Summer barbecues can be fun, but they do have a way of sending our sweet carb cravings into overload. One of my “go to” favorites for balancing sweet cravings with delicious, healthier options is by adding a small amount of sweet vegetables. Think of carrots, onions, beets, winter squashes, and sweet potatoes. There are also those veggies that give that sweet sensation without necessarily being higher on the glycemic index. Those are turnips, red radishes, and green cabbage.
The best part is they can satisfy those sweet cravings while supplying us with the nutrients that can leave us feeling great too! Here is one of my favorite “go to” recipes for a BBQ or summer outing. Some other options: add some parsnips with your fries!
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes or yams (peeled if not organic)
1 TBS Avocado Oil or Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt (to taste)
Garlic powder *optional
pinch of cayenne pepper – or –
½ tsp (to taste) Chipotle Chili Powder *optional for a little smokey, spicy flavor
Directions:
- Cut potatoes to ¼” thick, same size. You can use a French fry cutter, or I like to use the crinkle cutter and slice in circles.
- Put them in bowl, mix with approximately 1 TBS avocado or olive oil, a little salt to taste, and optional garlic powder or chipotle chili powder for a little smoky spicy kick.
- Lay out the potatoes on a cookie sheet (leave space between them to help with crispiness – or place on a cooling rack on top of the cookie sheet) then place in oven. Tip: The cooling rack helps with crispness!
- Cook for 30- 45 min, until done, flipping the potatoes every 15 minutes to brown on both sides.
- Remove from oven and enjoy!
