If you're addicted to the hot, crunchy, saltiness of french fries, then you may find it hard to resist the guilty pleasure. But there are some healthier ways to satisfy your craving. Baking instead of frying or swapping potatoes for veggies like kale or rutabaga are just a few of the fit changes you can make. Try any one of these six healthy alternatives, and see for yourself!
In our daily process of ripping open package after package, nothing brightens our eyes more than fresh produce. Most recently, Stokes Purple sweet potatoes enticed me with their vibrancy, and I snatched them up like precious jewels. I had a plan for these purple beauties: they had french fries written all over their future. Baked french fries, to be more specific.
While I'll never pass up deep-fried sweet-potato french fries at a burger joint, it's rare for me to make them homemade, which involves slopping half of my oil supply in a saucepan for just one batch of fries. Thanks to my mom and the '90s low-fat rage, I know a way to get my french fry fix without the oily mess: please meet the baked french fry.
These sweet-potato french fries crisp up thanks to being tossed in oil, then whipped egg whites. I recommend dipping the french fries in homemade ketchup or ranch dressing seasoned with spicy cayenne pepper.
Happy Friday, and Happy National French Fries Day!
In all fairness, I don't really believe that a pastime as precious as fries deserve just one day, but who would turn down a reason to celebrate?
From ketchup to chili and cheese, you can't go wrong with any of America's favorite toppings, but if there's anytime to experiment with new, mind-blowing toppings, today — shall we call it National French Fryday? — is definitely the day.
For some of our unexpected favorites, keep reading.
We are repeatedly reminded to avoid french fries for a wide variety of reasons, and one of those reasons is they make us wider! But what about their more healthy-seeming cousin: sweet potato fries?
Most restaurants use hydrogenated vegetable oil to cook up fries, and that oil is known to clog your arteries, promote heart disease, interrupt metabolic processes, cause belly fat that crowds the organs and strains the heart, and increase cancer risk. Starchy foods subjected to high heat create acrylamides, which a Swedish study found to cause cancer in rats. Things like brain-cell function, hormones, gland function, oxygen transport, cell-wall function, and digestive-tract operation are also negatively affected by hydrogenated oil.
Do you think they have a separate vat of heart-healthy canola oil waiting to fry up your sweet potato fries? No such luck.
While sweet potatoes are considered a great source of vitamin A, I'm sorry to break the news to you, they're still deep-fried. For that reason alone, you're better off ordering a baked potato, or better yet, a side salad, with your meal.
Following food philosopher Michael Pollan's advice, if you're craving junk food, make it yourself. DIY sweet potato fries are easy to bake: cut up a couple of sweet spuds, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake. For a little more guidance, check out this sweet potato french fry recipe.
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A new report from Harvard researchers has found the top foods that are making us fat, and the findings are not at all surprising.
The extensive study used data for over 120,000 healthy men and women from previous studies to track their diet every four years from 1986 to 2006 to see how their lifestyle and what they ate affected their weight. The researchers found that within each period the average weight gain was a little over three pounds — which added up to a 17-pound total weight gain over the 20-year period.
What caused that weight gain? Topping the list of culprits are meat, sweetened drinks, fried foods, and any form of potatoes. The biggest cause of weight gain was eating french fries; every extra serving of fries eaten in a day was linked to a gain of more than three pounds, while eating an extra serving of potato chips led to 1.69 pounds. Other diet busters included refined grains (like white rice and white bread) and butter.
But the news wasn't all bad; the study also identified the foods that helped prevent weight gain. Read on for the list of foods that cause and prevent weight gain.
Want to turn up the volume on baked fries? Be like girlA and drizzle them with truffle oil!
Here I go again with the truffle oil . . . guarantee you’ll love these! Truffle oil on French fries just go together like PB&J. I brought these to a get together and they were gone in minutes! You can peel the potatoes if you’d like, but I’m not fond of the peeling process. If they don’t have to be peeled, you can bet I won’t do it. So it’s up to you.
Burger King isn't the only fast food chain hoping to run away with a chunk of McDonald's sales; so is Wendy's. After overhauling its fry recipe for the first time in 41 years, Wendy's is claiming its newly reformulated natural-cut fries with sea salt have beat out McDonald's in a nationwide taste test. According to a statement from Wendy's, 56 percent of consumers taking the test chose Wendy's, compared to 39 percent who selected McDonald's. Are you inclined to believe the results of this survey?
Everyone's tried a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving — but pumpkins are useful for so much more than just pie. This year, my family will free up the oven by deep-frying the bird — and since the oil will be hot, why not try something new and cook up some pumpkin fries?
I served my first few batches of pumpkin fries with a spicy aioli, but a cranberry dipping sauce would be a great alternative as well. If you're in the mood for something sweet, sprinkle the last batch with cinnamon and sugar. These fries are easy to prep and fry just before the big feast, especially with the fryer already hot. If you're ready to give up the pie and start with a fry, then keep reading for the recipe.
When I had some friends over to try Bobby Flay's award-winning burger, there was only one thing I thought to pair the burgers with: fries. Not just any fries, but seasonal sweet potato fries. The burger is called the Santa Fe, so I was hoping for Tex-Mex inspired fries. Luckily, I found this recipe for baked sweet potato fries with a creamy and cooling avocado dip.
The pairing of slightly spicy sweet potatoes with a luscious green dipping sauce is absolutely sublime. Although I followed the recipe closely and I really enjoyed the flavor, my sweet potatoes weren't as crispy as I wanted them to be. Do you have tips for making them crisp? Please share with me in the comments. For the recipe, which doesn't disappoint, read on.
I just got back from Spain, where I enjoyed a lot of fried fish and French fries. I'm not ashamed to admit that I always paired them with mayonnaise. There's something about European mayonnaise that's absolutely divine. How about you?
