Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

I find that we have not been going to the grocery store as much as we used to and I am LOVING it! A few months ago, we started purchasing fruit & veggie baskets from a local co-op called "Bountiful Baskets" (www.bountifulbaskets.org). For a total of $16.50 you get an array of different fruits and veggies that are either locally produced or come from other areas of Arizona and California (although they have locations for other states and I'm sure that the produce is closer to the given region). I swear by this so much that a few of my girlfriends have begun purchasing theirs as well. I get so excited to get my basket and then see what recipes I can come up with for the next two weeks. We have been basing all of our meals with whatever we get in our baskets and it's been working great!

Our Bountiful Basket from this Saturday

A couple of weeks ago we got sweet potatoes in our basket. I was so excited to make sweet potato fries! I wanted to make sure that they turned our crispy (since they tend to come out softer). As I was looking through my pantry I noticed I still have Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) I thought I'd throw these in to the mix and voila!

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Vegan Ranch

Ingredients

• 6 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut


• 2 tablespoons EVOO


• 1 garlic clove, minced


• 3 tablespoons Panko Bread Crumbs


• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1 teaspoon rosemary (or Italian Seasoning)


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


2. In a plastic bag, combine the sweet potatoes, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, cayenne pepper. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated. Add panko crumbs last.


3. Spread the fries out in a single layer on two large baking sheets. DO NOT overcrowd or they will not become crispy!


4. The amount of time to bake will vary by your oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 20 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. *

*When it comes to choosing what spices you want to use, think about what you typically enjoy and what you have in your pantry/spice rack. Feel free to substitute any of the spices for this recipe! Next time I get some I'm adding cinnamon instead of cayenne! ;)

ENJOY! & as you're eating them think about all the beta-carotene you're consuming (which fights cancer), along with selenium, Vitamin C & Vitamin E! & since they're baked, this eliminates any added fat!

I'll leave my vegan ranch for a future posting! ;)