I've been having alot of lonely girl meals lately. Derek went from working 26 hours per week to working 55 - 60 hours per week. The only nights he's home during the week are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We've also went from having two cars to one car to no car, so when Derek's at work, I'm pretty much stranded at the homestead.
I think it would be safe to say that I have had A LOT of time to experiment in the kitchen with some fun new vegetarian recipes.
I recently bookmarked a recipe posted by Angela for crispy breaded tofu strips and sweet potato fries because to me that is one of the most perfect lonely girl meals ever! Before I became a vegetarian, chicken fingers and sweet potato fries were one of my favourite meals. I don't cook much with tofu normally, so I was excited to try out her recipe. Derek is absolutely not a fan of tofu (read: he hasn't and won't try it) so it was all the more perfect to have on a night when I was home alone.
Instead of making sweet potato fries, I decided to try making fries out of a butternut squash. I was a little unsure whether the squash would hold up in fry sticks, but I was really pleased with how they turned out! They are really easy to whip together and they are an awesome healthy alternative to the normal fries you would buy in the store or order at a restaurant.
Butternut Squash Fries
Serves 2 or 3
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" x 3" fry sticks
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
approximately 1/2 tsp sea salt
Preheat your oven to 400.
In a mixing bowl, place your cut up squash. Pour the coconut oil over the fries and sprinkle with sea salt. Mix well to coat the fries.
Place the fries out on a baking sheet. I used a baking mat so they wouldn't stick and I would suggest using a mat or some parchment paper or some really good non-stick spray.
Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the fries and cook for an additional 15 minutes. In Angela's sweet potato fries recipe, she suggested putting the fries under the broiler for a couple of minutes. I found that the squash crisped up nicely without having to do that, but if you like crisper fries, throw them under the broiler for a just a minute or two per side.
I'd like to say I peeled this bad boy myself, but I didn't. This is how I bought my squash, which made for a really quick prep!
Why yes, I do often use my favourite mugs for melting coconut oil :-)
Baking mats are awesome for baking sweet veggies that get sticky and caramelized as they bake!
I'm a dipper of all finger foods and my go-to when I had chicken strips and fries was always honey mustard. All I did was mix 1 1/2 tbsp each of my favourite dijon mustard and some local unpasteurized honey and voila! I had an awesome dipping sauce. It was awesome with the tofu strips and the fries!
I have to tell you that this dinner was utterly fantastic! I loved it and will definitely be enjoying it again on nights when Derek doesn't get home until late.
I used the leftovers as salad toppings! They were an awesome change to my normal green salad and as a dressing I used a combo of apple cider vinegar/extra virgin olive oil and dijon mustard.
Ah-Mazing!
Have you ever experimented with making different veggies into 'fries' before?
Are you a tofu lover or hater? If you have some great recipes, link it up, so I can check them out!!!
Have a great day!!!
Andrea
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