All The Crisp with a Twist
Fried foods are delicious, but sadly they’re not the healthiest…
If you’d like the crispy goodness of fried foods without the extra calories, greasy feeling, or smoky kitchen, then follow these easy how-to’s for fake frying from Jenné Claiborne of Sweet Potato Soul.
Jenné’s got the scoop for some seriously delicious healthy fried treats!
BREAD IT
You can bread and fry just about anything in oil, but you can also bake it sans oil and still achieve a crispy coating and tenderness inside.
Use seasoned wheat flour, panko bread crumbs, or rice flour with a flax seed dredge (non-dairy milk with a tablespoon of ground flax seeds) to coat vegetables, tofu, or mushrooms, and bake until crispy (about 30 minutes on 350°).
SOAK IT
If you want to make perfectly crispy baked sweet potato or regular potato fries, you must soak your sliced potatoes in cold water for about 1 hour before baking!
This method helps to remove excess starch from the potatoes, allowing them to really crisp. After soaking, dry the potatoes thoroughly with a kitchen towel, toss with a bit of oil, and bake (400° for 30 minutes, flipped half way through).
Be sure not to overcrowd your vegetables when roasting, otherwise they will be soggy.
SLICE IT
If you’ve got a thing for chips, try making your own at home in the oven! The key to the crispiest craveable chips is to cut the vegetables super thin.
Use a very sharp knife or, even better, a mandolin to create ultra thin slices of potatoes, beets, carrots, etc. Toss with oil, and then bake until crispy (cook time depends on how long you’ve cut them, but start with 20 minutes at 350°).
If you’re using a starchy vegetable you should soak the slices before cooking, and remember not to overcrowd your baking sheet.
Love these tips? Be sure to check out Jenne’s Vegan “Crab” Cakes and our Vegan Mozzarella Sticks and Onion Rings for more fried and baked nomz.
