Carrot Chips with Avocado Ranch Dip

January's featured veggie for Veggie Buds Club is the incredible carrot. Enjoy this delicious kid-friendly way to eat carrots from heather_kidskitchen!

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Heather is a mom of two boys, ages 5 and 3, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather_kidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home.

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Show your child how to safely peel a carrot by standing behind him or her and holding the peeler together. Use different color carrots to make the dish even more fun!

CARROT CHIPS
Ingredients
-½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
-½ teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and dried dill
-1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
-5 to 6 large carrots, peeled and trimmed
-1 ½ tablespoons vegetable, avocado, or olive oil

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
2. In a small bowl, mix salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, and black pepper. Set aside.
3. Cut carrots into 1/8-inch rounds. A crinkle cutter makes a fun shape, but if you don’t have one, cutting with a knife works just as well. If your carrots are on the thinner side, cut slices on an angle to create bigger slices.
4. Place carrots in a pile on the center of the sheet pan or in a bowl. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon of the salt mixture, and toss to coat. Reserve remaining salt mixture for dip or another use.
5. Spread carrots out evenly on the pan so none are overlapping. Roast carrots until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, taste for seasoning and sprinkle on more salt if needed. Serve with dip if desired. 
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AVOCADO RANCH DIP
Ingredients
-1 ripe avocado
-½ cup plain Greek yogurt or plain, unsweetened dairy-free yogurt alternative
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-¾ teaspoon Ranch Salt (from above)

Instructions
1. Cut the avocado in half. Using a spoon, scoop avocado flesh into a food processor or blender.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.