Saturday, April 10, 2010

Sweet Potato Fries...repeated but revised

Three words for you. Easy, nutritious, & delicious. How can you disagree with those three words? Seriously?
Confession: I make these probably like 3 times a week. They are so good, very filling, and super nutritious. I have made some revisions to THIS recipe I posted a few months ago.

A few things I've learned about making these since then.

1. My nutrition stats weren't perfect.
When I looked up the nutrition facts for the sweet potato fries previously I thought what I was using was a "medium" sweet potato. False. Thanks to my trusty food scale I now realize that the sweet potatoes/yams that are sold in the stores are generally around 10 oz, which is about 320 calories total. For a little visual help for you...The photo above contains 5 oz of sweet potato fries which is about 160 calories. (.2 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbs, 5.5 grams of fiber, & 2.3 grams of protein.) I feel so much better now that we have that cleared up. I don't like when my stats aren't right!!
*This is a GREAT example of how we often underestimate what we're eating. Take a day and measure your portions out. It might surprise you.

2. The olive oil wasn't necessary.
Although a great alternative to butter, and great for cooking when needed, I found that taking out the olive out entirely lowered the fat and calorie count significantly. I now just spray the pan with cooking spray, put the cut up fries on the pan, give them a little spritz of spray and then season. Works like a charm.

3. You don't have to cook the whole sweet potato at once.
Since I have found out that the calories in one sweet potato is higher than i'd thought, I've been cutting mine in half, and wrapping the unused portion in plastic. I throw it in the fridge for another day. Easy peasy.

4. Dang, these are good.
Every time I make them everyone seems to want some because they are so incredibly tasty. They make a great side dish, or even a great snack. If you haven't tried them yet, you're foolish, and depriving yourself of some culinary deliciousness.

Oven Bakes Sweet Potato Fries Round 2
Preheat the oven to *450-500-ish depending on how crispy you want your fries. (The higher the temp the crispier the fry.)
Wash your sweet potato, and cut into strips.
Spray a cookie sheet with a non-stick cooking spray.
Spread the sweet potato strips on the cookie sheet.
Give the strips a quick spray with the non-stick.
Season however you might like.
(Salt, pepper, Lowry's, garlic salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, etc. etc. etc. Get creative.)
Throw them in the oven.
They usually need to cook for about 10 mins, but check them every few minutes. Turning them with tongs about 1/2 way through.
DONE. Eat. Enjoy.

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