Joy Bauer's Sweet Potato Fries

Posted by Nadine Bells

I've been on quite the health kick lately. I've been jogging, drinking "green" drinks, and actually thinking about which of my fruits and veggies have the most nutritional bang for their buck. I've always eaten large salads, but now spinach and arugula are taking over lettuce's position as king.

The sweet potato is now on my radar. I used to eat it because it had the word "sweet" in it. But now I'm excited about the potassium, fiber and beta-carotene. And my health-nut research keeps pointing me to the greatness of cinnamon. So when I found this recipe, I had to give it a try. (Plus, Joy Bauer could tell me to eat deep-fried earthworms for breakfast, and I'd probably seriously consider it.)

I loved them.

INGREDIENTS
• 2 medium sweet potatoes (approximately 7 ounces each)
• Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt*
• Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray
• (Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or Splenda sweetener)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut potatoes into steak fries — slice thin lengthwise strips, and then cut those strips in half. Aim for fries to be approximately 1/4-inch thick.

Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and lay out sliced sweet potato strips.

Lightly brush all individual potato strips with olive oil (or use canola oil cooking spray) and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon. Evenly top with salt.*

Place in oven on bottom rack and cook for 20 minutes. (For added sweetness, sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or Splenda sweetener evenly over fries before placing in the oven.)

Then set oven to broil, move to higher rack and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes —depending on how browned and crunchy you prefer your fries.

*For folks who are following a salt-restrictive diet, skip the salt or use salt substitute.

Head on over to MSNBC for the nutritional info.

Cinnamon on your fries? You bet. No, they won't be super-crunchy, but the flavor compensates. And the olive oil adds the heart-healthy fats you need. So swap out the white potato for the sweet, and give these a try.

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· The Pill's 50th Birthday
· Superwoman of the Day: Hungry Girl
· Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk

[ READER COMMENTS ]

Joy Bauer's Sweet Potato Fries

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.