I love fries and I can't have a burger without them. I have a bit of a sweet tooth, but truth be told, my salty tooth is bigger. My only issue is that I know fries aren't exactly the healthiest option. So I decided to come up with three healthier alternatives to french fries. Hopefully these options will satisfy my cravings and I won't have to feel guilty about eating them.

These fries aren't going to taste exactly like those delicious, salty MickieD ones you've come to know and love. But, they are tasty and most importantly, they're a healthier substitute. A bonus is that these recipes are simple to make and can be done in a pinch after a long day at work. 

I set the oven to about 375-400 degrees for these recipes and wait until they brown nicely. It should take about 20 minutes.

#1 Cumin Carrot Fries 


Peel and cut about 3-4 carrots into approximately 1/2 inch thick and 5 inch long slices. Drizzle olive oil onto baking sheet and add carrots. Sprinke cumin, garlic powder, ground cloves, ground ginger, salt and pepper onto the carrots. I usually use about 1-2 tsp of each. Add more oil. Toss carrots so that they are covered and bake.

#2 Truffle and Basil Parsnip Fries 


Peel and cut 1-2 parsnips into approximately 1/2 inch thick and 5 inch long slices. Pour truffle oil onto baking sheet and add parsnips. Truffle oil is a bit pricey, although amazingly delicious. I didn't have any but I did have some truffle salt on hand so I sprinkled about 1/2- 1tsp of that on the parsnips with olive oil (garlic olive oil would also be great). Add some basil and some ground garlic powder, toss and bake. 

#3 Baked Zucchini Fries 


Cut a large zucchini into three and then cut each section into 9 smaller slices (3 times horizontally and 3 times vertically). Set aside. 

In a bowl, whisk 1-2 eggs (depending on how much zucchini there is). 

In a separate bowl, mix together about 3/4 cup of bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add some salt, pepper, basil and thyme. 

Dip the zucchini sticks into the eggs and then into the bread crumb mixture. Lay the sticks onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.

Do you have a sweet or a salty tooth? Which one of these would you like to try? Do you have any healthy alternative faves?