It can be challenging to get over an addiction to potato chips. It's one of those foods we can fall into a rut with. Here's an alternative made with pepperoni slices. Tasty, full of protein, and well worth trying!



All you need is pepperoni and a microwave. You can do it in an oven, too, but it's really not worth heating up an entire oven just for this small task. It's much better to use a microwave since that's more efficient.

If you can get fresh pepperoni that is wonderful. If not, those pre-cut slices in the deli area work fine, too.

Get a microwave-safe plate. Layer it with paper towels to absorb some of the fat.

Slice up the pepperoni if it's not already sliced for you. You want to aim for them to be reasonably thin. They shouldn't be paper-thin - they won't hold their shape in that situation. On the other hand, you don't want them an inch-thick. They won't crisp well if they are too thick.

Put about 12-15 slices onto your plate. You want them to lay flat on the paper towel without touching. This will depend on how big your plate is.

Now microwave it at high for about 15 seconds. Take them out and test one. Do a second or third round if necessary. The aim is for them to get a bit crispy without getting completely dehydrated. Each of us has different taste buds, which is fine. Go for a level of texture and crisp that you like.

Enjoy!

Most pepperoni has a carb value of about 1g per serving. Check your pepperoni's label to see if yours varies from that - it should be around the 1g value.

Note that pepperoni can sometimes be VERY high in salt - up to a quarter of your daily salt intake value. For some people this isn't a problem, but for people who are watching their salt intake, eat these in moderation.

These go great with salsa, marinara, cheese dip, ranch dressing, you name it. Just about anything is tasty with pepperoni. Plus it should get you about 10% of your daily protein intake!