Oil-Free French Fries: Seasoned and Oven Baked
What if I told you that potatoes are healthy for you? Unfortunately, because of the way our culture chooses to prepare them, with loads of salt, butter, or oil, potatoes often get a bad reputation. Hopefully, these oil-free french fries can change your mind about the role that potatoes can play in a healthy diet.
Potato Nutrition
Potatoes are such a versatile food and full of nutrients. One potato contains about half of the vitamin C, B12, and potassium your body needs in a day. Potatoes are also rich in thiamine, niacin, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese.
In addition, potatoes are low in fat and relatively low in calories. They rank as one of the highest foods on the satiety index, meaning one serving of potatoes can keep you feeling “full” longer than almost any other food.
Potatoes are high on the glycemic index, meaning they can significantly affect blood sugar. People with diabetes or other related health issues should follow their nutritionist's advice for eating potatoes.
Aside from any medical issues, consumed in moderation, potatoes are a safe, filling, and nutrient-rich addition to a healthy diet.
Oil-Free Cooking
If you're trying to cut back on using oils in your food (or eliminate them altogether), it's important to learn how to cook without. The good news is that oil-free cooking is easier than you might think.
Most recipes instruct you to use liberal amounts of oil to cook your food. Somehow our culture has decided that oil is needed for cooking. That's simply not true.
Here are a few tips for easy oil-free cooking:
- Pan fry vegetables in 1-2 tablespoons of water. Add more water as needed to keep from sticking to the pan.
- Experiment with cooking methods. Your toaster, oven, steamer, or stovetop may work better for various kinds of food. Consider buying an air fryer.
- Check often. Certain foods have a tendency to burn easier without oil.
Perfect Oil-Free French Fries
Making oil-free french fries is so quick and easy. Plus, they're a hit with the whole family.
Below is my favorite recipe for making this delicious appetizer. These oil-free french fries are gluten-free, vegan, and plant-based by nature.
They are great served with any number of dips. My favorite pairing is ketchup, but you can also try eating them with hummus, fermented salsa, hot pepper mustard, guacamole, and much more! You can even use them to make your own vegan Irish nachos.
Once you get the basic recipe down, experiment with different seasonings. Here are a few extra seasoning options:
Ranch Oil-Free French Fry Seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon Dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon 0nion powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried Dill
- 1 teaspoon Dried chives
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
Taco Oil-Free French Fry Seasoning:
- 1 TBSP chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
Important Note: Do not add salt until the fries are done baking. Adding salt during the cooking process can cause the fries to become soggy.
Oil-Free French Fries: Seasoned and Oven Baked
Ingredients
- 6-7 medium potatoes of choice (I used yellow potatoes)
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and dry potatoes.
- Cut the potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4 inch strips and place in a large bowl.
- Add seasonings to the bowl and mix well until the potatoes are well coated.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the seasoned potatoes evenly on the baking sheets.
- Place baking sheets on middle oven racks and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning the fries and alternating the position of the top/bottom baking sheets at about 15 minutes (halfway through baking time).
- Allow fries to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve with ketchup (I prefer no sugar added, or you can make your own ketchup).
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