Way Better Snacks & The Brooklyn Salsa Company

As healthy and pure as I try to be, I often find myself craving chips. So, when I noticed the Way Better Snacks chips showing up in all of my local grocery stores, I decided I'd give them a try. What I like about these chips is that they are, as they say, "simply sprouted." Sprouting has been known to enhance the bioavailability of nutrients and aid in digestion. So, what the Way Better people do is sprout the grains, beans, and seeds before using them in the chips enhancing their nutrient absorption levels. In comparing the ingredient lists on all of the bags, it appeared that each was very unique. The only overlap really was the organic sprouted quinoa. Oh, that's another thing, almost all ingredients are organic and all products are Certified Gluten-Free, Vegan, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Certified Kosher.

So then I contacted one of my favorite salsa companies, The Brooklyn Salsa Company, to see if they might be willing to send me six of their salsas to pair with the six bags of chips I was planning to try. They were! If you aren't familiar with The Brooklyn Salsa Company, you should get familiar with them soon and I mean on an upfront and personal basis. See, these salsas are different in that they are made by these guys in Brooklyn who blend small batch salsa with conscious methods utilizing locally sourced ingredients through organic farmers when possible and ensure direct trade when not.  Best of all, the ingredients are pure -- there are no artificial preservatives in any of the salsas. And they are all vegan and gluten-free.

Okay, so enough about all of that. Let's start the pairing. I started by pairing the Simply Sunny Multigrain chips with the Harvest salsa. The multigrain chips were neutral enough to allow the strong flavors of this amazing salsa/sauce shine through. I say "sauce" because many of these salsas are thick and flavorful enough to be used as sauces. I almost wished I hadn't started this review because I wanted to create recipes with the Harvest sauce as soon as I tasted it. It is a winter seasonal blend of butternut squash, coconut milk, and cinnamon that would be awesome on potatoes. It left me with a holy taste explosion in my mouth.  I found myself wishing that the chips were crunchier because the sauce was so thick, but I did really enjoy the texture of the sprouted grains.

Next, I tried the Simply Unbeatable Blues with the Mexico City-inspired Mild salsa. Again, I found the chips to be mildly neutral in taste while the salsa was filled with flavor. The mild salsa is made with a fresh blend of heirloom tomatoes, red and green peppers, mango, and jalapeno.

The Curry is a hot salsa made of charred red pepper and eggplant curry -- again, more like a sauce. This salsa was incredibly flavorful and delicious. If I could soak myself in a bath of this sauce, then eat my way out, I'd be a happy girl. I think it would make a great romesco-like sauce on top of asparagus, which is exactly how I plan to eat it next time. I paired it with another neutral chip -- the Naked Blues as I knew this salsa would have a bunch of flavor.

Next, I paired the Simply Sweeet (not a misspelling) Potato tortilla chips with The Green, a mild tomatillo-based salsa. This pairing really allowed the chips to shine. The sweet potato chips tasted uber good with their sprouted quinoa, sprouted chia seeds, pure salt, stone ground corn, high oleic sunflower or safflower oil, and sweet potatoes. A pure list of ingredients for good-for-you chips. These are a crowd pleaser.

Then, I tried the Simply Beyond Black Bean tortilla chips with The Tropical salsa inspired by Queens. I found the Tropical salsa to be similar in texture to the Harvest. It is made with orange juice, coconut milk, chili peppers, and cilantro so you get a varying mix of flavors. The black bean chips were a nice light flavor and had a nice crunch. They even sprouted the black beans!

Lastly, I tried the Simply So Sweet Chili chips with The Hot salsa. These were by far my favorite chips. They are packed with sweet chili flavor so they aren't hot, but incredibly flavorful. And the ingredient list is impressive: sprouted flax seed, sprouted quinoa, sprouted daikon radish seed, sprouted chia seed, sprouted broccoli seed, and seasonings. It was very hard to stop eating these chips. The Hot salsa was truly hot, which made me love it. I can't tell you how often I've bought a "hot" salsa that was not at all hot. The guys from NY do it right with heirloom tomatoes, mango, chili peppers, red bell peppers, onions, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and sea salt.

So, in a nutshell, The Brooklyn Salsa Company's salsas took my breath away. That's how good they were...and I mean every one of them. To try them for yourself, click here.  And the Way Better Snacks are much better for you than your average chips. And the Sweet Chili chips can be eaten straight out of the bag - one bag per day. So, if you have a hankering for salty chips like I do, pick up a pack of these chips for a somewhat guilt-free snack. If only they were fat-free, they'd be perfect. :) If you can't find them locally, you can buy them here.  These products bring a new meaning to chips and salsa.