Spicy Rutabaga Fries

Well, I have gotten around to my post about my motivations yet but, I will! I had a successful rest day but am back at hip hop. I even took Henna tonight. I should have taped her. The first class I took her too she was so shy she didn't dance but this time ... dance she did. I'm glad she had fun but it was hard for me to go on like normal because I wanted to make sure she didn't get in front of anybody. I didn't get there early enough to nab the very front spot so all she could dance next to was the mirror.
But fun was had...

And food was crushed... Chipotle to be specific... this African girl loves her some rice and beans (and chicken)

While on Jenny Craig there is great emphasis among the people on the forums to get to know and love non-starchy veggies. Well, I've never been a fan of vegetables… let alone the non-starchy ones. I LOVE potatoes but of course those aren’t a free one. At the beginning I wasn’t very adventurous. All I ever made were green beans. But little by little I needed something more to keep me full or to help with salty cravings. I had never heard of a rutabaga in my life but people on the forums were making them into French fries. I needed to try it. The first time I went to the grocery store I didn’t know the difference and ended up buying turnips. They’re smaller and easier to peel and cut than rutabaga and have a similar flavor. They are also non-starchy and can be made into fries with this same recipe.

So, as promised... here is my recipe for SPICY RUTABAGA:

Heat oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with foil.

Peel and slice your rutabaga (or turnips)

            ** Rutabaga can be pretty large and hard to cut through so have a good knife

     or a strong arm to get through it. I found some smaller ones at Giant Eagle.

     Turnips are easier to work with, FYI.

In a bowl, spray the fries with Pam (I use Pam Olive Oil)

Sprinkle with your favorite seasonings and toss to coat evenly

I use – garlic powder (or minced garlic), season salt, cayenne pepper, and onion powder. I like them spicy.

Bake between 45-60 minutes. In order to get rid of the crunchiness they need to bake longer but depending on size sometimes they get too burnt for me. I suggest monitoring every 5-10 minutes after the first 30 minutes in the oven since everybody’s oven is different. I burnt my first batch of turnips over five minutes unattended… whoops. Turn once around 30 minutes.