When I was writing my first cookbook (almost 10 years ago!) and testing low carb french fries, I made butternut squash fries by cutting up a butternut squash into strips and roasting them in the oven. Fast forward to this year, when I finally purchased a counter top oven with an air fryer (I know, I'm late to the party).
This weekend I finally used the air fryer option to test out my butternut squash crinkle cuts. Trader Joes and other markets now sell butternut squash fries in crinkle cuts, cubes, chips, and strips, which saves times and muscle because this squash is one of the more challenging to cut when raw.
I'm happy to let you know that air frying is a step up for these slightly sweet, slightly crunchy fries. The most important tip is to fry them until they start to brown around the edges, and to eat them soon after they come out of the oven. And to get a bit technical on you, the crinkle cut increases the surface area in which the outside of each fry can bake and crisp up, so I recommend crinkle cut fries if you can find them. Others will work well also though.
To make fries a meal, I added my Sloppy Joes recipe to the fray. I'll admit that I don't eat meat, so I prefer this recipe with just veggies. To create a plant-based Sloppy Joes, swap the ground meat for lentils, finely chopped mushrooms, or your favorite veggies. I recommend cooking the veggies until almost tender, with just a bit of bite.
If you don't have an air fryer, no big deal. Bake the fries on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and give each fry some space to help them get crispy. See the recipe notes for baking instructions.
Butternut Squash Fries
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash fries about 12 ounces, or one large butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until the fries are well coated.
- Cook for 20 minutes or until the fries are starting to brown around the edges.
Nutrition
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or other oil
- 2 celery stalks trimmed and diced
- 1 small onion peeled and diced
- 2 carrots trimmed and diced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 green bell pepper trimmed and diced
- 1 red pepper trimmed and diced
- 1 pound ground beef or ground chicken or turkey
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or frying pan on medium heat and add the oil.
- Add the celery, onions, and carrots to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally for about 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and toss with the vegetables. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add red and green pepper and toss in with the other vegetables. Cook for 5 more minutes, or until the peppers begin to soften.
- Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and place the ground meat in the center. Use a spatula to move the meat around as it browns.
- After a few minutes of browning the meat, blend the vegetables with the meat and add the tomato puree, tomato paste, honey, mustard, vinegar, and salt. Blend well as it cooks.
- Cover the pan and let the mixture simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened to your preference.
- Serve very warm with rolls, coleslaw, mashed cauliflower or just on it's own. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.
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