Although French Fries has always been on that list of unhealthy fast foods that we should avoid, and very few can resist their temptations, most don't realize that it's pretty simple to turn them into a heart healthy treat that can even help lose weight. And trust me when I say, the new taste will blow you away and you will never go back. Why would you need to?
The problem with French Fries as with most foods we consume is the oils and salts are unhealthy. The good news is that they can be replaced by alternatives that are much tastier and healthier.
One frequently used, VERY unhealthy ingredient is Canola Oil, one which is being aggressively marketed as a healthy oil. The evidence for this can be covered in another article on oils. Most of the standard oils, Wesson, Peanut, Vegetable Oil, are just as bad. However, I can confirm for myself that Coconut oil is a very healthy alternative, and gives food such a quality delicious flavor.
I have a couple of different recipes for my fries, but they are basically as simple as regular fries. All you really need to do is purchase a jar of coconut oil such as Spectrum or Whole Foods brand 365 Organic Coconut Oil. The only issue that might give pause is that Coconut Oil is not cheap, averaging about $8 a jar. But you get good re-use out of it, and there is no need to worry; it doesn't taste like coconuts. See my article on eggs and you will see that my extensive use of eggs fried in Organic Coconut oil has been an integral part of me achieving optimal cholesterol numbers.
Coconut Oil, one of the healthiest oils you can buy
Basically, I cut and fry my potatoes in my Organic Coconut Oil, drain and immediately sprinkle my fries with Pink Himalayan Salt, another healthy alternative to the unhealthy table salt. It has such a good sweet-salt taste, really waking up the flavor of any food it touches.
I also like to sprinkle garlic powder over my fries to have a "garlic fries" groove going on. Other times I do Cajun fries. You can use other spices as you desire, but I really don't like to over do it, because the flavor is already so tasty, I hate to hide it. I don't use ketchup, because I am passionately opposed to the High Fructose Corn syrup contain in ketchup, barbecue sauce, and most other condiments that are sold in traditional stores. Often I will make Honey Dijon sauce with scallions and spices and that works pretty well, although most times I don't like to make it too complicated, just cut up my organic potatoes, heat my oil and fry, and I'm good to go in 5 minutes. This is normally my weekend evening treat which I can't resist, and my optimal cholesterol numbers have allowed me to turn this from a guilty pleasure to an innocent pleasure. One of my college friends came by when I was working in Cleveland right when I made a plate of Cajun fries. He casually came over and grabbed one and walked away eating it, then I heard this noise than said "MMMMMMM", he walked back over and proceeded to eat half the plate. Case closed . ~dw~
To ''Flip the Script'' on French Fries:
Eliminate: Conventional Potatoes (high in pesticides, often bland taste)
Canola Oil(toxic oil, causes a range of issues such insomnia, dry skin, flatulence, and many others reported) ,
Wesson or Other Standard Oils(genetically modified, toxic, molecular structure changes in heat),
table salt(97% sodium, 3% iodine and other chemicals, heated to 1500 degrees, toxic),
ketchup and barbecue sauce(high fructose corn syrup, other genetically modified ingredients)
Replace With: Organic Potatoes (much better taste, low or no pesticides)
Himalayan Salt(contains all 84 natural elements, many other health benefits)
Organic Coconut Oil(hearth healthy, helps lose weight, great tasting[doesn’t taste like coconuts])
garlic salt (if preferred), experiment with others such such as cajun or any other spices to taste ~dw~
12 Responses
I see we use the same brand Coconut Oil. It has many uses. http://www.gaiahealthblog.com/2011/12/19/fries/#more-160
I haven't had the pangs for pizza, fries and popcorn as you have, however, I do appreciate the healthy alternatives you have outlined in the blog.
My personal weakness is Bridge Mix, Reese Cups, Kit Kat, and Twix, which I have replaced with non-dairy Dark Chocolate. I also found that drinking 1 qt water between meals decreases the desire to snack. – AWB
I don’t eat any processed candy or junk food. The important is that I don’t believe in “forcing” myself to stop eating something. As I converted over to healthier (but still good tasting) snacks, my body started rejecting that other stuff naturally. When I switched over to stevia, xylitol, and raw honey, my desire for sugar totally went away. Krispy Cream doughnuts are sicken sweet to me, just the thought of them gives me a headache. When I need a snack, I have a trail mix with cashews, Hunza raisins(very sweet), Goji berries, and other nuts. I just don’t trust what they put in those candy bars. I haven’t started the popcorn thing yet, it’s just a recipe I got from my boy Harry. I wrote that article cuz I’m trying to get people to eat the same things if they like, but just use quality ingredients. That pizza is my outlet when I need something. the ingredients are high quality so it’s not really cheating. That one slice of pizza every week or so is the only dairy I’m consuming. I do think it works for me to have something to break my routing and the pizza works for me. I think it’s great you are using that coconut oil. I would stay away from those store bought standard salad dressing because the oils in them are terrible. ~dw~
I made some fries using leftover bacon grease. They were so good. I actually ended up baking them, not because I am afriad to fry, just to avoid any mess. I would love to use lard next time.
I think any grease that was used hundreds of years ago, i.e. bacon grease and lard are superior to the newfangled oils they created in the past 40 years. Mainly because they are processable by the body.
I can't afford the expensive coconut oil so I buy the Lou Ana from Walmart (I know, I know) and it says not to use it for deep fat frying. At what temperature do you fry your fries? What is the smoke point for coconut oil?
The smoke point for Coconut Oil is 350. I was cooking fries the other day and stuck a food thermometer in, and it read 305, so I was well below the smoke point.
if you fry those babies in lard the flavor is unreal!
Blessings
lib
We used lard all the time growing up. Lard isn’t really my thing, but it is healthier than these fake oils out there.
Another extra for fries is lacto-fermented ketchup, I've never cared for ketchup and when my sister tried and started making lacto-fermented ketcup, it took me a while to give it a try. I couldn't believe how much better (taste and nutrition) it was than regular ketchup.
More info: http://cookingforwell-being.com/Ketchup.html
Just wanna remark that you have a very decent website , I love the style it really stands out.
Over the last couple months we have been subbing out bad oils and ingredients from our recipes and replacing them with ones that are healthier for us. I just started using coconut oil a few weeks ago and am excited that I can still make the kids fries and know that it won't effect their health.
You will find a million uses for coconut oil like a skin softener, antiseptic, and a gazillion things in between………………