Healthy Halloween just got even more delicious: PUMPKIN FRIES.
I was going to attempt to make butternut squash fries today, but I didn’t have one and I just got back from the pumpkin patch yesterday with the sweetest punkin’ in the patch (see photo below). Ruby picked out a small pumpkin and carried it to the car all by herself. I decided to make it into pumpkin fries and then of course, I’ll buy a new one for her to carve later.
My experiment was a huge success! Pumpkin fries are really SO good – lots of flavor and a great texture – and so many less carbs than potatoes. The Hubs and I ate the whole batch after shooting photos. I must add here that if you let them sit, they get a little soggy – so it is best to eat them straight out of the oven if possible.
This is a great healthy treat to make to use up that Halloween jack-o’-lantern that you always feel guilty about throwing away, but don’t know what to do with. Make some pumpkin fries on November 1 – I promise you lots of swoons!
- One small sugar pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Peel pumpkin, scoop out seeds and strings and then cut into fry shapes - about ⅓ of an inch thick. Toss in oil. Place on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at top of oven. Then, remove from oven and turn fries over. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes of so, until fries are fork tender and browned and crispy.
- Stir together the smoked paprika, cumin and salt.
- Remove fries from oven and sprinkle with spice mixture.
- Serve immediately.
- (NOTE: Fries tend to get soggy if they sit too long, so eat them right out of the oven - for rave reviews!)
Other Healthy Halloween treats:
Carrot Rice Ball Jack O’ Lanterns, Apron Strings
Boonanas, Eating Richly
Bloody Brains Roasted Cauliflower, Jeanette’s Healthy Living