Homegrown "Mater Chips." (healthy recipe)

I am still on my mission to use hundreds of homegrown cherry tomatoes. So, this week I made a batch of "sun dried" tomatoes or what we call "Mater-Chips."

We do this every year when the tomatoes come on faster than we can eat them and we don't want them to spoil, but normally I've used Grape Tomatoes, either one will work just fine. This is so easy and makes a nice little crispy chip-like snack, only a lot healthier than any chips you can buy at the store.

For the Mater-Chips, slice cherry tomatoes in half. Sprinkle liberally with basil and garlic powder. Lay in a single layer on dehydrator trays (or on a cookie sheet in the oven on low, approximately 200 degrees).

They look like large "tomato raisins" when they're done.

They even make a yummy topping to sprinkle on a salad or just about anything you can think of. You could also dry them a little less and use them for cooking like you would sun dried tomatoes, store them in airtight containers or in olive oil in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I made a batch of spicy sweet potato chips as well.

All you do is peel and thinly slice a sweet potato.

 Sprinkle with the spices of your preference. (I used a salt free Cajun Seasoning, but you could use just about anything).

Lay the slices out in a single layer on your dehydrator trays and turn it on (or place them on a cookie sheet and put them in a preheated 200 degree oven).

 Dry until the desired crispness (mine took about 3 1/2 hours in the dehydrator).

You could dry just about any fruit or veggie. They can then be used for snacks or you can use them in soups and stews or other recipes, over the winter months.

Enjoy!