Baked Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

Fries have always been one of my favorite foods, but since my Celiac diagnosis I've had to be really careful about eating them.

Most people don't know this, but if you're Celiac or have a gluten allergy and you're ordering fries, you have to check to see whether they're a) frozen, because flour may have been used to keep them from sticking or b) fried in oil with anything that has flour or breadcrumbs on it. And more often than not, I run into the latter of the two issues.

I'm incredibly sensitive to gluten and have to be 100% certain what I'm eating is gluten-free, which means I can't eat my beloved fries nearly as often as I'd like.

As you can probably tell,  I love sweet potatoes and have been on a bit of a sweet potato kick lately, and while I was home from work during Hurricane Sandy last week I decided to make sweet potato fries on more than one occasion.

They were so easy to make and a healthy, satisfying snack. One baked sweet potato has 180 calories, 7 grams of fiber (26% of your recommended daily intake), 4 grams of protein, 769 % vitamin A, and 65% vitamin C.  So if you have 20 minutes to spare, try these at home.

Baked Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

Servings: 1-2
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch slices (I leave the skin on)
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

Pre-heat oven to broil. 

Place the sweet potato slices onto a pan covered with tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Place in the broiler and cook for 8 minutes, flip the fries over, and cook for another 8 minutes or until crispy. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Baked Sweet Potato with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Melted Cheese

I've really been slacking lately, haven't I? Things have been a little crazy. I'm switching jobs and have been trying to wrap everything up at my old job, since my last day is this Friday. It's nerve-racking. I've been at the same company for four years (since I graduated college), and my new job is going to be a huge change. But I'm really, really excited and can't wait to start. You'll have to forgive me if my posts are sparse in the coming weeks as I try to settle in.

Anyway, the other night I was looking for something new and different to eat for dinner, and a friend of mine sent me a link to a recipe for Sweet Potato Pizza  from the blog Kale with Love. I was immediately sold. It looked incredible.

But, as usual, I decided to tweak the recipe and make it my own. I'm not a huge fan of marinara sauce unless it's on pasta (gluten-free pasta, obviously), so I decided to skip that ingredient, which made it less of a pizza but still equally as tasty.

Baked Sweet Potato with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Melted Cheese

Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1/2 eggplant
1/2 zucchini
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used white cheddar)

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 450º. 

Place sweet potato on pan and cook in the oven for an hour.

Slice the eggplant and zucchini and sauté  in olive oil for 5-8 minutes. The eggplant will probably need to cook a little longer, closer to 10 minutes. 

When the sweet potato is done cooking, take it out of the oven, slice it in half, and place the eggplant and zucchini on top. Sprinkle the cheese on top as well. Place in the broiler and cook for 4 minutes, or until the cheese is crispy and golden.

Serve immediately.

This was my entire dinner and I have to tell you, I was completely stuffed. Delish!

Oh, and if you're in a time crunch you could probably just cook the sweet potato in the microwave for about 10 minutes, and then place it in the broiler with the vegetables and cheese.

Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary

Roasted vegetables are a staple of my diet, particularly in cooler weather. They're so easy to make and so satisfying to eat. The great thing about roasted vegetables is that you can work with whatever is in season. As long as you have olive oil, salt and pepper, and an oven, you're good to go.

After last weekend all I wanted to eat was a big plate of vegetables. I went to Whole Foods and slowly made my way through the produce section, picking the best looking vegetables from local farmers. By the time I made it to the checkout counter, my grocery basket was full of carrots, zucchini, red onions, sweet potatoes, and heirloom cherry tomatoes. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture before I chopped everything up and threw it in the oven. But can you blame a girl? I was starving.

I decided to make enough so that I could bring the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week, which worked out perfectly. I'm a huge fan of incorporating leftovers into lunch. It makes life a lot easier.

This recipe, although the ingredients may vary depending on what's available at Whole Foods or the farmers market, will be my go-to this fall and winter. Whether as a main course, a side dish, or in a salad, roasted vegetables are so flavorful and full of nutrients. You really can't go wrong.

I tossed in some quinoa at the last minute to add some protein and additional texture. I'm a huge fan of roasted chicken, but didn't have enough time or energy to make it this time around. Keep your eyes out for a roasted chicken recipe in the coming weeks.

Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary

Ingredients:

2 large carrots
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 large red onion
1 large zucchini
1 1/2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Chop all of the vegetables,  except for the tomatoes, transfer to a large pan, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss in the rosemary and make sure all of the vegetables are lightly covered with olive oil. 

Transfer the tomatoes into a small pan and drizzle with olive oil. They need to be cooked separately because they release a lot of water, and you don't want that mixing in with the other vegetables.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until tender and golden. Drain the water from the tomatoes and mix together in one pan. Serve hot.