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Health & Fitness

The Fries Have It

National Julienne Fries Day is hailed by some, but others may benefit from this healthy French Fries alternative.

 

August 12th has the potential to be a good day for many people because it’s National Julienne Fries Day. I don’t think I know anybody who doesn’t love French Fries, even those of us who make it a practice to limit the occasion of them in our diets. It’s no accident that some form of fries appear on many American restaurant menus, especially fast food ones.  Fries sell!

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Julienne fries are the thin and crunchy potato strips found in most fast food restaurants, and my favorite type. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, to julienne is to cut food into thin strips.

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As much as I love French-fried potatoes, I can’t always afford the fat intake they require. Fortunately other foods lend themselves to julienning, too. So sometimes I fool my stomach by julienning light-colored vegetables like peeled eggplant and zucchini, and baking them at high temperatures to give them the same kind of crispy exterior and velvety interior my palette expects from julienne fries.

With respect to my favorite French fried potatoes, I offer the following alternative for the health conscious.

 

Ingredients

 

·      3 Large Zucchini, peeled and julienned

·      Olive Oil Cooking Spray

·      1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·      Salt and Pepper to taste

·      1 tsp Garlic Powder

·      1 tsp Onion Powder

·      1 tsp Chili Powder

·      1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg

 

Procedure

 

·      Preheat oven to 450°.

·      Coat cookie sheet with olive oil spray.

·      Place julienned zucchini in mixing bowl.

·      Drizzle olive oil over zucchini strips and toss to coat all pieces.

·      Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and nutmeg over zucchini and toss to coat evenly.

·      Spread zucchini slices over cookie sheet so each slice is flat onto sheet and place into oven.

·      Bake 10 minutes on top oven rack.

·      Use flipping spatula to turn zucchini over and bake an additional 5 minutes.

·      Remove pan from oven and serve zucchini hot.

 

The zucchini strips won’t taste just like julienned fries, but they will be equally delicious.

 

If you’ve exceeded your French Fries limit for the month, give this substitute a try, and let us know how you like it. Feel free to share your pictures on our Facebook page. And find more easy cookbook recipes here.

 

Photo Courtesy of Easy Weekly Meals

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