Egg-Free Baked Avocado Fries
The taste of fried avocadoes without the feeling of eating fried food afterwards.
Have you tried deep-fried avocados before? It’s been a trend popping up over the last few years that tends to show up at bars and burger joints. To be honest, I never heard of this way of cooking avocados until recently. I’ve put avocados in smoothies, as a pasta sauce, and as a sandwich spread to swap instead of mayo. I’ll eat it in sushi, as guacamole, or in a protein bowl.
In the country where we deep fry everything, it seems like a no-brainer. As I get closer to 30, my stomach can’t digest fried food anymore. I experience symptoms of Leaky Gut. It isn’t talked about much in Western Medicine because the majority of those doctors are trained to prescribe medicine to cure symptoms. Instead, I’ve looked closer at my diet in order to minimize or eliminate trigger foods. The pain of bloating and constant trips to the bathroom isn’t worth it for the few minutes I get to enjoy the fried food.
Many times, it feels like I’m alone while I’m watching my friends enjoy fried foods in front of me. I experience the sensation of what the food would taste like in my mouth as well as the placebo feeling of eating the food. Seeing the fried food in front of me makes it more tempting to want to eat it. I ask myself if the benefits of eating fried foods outweigh the costs before putting anything in my mouth. Most of my friends don’t watch their diets nearly as much as I do. However, my healthy food is always a hit when I bring it around. Every time someone enjoys my food and reflects on their own eating habits, it means that I’ve succeeded in promoting the RAD brand.
The inspiration for this dish came out of thin air. I had a bunch of avocados I needed to use and I was sick of eating guacamole for the millionth time. Plus, that leads to eating a lot of potato chips (another trigger food). I thought, why not bake it? I found that vegenaise is a fantastic swap for having eggs. It also serves as the flour because I dip it straight to the bread crumbs. To my surprise, this formula sticks to the avocado and is a much lighter alternative to the traditional breading method. My one piece of advice before eating these is to make sure not to eat too many. They are still high in fat and too much of a good thing can become a recipe for more inflammation. 1/2 an avocado would be a proper serving size. With a hint of sriracha aioli, this can be served on almost anything. Or you can eat them standalone as an appetizer. Whatever you choose will be delicious. Feel free to share your creations in the comments.
Ingredients:
For the Avocadoes:
3 ripe avocadoes, peeled and cut into slices
1 cup panko bread crumbs (preferably gluten-free)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (** see notes below)
½ cup veganaise
1 Tbsp. garlic salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
For Sriracha Aioli
¼ cup vegeneise
3 tsp sriracha
1 tsp garlic salt
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Cut avocadoes in half. Core and cut them into 4-5 slices per half. Peel the skin off and set aside.
3) In 2 separate bowls, put the veganaise and dry ingredients for breadcrumb mixture. Take one slice of avocado, dip to coat in the veganaise, and then get a generous coat of breadcrumbs. Shake to coat excess breadcrumbs.
4) On a prepared baking sheet, place the breaded avocadoes. Cook for 20 minutes rotating the tray after 10 minutes. Cook extra for a bit more of a brown crust.
5) Combine ingredients for sriracha aioli and serve.
** Alternatively, you can air fry these at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes.
** This dish can be made completely vegan if you omit the parmesan cheese. You can use this recipe instead if you want to make a vegan parmesan cheese
Air Fried Broccoli
A creative way to eat your vegetables.
Would your kid eat broccoli if it didn’t taste so bitter? Yuck! I get it. I couldn’t stand to eat a vegetable for the first 21 years of my life. It took me until then to understand the value of what I’m putting into my body. It became more of a priority to start eating vegetables when my other favorite foods started having repercussions. Bloating and gassy and pooping. Oh TMI. But for real though, my body couldn’t digest the foods I was eating anymore. I had no other option but to change my diet unless I wanted to face adverse health issues, such as obesity.
Even with where I’m at, I still don’t like to eat plain vegetables straight raw. If I can find ways for these to taste good, I’ll eat it all day long. Air fried broccoli is my new favorite way to eat broccoli. It reminds me of eating potato chips because they are crunchy. The Flavor God brand of seasoning helps add a new element of flavor I can’t get from salt and pepper alone. I like to mix and match different ones to create the ultimate concoction.
Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. Flavor God Seasoning (I used nacho cheese and garlic)
Directions:
Wash the broccoli and cut it into florets.
In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients until evenly coated.
Set the temperature to 390 Degrees, F. Cook, for 8-10 minutes stirring halfway.
Serve with more seasoning and enjoy!
Is your mouth watering yet? I have more recipes like this one to help curb your salty snack craving.
Air Fried Chickpeas
My favorite snack alternative to eating potato chips.
Quarantine has got me like a mad science experiment. I try new recipes on a daily basis like it’s my full-time job. Finding different ways to expand my palate is fun for me. It brings me joy when I create a masterpiece.
One of my favorite meals is snack time. I can eat a meal full of calories with snack food. It’s easy to eat a ton of them, which could wreak havoc to your body if you’re eating junk food.
I found a healthy way in order to combat this habit. Instead of shaming myself for my love of snacks, I felt a sense of peace knowing what I’m putting into my body. When I prepare my food at home, I feel powerful having self-control over eating an entire bag of potato chips. If I end up eating a lot of my own food, I don’t end up eating as many calories. That alone has helped me be able to sustain weight loss for over 8 years. I still allow myself room to eat treat food, but I don’t feel guilty when it’s done in moderation.
Roasted chickpeas are my new #1 favorite salty snack swap. I could eat an entire can of them (although it is not a good idea because it’s a LOT of fiber).
I’ll leave the recipe here so you can have some of these ASAP.
Ingredients:
2 (15 oz) cans Garbanzo beans - drained, rinsed, and patted dry
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp. Flavor God Seasoning (I used Nacho Cheese and Taco Tuesday Seasonings)
Directions:
Preheat air fryer to 390 Degrees F.
Clean garbanzo beans by getting the clear skin off as many as you can.
Mix garbanzo beans, spices, and oil in a mixing bowl.
Cook for 25-30 minutes. Stir after 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, cook and stir in 5 minutes intervals. Cook until they become brown and crunchy, but not burnt.
Serve with more seasoning and enjoy!
Is your mouth watering yet? I have more recipes for you like this one to help curb your salty snack craving.
Air Fried Zucchini Chips
A creative way to eat your vegetables.
I have become obsessed with my air fryer. I recently received an instapot as a quarantine gift, which has an air fryer component. I’ve been using it almost every day to add a whole new level to my taste buds. I love how crispy everything gets without the sogginess I sometimes get from oven roasting the same exact food. When it comes to making zucchini chips in the oven, one side of the zucchini cooks properly while half of it burns. The first time I tried zucchini chips in the air fryer, they turned out perfectly. Needless to say, I will never be putting my zucchini chips in the oven ever again. They didn’t even last for an hour before my family ate it all. Now, I get to share the recipe behind the deliciousness so you can get your hands on some straight away.
Ingredients:
4 small or 3 medium zucchini, sliced
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp. Flavor God Seasoning (I used everything, garlic, and taco seasoning)
Directions:
Wash your zucchini and pat it dry with a paper towel. Cut the zucchini into thin slices either by hand or with a mandolin.
Mix the zucchini, oil, and seasonings in a bowl.
Set the instapot to air fry at 350 degrees F. Cook for 40 minutes. Stir at 15 minutes and at 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, stir at 5-minute intervals until the zucchini are at your desired crispiness. When they are done, they will be brown and crunchy, but not burnt.
Top with more seasoning and serve while they’re hot!
Is your mouth watering yet? I have more recipes for you like this one to help curb your salty snack craving.
