seasoning salt.  Bake for 2.5 hours.  I let them cool in the oven for an additional hour.  This ensures all the extra moisture will dry out.  You’ll be left with a nutty flavor that is crunchy on the outside and slightly soft on the inside.

These are best stored in a paper bag or left in an open bowl on the counter.  Plastic bags tend to make them lose their crunch.

Sweet Potato Chips

• 1 large sweet potato
• olive oil spray
• seasoning salt
• mandolin ***This is key.  You absolutely need a mandolin to create even, thin slices.  For sweet potatoes, I used a 1.5mm guard.***
• parchment paper or silicon baking pad

Preheat oven to 225º.  Spread out sliced potato onto parchment paper or on silicone baking pad.  Spray lightly with olive oil, then moderately sprinkle with seasoning salt.  The potato slices will shrink considerably, but I find that they need a little more salt than the zucchini chips.

Bake for 2.5 hours.  As with the chick peas, I found my best results in letting them cool in the oven so as to get them crispy.

Zucchini Chips

• 1 large zucchini
• olive oil spray
• seasoning salt
• mandolin ***This is key.  You absolutely need a mandolin to create even, thin slices.  For zucchini, I used a 2.5mm guard.***
• parchment paper or silicon baking pad

Preheat oven to 225º.  Spread out sliced zucchini onto paper towels.  Top with paper towels and press down firmly to soak up as much extra liquid as possible.  Spread slices on parchment paper or on silicone baking pad.  Spray lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with seasoning salt.  The zucchini slices will shrink considerably, so go easy on the salt.  You can always add more later.

Bake for 2-2.5 hours.  As with the other two, I found my best results in letting them cool in the oven so as to get them crispy.