Sweet Potato Fries - Two recipes!

Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries (Non-vegan)

On the day that my friend Jen and I made the Vegan Quinoa Burgers, we decided that we needed something else to accompany our meal.  Of course it had to be healthy because that was our theme for the day...healthy, tasty, and easy to make or bake. What better choice than highly nutritious sweet potatoes?  They're high in Vitamin A and a good source of fiber, plus they taste delicious with cinnamon and sugar. I'll admit that I have a sweet tooth so one of the recipes we tried was definitely geared toward my taste buds.  The other recipe, which I will also post still calls for a little sugar but the ingredient that offsets the sweetness is smoked paprika.  Next to cilantro, smoked paprika is quickly becoming my next favorite ingredient.  

I found this particular recipe in Joy Bauer's "Slim & Scrumptious: More Than 75 Delicious, Healthy Meals Your Family Will Love" cookbook.  For just a few ingredients, this baby packs a healthy punch. One of the healthiest being, flaxseed. It's known as a wonder food and may help reduce your risk of cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart disease.  I sound so knowledgeable don't I? I'm not. I just have great "Google" skills. But hey, it's good information to know right?  

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

1/4 cup whole wheat or oat flour
2 tbsp ground flaxseed

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 kosher salt

2 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Liberally coat a large baking sheet with oil spray. (The fries will be crispiest if baked directly on the baking sheet, without aluminum foil.)

Cut sweet potatoes as shown below:

Combine the flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Crumble the ingredients together with your fingertips until they are evenly dispersed. Place the egg whites in a shallow dish and whisk until frothy.  Dip the fries into the egg whites; then tap them on the edge of the dish to drain away any excess egg white.  Add the fries to the plastic bag, seal, and shake vigorously to coat the fries evenly with the breading mixture.

Delicately remove the fries from the bag and arrange them in a single layer, evenly spaced apart, on the prepared baking sheet.  Mist the fries with oil spray.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Then turn the fries over and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until crispy and browned.  Let the fries cool slightly before serving to allow the coating to harden.

Sweetheart Fries are on the bottom rack.

Both recipes state that you should lay the fries down in a single layer.  As you can see, from the photo above, I don't always follow directions well.  We used 3 sweet potatoes instead of 2 and I piled the fries on top of each other. As a result, they came out rather soft and a little limp.  They still tasted good though!  NEXT TIME,  I will follow the directions! (famous last words).  

Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe #2 - Sweetheart Fries Recipe (Vegan)

Now, onto the super simple recipe for the sweet potatoes called "Sweetheart Fries."  I found this recipe in the cookbook that is rapidly becoming a favorite in my kitchen: "Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food For The Body & Soul," by Julie Hasson.  

Here's the recipe:

2 large yams (I used sweet potatoes)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Kosher salt or fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Smoke Paprika, to tastte

Like the recipe above, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  This time though, line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the sweet potatoes into french fry shapes.  In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, olive oil, sugar, a few pinches of salt, and pepper, tossing well to coat.  Transfer the sweet potatoes to the prepared baking sheet in a thin layer.  If necessary, bake the sweet potatoes on separate baking sheets to avoid overlapping.  Sprinkle the tops of the fries with smoked paprika to taste.  Bake the fries until the edges are crisp and sweet potatoes are cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes, checking and stirring frequently to brown on all sides.  You may need to rotate the baking sheet halfway through to prevent the fries from baking unevenly.  Sprinkle with additional salt and smoked paprika, and serve immediately.

The recipe calls for serving them with homemade ranch dressing but we ate them plain and they tasted just fine! 

So there you have it, two recipes, one sweeter than the other. I liked both but I think my favorite is the Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries but that's only because I have that darned sweet tooth.  If you like things less sweet, try the Sweetheart Fries recipe.  You won't be disappointed with either one.