As you probably know by now, long before the days when we became registered dietitians and personal trainers, we grew up in a very healthy household where our mom, who was basically a hippie (minus the drugs 🙂 ) cooked all of our mostly plant-based meals from scratch. There is one story we always reminisce about nowadays that cracks us up—and we love to give our Mom a hard time…
At five years old when we were on a family road trip, our mom promised us we could stop at McDonald’s for our first time and we could try their hamburger and fries. We were so excited! We waited in the car with my Dad and my Mom came back to the car, we drove off, and she had conveniently “forgotten” the fries.
Luckily for us, our mom made some pretty delicious healthy fries, so we didn’t feel the urge to get McD’s fries after we tried them. And thanks to our Mom’s influence, we are always experimenting with our own veggie fries (you may remember our Skinny Zucchini Fries, our Sweet Potato Fries, our Celery Root Fries, our Crispy Homemade Fries, and our Smoked Paprika Chips.)
And now, we couldn’t resist whipping up these babies!
When it comes to fries, carrots may not be the first vegetable that comes to mind, but these Spicy Carrot Fries are baked, not fried, so they have only a fraction of the fat and calories as traditional fries. One serving also has 509% of your daily value for Vitamin A, an important nutrient for vision, bone health, and a strong immune system.
And these fries may help your weight loss efforts thanks to the cayenne pepper in this recipe that may act as an appetite suppressant. Capsaicin, responsible for the heat in chili peppers, causes a slight increase in metabolism and helps you burn a few extra calories.¹ For an added bonus, try sprinkling a little cayenne in your soups, salad dressings, or dips or make these fries often! 🙂
Spicy Carrot Fries
These Carrot Fries make a delicious snack with plenty of fiber to keep you full until your next meal, or you can serve them as a flavorful side dish—or even as an appetizer. Feel free to experiment with your favorite herbs and spices!
Makes 3 servings
Ingredients
1 lb. carrots
Olive oil spray
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder blend
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash carrots and pat them dry. Cut into even, large-sized strips. Place in a large bowl and spray about 5 times with olive oil spray. Toss to coat, add seasonings and toss again until evenly coated. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Cool for a few minutes then enjoy!
Nutrition Facts: 71 Calories, 1 g Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 213 mg Sodium, 16 g Carbohydrate, 5 g Fiber, 7 g Sugar, 2 g Protein
- 1 lb. carrots
- Olive oil spray
- ⅛ tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. chili powder blend
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash carrots and pat them dry. Cut into even, large-sized strips. Place in a large bowl and spray about 5 times with olive oil spray. Toss to coat, add seasonings and toss again until evenly coated. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Cool for a few minutes then enjoy!
Source:
¹http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267248.php
