French fries have got to be one of the foods that I'd dare say 99% of us love! They are just so dang good! Although, I do have to add, I think one of the reasons I love them so much is due to two things: one, how crispy they are, and two, what sauce I dip them in! Am I right?
I know, traditionally, most people buy fries from fast food restaurants. More likely than not, these fries are cooked in inflammatory oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, and seed oils. Fun fact: your body can't actually digest these oils! they end up seeping through the gut lining, into the blood stream, and causing inflammation all over (achy joints, depression, anxiety, hormone imbalances, sleep issues, blood sugar issues and more!).
So how do we make fries and fry sauce healthier??? We swap out inflammatory ingredients for foods that actually help support our bodies!
Rosemary Garlic Fries
6-8 yukon potatoes
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbls garlic powder
1 Tbls dried rosemary leaves
salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Slice your potatoes into French fry size strips. I like mine skinny so they can get even more crispy. Place your fries in a bowl of cold water and let them sit for 20-30 minutes (this helps reduce starch and increase crispiness). Place your fries on your cookie sheet and dab dry with a paper towel. Using half of your oil, drizzle it on top of your fries. Season with garlic powder and rosemary leaves. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, turning half way through. After you pull your fries out of the oven drizzle the remaining oil on top and toss them in salt. Serve with your favorite fry sauce!
Chipotle Garlic Aioli
1/2 cup organic avocado mayo
1/2 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic (about 1/2 tsp), minced
1/8 tsp chipotle pepper seasoning (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
1/8 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients together. Serve with fries!
Today's ingredient I'm going to teach you about is not your typical ingredient you find in a recipe. We're going to talk about cook ware!
I use aluminum baking sheets to cook my fries on, which I'm sure most of us do. This is very common, especially because they are inexpensive and nearly unbreakable, making them friendly to all users. However, aluminum is a metal we try to avoid putting in our bodies, right? (Aluminum free deodorant anyone???) Just because it's a baking sheet, does not mean our food isn't absorbing any of the aluminum these sheets are made with. An over abundance of heavy metals absorbed in our bodies can cause a lot of problems, especially when getting in the brain. For this reason, I like to line my baking sheets in parchment paper, specifically unbleached parchment paper.
With unbleached paper, of course, you won't have any bleach in it, which is another toxin we don't necessarily want in our bodies. I know what you're thinking...this is way over the top and doesn't really matter to me. But just think. If you are diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, cancer, anxiety or depression, and any other health concern in-between and you want to try to lessen the burden of what you're body is fighting against, wouldn't you want to help it out as much as possible by reducing it's toxic load? I do!
Small changes, over time, will add up to a lot and make a huge difference on your health! I promise! And if a small change, such as lining your aluminum baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper is all you can do, than that's a start! Other options that are more expensive up front but will pay off in the future are to bake with glass or stoneware! This will be my next kitchen purchase, I can tell you that right now!
Unfortunately our world bombards us with toxins, which is why so many of us have so many devastating health issues. Find these small and simple ways to improve your health and just start chipping away at them. I promise, over time, you'll get to where you want to be!
Happy cooking!
Love,
Danielle
P.S.
An easy way to detox from your body from heavy metals is through a clay or charcoal mask, which is exactly what my detoxing face and body scrub is for! Apply it to your face, armpits, legs, or feet, allowing it to dry for 15 minutes before washing with warm water.
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