Healthy Food Substitutions
Healthy Swaps
The Ultimate Guide to Having Your Cake and Eating It Too (continued)
French Fries
Using sweet potatoes or the crunchy vegetable called jicama (pronounced hik’-a-ma), you can enjoy crisp, salty fries now and then without the worry. And since white potatoes can raise blood sugar more rapidly than even table sugar, you’re wise to move them onto your “don’t go there” list.
Peel sweet potatoes, and then slice them up lengthwise like steak fries. Toss gently with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings of your choice, then bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes on each side. Jicama can be sliced thin (like matchsticks) and made either in the oven the same way (cut the time in half) or fried in a pan with a high-heat oil such as canola oil, grapeseed oil or refined sesame oil. You can also slice jicama super-thin like potato chips. Experiment with different spices on your fries, such as onion or garlic salt, paprika, or taco seasoning.
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Reviewed by Susan Weiner, R.D., M.S., C.D.E., C.D.N. 3/08