Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I never liked sweet potatoes. Even with all the marshmallows on top during Thanksgiving... I just couldn't do it. I recently found out that these days I LIKE sweet potatoes. Will's mom made some roasted sweet potatoes a couple months back that were delicious, then I tried sweet potato fries and they were amazing! So now my mom has a bounty of sweet potatoes from her garden. I made these baked sweet potato fries and they were SO delicious. Super tasty. I like to say my tastebuds have matured. ;) I should try fish again to see if I like that now too!

Another time I made these thinner:

2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 3 large ones)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp spice of your choice (I had no idea what to use so I just used some Cajun seasoning - one of the suggested spices...)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut up. I did flat sticks kind of, but you could also do rounds or wedges. Put sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and add the olive oil, sugar, salt, and spices. Toss and mix well.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place wire rack on top of it. Spray with olive oil. Lay potatoes on the rack and bake for a total of 25-30 min. After 15 min I flipped them over and continued cooking. I didn't need anything with them, they were so good!

Original recipe found here.

Baked Zucchini Fritters

I thought I'd use my extra time at home (I am sick) to catch up on a couple recipes I needed to post. So I have made 2 other kinds of fritters/cakes before: Zucchini Carrot Cakes with Basil Chive Cream, and regular Zucchini Cakes. Both are amazing. But these are BAKED! Really delicious.

2 large zucchini, grated
1 small red onion, grated
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
a splash of milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 425°F. With a grater, grate zucchini and onion. Place grated zucchini and onion in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let sit about 20 min. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Add to a bowl and combine whole wheat flour, salt, pepper, milk and egg, mix well.
 
Drop small to medium-sized rounds on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 16-20 minutes, depending on the size of your fritters. Then flip and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown on each side. Enjoy with whatever sauce you like.

Original recipe found here.

Cheesy Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

It all started when I ran out of Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese spread wedges. I usually like to spread that in jalapenos, peppers, etc. and bake them. So I had this bag of sweet mini peppers, with no LC Cheese. I did have fat free cream cheese though. So I started searching for healthy recipes with with that, and came across this one. Very tasty and looks nice on the plate too!

12-15 mini sweet peppers
1 c fat free cream cheese, softened
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c chopped green onions
1/2 c part-skim shredded mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Cut the mini peppers in half, and remove seeds & membrane. Leave the stems on to make it easier to pick these up. In a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients (except mozz) and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture evenly into pepper halves. Sprinkle mozzarella over each half. Place pepper halves on prepared baking sheet and bake 10-15 min. Then eat these creamy, cheesy things!

Original recipe found here.

I made the delicious Cauliflower Fried Rice tonight, but we also added some chicken Will grilled. Yum!

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini

I've been cooking meals and making veggies like crazy, but I haven't tried too many NEW recipes since school started. I've got another AMAZING dinner for you. I promise you won't even miss the tortillas! DE-licious!!

I also cooked my chicken in the crock pot during the day, so I just had to shred it when I got home.

1 lb chicken breast, boneless skinless, cut in small pieces (or shredded cooked chicken)
1 tsp olive oil (or spray)
3-4 large zucchini
1 c mushrooms, diced
2 oz red-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 c red enchilada sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
parsley or green onions for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise. Using a small spoon scoop out the flesh. Chop up the zucchini flesh and mushrooms. In a skillet add the tsp of olive oil and heat. If you're using cooked shredded chicken, add zucchini flesh, mushrooms and chicken to the skillet together. (Otherwise add the chicken first and cook until no longer pink. To it add the chopped up zucchini flesh and mushrooms.) Season with salt and pepper, cumin and oregano.

Spoon the chicken mixture into each zucchini boat, stuff them well, there shouldn't be any mixture left. Spoon some of the enchilada sauce over each zucchini, dividing the sauce equally. Sprinkle each zucchini with cheese.

Place zucchini on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake covered for about 30 to 40 minutes or until zucchini is cooked through. Garnish with green onions or parsley.

Original recipe found here.

Here's a pic of "the spread" and my plate for dinner. I know you all wanted to see it. ;)

Cauliflower Fried Rice

I can't believe how amazing this is. Does it look like rice? Yes. Does it taste like rice? Yes. It's CAULIFLOWER. I just can't believe it. I couldn't wait to share this recipe!! Feel free to add whatever meat you want to use. I could eat this in place of fried rice at Chinese restaurants... I'm not kidding. I do NOT kid about Chinese food!

3 c of grated raw cauliflower (use a cheese grater or food processor)

1 c frozen peas/carrots

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c onion, diced

1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 eggs (or 4 egg whites) scrambled

3 tbsp lite soy sauce

In a large pan, saute garlic and onions in olive oil on a medium/high heat, until onions become soft and transparent. (about 2-3 minutes). Next add in peas, and carrots and cook until carrots begin to soften and peas are heated through, about 3-4 minutes. Next stir in scrambled eggs , cauliflower and soy sauce. Cook stirring frequently for about 5-7 more minutes. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here.