The Hippest of Chips

Snack fads come and snack fads go before you can say Ripple van Chipple!

Cheetos said ciao to Cheesy Checkers and Paws.
Fritos bid farewell to Racers and Jalapeno Fritos.
Doritos ditched Sesame Seed and Sour Cream and Onion.
And RIP Pringles Butter'n Herbs, Right Crisps and Idaho Rippled. They all got canned.  ;)

Today's trends boast a bounty of snackified veggies and creative grains. Kale and carrots, spinach and spelt, beets and quinoa are all showing up and showing off, but my biggest cheers go to the mighty bean chip...spinningly brilliant idea!

Up to this point however none of the bagged-up bean snacks impressed me...then I stumbled across the Beanfields website. Built from beans and rice, these cheery chippers are vegan, gluten-free and Non-GMO Verified, plus they're higher in protein and fiber than your average chip...all score big points with me! I'm not gluten-sensitive but many in my family are, so GF snacks are always a hit in my house.  :)

Game to give them a taste, I checked out where they might be found in my area...no locations listed! So I contacted the company with a boatload of questions and a suggestion of local stores that are perfect for them. Not only did they promptly answer my email (bonus points!) but they sent me a slew of chips to try and coupons too! Here's the lineup...

I wanted to dig in and devour them all but I decided to share them with family and friends to help me sample and evaluate. All scored very strongly on a scale of 1 (ack) to 10 (superfantabulous)...
Pico de Gallo -- 10
Salt n' Pepper -- 8
Unsalted -- 8
Nacho -- 9
Sea Salt -- 8
Everyone agreed they taste as good as or better than regular chips, they're thick and sturdy enough to hold up to the chunkiest of salsas and gluten-free or not, they'd definitely chow them down again!

I would add that the Unsalted are fabulous for scooping up spicy hummus and dips too...no breakage! The flavored varieties were my favorites, especially the Pico de Gallo...the flavor is yumfully consistent throughout each chip and there are no eye-watering superhot spots. On a dare from my best bud I crushed up some Salt n' Pepper chips in my peanut butter sandwich...something I've never done before. I usually consider sandwiches as chip-free sacred ground, but this screamed over-the-moon deliciousness! No kidding, this is the best PB sandwich switchup I've had all year!

I am a true believer in the bean. Many thanks Beanfields! I'm hanging on to a couple of coupons in hopes my favorite store will soon feature these magnificent chips...the other coupons are up for grabs so if any of you out there want to give them a try, drop me an email with your addy and I'll mail them out...while supplies last.  ;)