We have a love of fried starch in this house. White potatoes, sweet potatoes, and plantains are always close at hand when the urge strikes. You see, as a rule we don’t eat grains. We occasionally try to reintroduce them into our diet with poor results. We just tried again and are dealing with mood changes, water retention, sluggishness, and cravings for sweet foods. Buh-bye grains!
For us, pan-fried starchy vegetables are a great way to cure snack cravings, add in much needed calories, and provide a great opportunity to add extra fat into our diet. While those may sound like bad things, I assure you they’re not.
Many women do not eat enough calories throughout the day and allow their bodies to go into starvation mode. Metabolism slows down to compensate and contributes to weight gain. A combination of coconut oil and an increase into the proper calorie range tells your body to rev that metabolism back up! It also helps produce energy to get your bum in gear to burn off said calories. Nice right?
And the fat thing. Sigh. I know I won’t reach all of you when I say fat is good, but take a side trip here and keep an open mind. I have lost 40 pounds from switching off of SAD (Standard American Diet) to a diet high in good quality protein and fat with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. I do exercise sporadically and love it now that I’m healthier, but it hasn’t affected my weight much. 80-90% of maintaining a healthy weight is in what you eat. I adhered to a strict allergy elimination diet for my daughter’s sake while I breastfed her and gained the weight when I returned to SAD.
Anywho, back to the food at hand.
Sweet potatoes fried in coconut oil is a sweet, salty, soft, crispy, and satisfying snack or meal. It even cures a craving for fat, usually masked as a craving for sugar or grains. These tasty tubers are rich in beta-carotene (the precursor to Vitamin A) and vitamin C (though most of it breaks down during cooking) while also being a good source of manganese, vitamins B3, B5, & B6, potassium, fiber, and tryptophan. [source ]
Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients (2 servings)
1-2 sweet potatoes
2-3 Tablespoons of coconut oil per batch, cold-pressed or expeller-pressed
unrefined salt to taste, Celtic sea salt is our preference [affiliate link]
Instructions
Heat large skillet over medium heat.
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into desired shape. Keep slices to no more than 1/4 inch and ‘fry shape’ to the diameter of a pencil.
Heat coconut oil in skillet for 30-45 seconds. Note: Add a drop of water to the oil. When it pops and sizzles, the oil is ready to use.
Slowly add a single layer of sweet potatoes to skillet and sprinkle with salt. Cook until the edges lightly brown and potatoes start to lighten in color.
Just starting to cook.
When they are browned to your preference, turn over using tongs or a fork and cook to desired color on other side. Note: I prefer a fork for traditional ‘fry’ shape.
Place on a plate to cool and sprinkle another layer of salt over the top. Note: You can place a paper towel or paper bag on the plate to soak up excess oil or leave it on so you don’t lose any of the yummy stuff.
Tip: Place your cutting board and utensils next your skillet so it’s easy to cut and load the next batch into the skillet.
This cutting board was a surprise find at our winter farmers’ market and one of my treasures. An artisan made it using local wood scraps from past projects. He labels each piece with his name, the year produced, and types of woods used. I love having tools in the kitchen that I really love!
If you’d like to learn more about what to eat when removing grains from your diet and why, please visit Mark’s Daily Apple to learn about Primal living or check out Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) to find out how to heal a damaged gut and reverse many chronic illnesses (Primal/Paleo diets will also do the same if certain guidelines are adhered to). Starches are an advanced food on GAPS and are not strictly Primal/Paleo, but I have found them to work well in our diet.
Happy eating!
This post is part of Fresh Bites Friday, Monday Mania , Pennywise Platter Thursday .
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