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It's no secret: I've been a chip fiend all my life. Doritos used to be my go-to, but luckily I weaned myself off those bad boys my senior year of high school. I felt myself just too addicted to them and quit cold-turkey one day. Haven't looked back since!
That being said, I still love the crunch. Any kind of veggie or fruit chips are a weakness for me - but even those can be riddled with nasty inflammatory oils. So when I heard about Sweetpotato Awesome, I was intrigued. And yes, it's proper to spell "sweetpotato" as either one word or two (sweet potato). The owners of this company are very passionate about making it one word, as sweetpotatoes are technically not even tubers like white potatoes. Fun fact. :)
I was even more intrigued when I got a sample bag from my friend Alyssa over at Barefoot Provisions. Because these aren't actually chips. They're never fried. Instead, they're freeze-dried sweetpotato slices that end up having the COOLEST texture I've ever bitten into. And now, the company has a huge line of flavors!
Sweetpotato Awesome is a sweet little company in Las Vegas that is run with integrity and insists that they sell slices, not chips. And I'd agree - the texture I've already touched on is different than your standard crackling crunch of a baked or fried "chip." There's an extra layer of feeling in these freeze-dried veggies that is hard to describe. The closest I can get is saying there's a sink-your-teeth-in feeling before the slice breaks between your teeth. It's like an extra little cushion before the snap. And I absolutely LOVE it!
The other thing I touched on was the nasty cooking oils running rampant in most brands. Not here! Sweetpotato Awesome's ingredients are simply sweetpotatoes, coconut oil, and sea salt. If it's a flavored slice, the spices are pure and don't involve any nasty fillers. Food Snob Allison is pleased!
I had the awesome (ha) opportunity to sample their whole line of snacks, including their new Beets Amazing slices. Let's look at each of them more in detail, yeah?
Original Awesome
The name is pretty self-explanatory, but this was the first product Sweetpotato Awesome produced and it's the owner's personal favorite of the line. The ceylon cinnamon added to these slices makes them almost like cookies and I absolutely love the sweetness it brings out in the potatoes! I've tried these with savory toppings too, like guacamole and olive tapenade. I love the versatility of sweet or savory with these and they're delicious as they are on their own, too!
Rating: 10/10
Ingredients: Organic sweetpotato, organic virgin coconut oil, sea salt, organic fair trade ceylon cinnamon powder.
Flat Out Awesome
The first bag of Awesome (I just love typing that!) I got to try was a package of Flat Out Awesome. Alyssa gave it to me in an act of charity because she knows who will eat all the new stuff she comes across and that I'm a college student. ;)
Anyway, I LOVE the idea of this stuff! It's slightly crunchier than the smaller slices in the other packages, which is probably due to the longer cut. The cinnamon is omitted so the subtle sweetness of sweetpotato is still there, but it's not brought out as much. That makes the salty taste more apparent. And these babies are the PERFECT sub for toast! Get ready for any type of crazy toast creation imaginable... all on a potato!
Rating: 10/10
Ingredients: Organic sweetpotato, organic virgin coconut oil, sea salt.
Bits of Flat Out Awesome
A newer product to this already-Awesome (ha) lineup! The Flat Out Awesome, as I just said above, lives up to its name. Since this is just the smaller pieces that wouldn't really work as sweetpotato toast, the flavor is the same as the regular Flat Out Awesome.
However. I applaud Sweetpotato Awesome SO MUCH for creating this as a separate recipe. This way, they can discount this product, making it more affordable for people to get something from their line, AND avoid food waste. They're upping the quality of the Flat Out Awesome by only including whole pieces, while not just throwing the broken pieces away. Honestly, it's so simple but so smart. Just another reason to support this fast-growing company!
Rating: 10/10
Ingredients: Organic sweetpotato, organic virgin coconut oil, sea salt.
Dilliciously Awesome
The first flavored Awesome I tried was the Dilliciously Awesome. I love the puns, by the way! Unfortunately, I wasn't too stoked with this flavor. I can see how people would like it. I love pickles. I love sweetpotatoes. But I guess the combination of sweet and sour in this case isn't one I can get behind. Don't get me wrong - the same great texture I love about the other flavors is still here. I still totally ate it all. But it was my least favorite of the offerings in this line.
Rating: 5/10
Ingredients: Organic sweetpotato, organic virgin coconut oil, sea salt, organic garlic granules, organic dill weed.
Chias Awesome
Okay... I LOVE this flavor. I think this one is my favorite. Basically just re: all the good things about the Original Awesome, including sweetness from the cinnamon, plus a little extra texture from the chia seeds. Not to mention all the goodness chia seeds bring to the table, health-wise! If you're going to buy one flavor, make it this one.
Rating: 10/10
Ingredients: Organic sweetpotato, organic virgin coconut oil, organic chia seed, sea salt, organic fair trade ceylon cinnamon.
Hot 'N Awesome
Okay... the "hot" here is NOT A JOKE. The first slice I tried left me thinking, "hmm... this isn't necessarily hot, just smoky." I was wrong. So wrong.
This is one of those sneaky snacks that seems innocent and then leaves a fire raging in your mouth for a good half hour following. And I mean that in the best way possible! There is a subtle smoky level to these, but each slice compounds on the last and before you know it, the spice is there to stay. I think the fact they're on sweetpotato slices is the only reason keeping them at a sane spice level!
If you're into spice, definitely grab a bag (or 10) of these!
Rating: 9/10
Ingredients: Organic sweetpotato, organic virgin coconut oil, sea salt, organic garlic granules, organic chipotle powder, organic dill weed.
Beets Amazing
I have nothing against fat. But look! This company managed to make a crunchy snack without needing fat to hold it together in the drying process!! How cool is that?
The texture of these babies is different than the sweet potato slices. Obviously, they're different plants. But I think the lack of fat allowed these beets to freeze dry so that they're much more air-y and like little puff clouds in your mouth! It's a lot lighter to bite into but still so satisfying.
I enjoyed snacking on these, but they do still have a beet-y flavor. Duh. The salt helps make them more enjoyable, but they do have that classic earthiness common for beets that may not be enjoyed by everyone.
Rating: 7/10
Ingredients: Organic beet, sea salt.
Final thoughts
I love what Sweetpotato Awesome is doing. They're a company run by kind and compassionate people with a simple product that is juuuust innovative enough to have the potential to go viral. Y'all need to hop on this fast-growing trend and give their sample pack a try!
