Baked Asparagus Fries

One more week and then I’m done my semester! Yay! Unfortunately, this also means hardcore studying time.

Eh.

I’m so bad when it comes to procrastination. Instead of going out or stalking people on social media sites, I cook or bake. And then eat. A lot. And this right here is just one of the results from my procrastination. In my defense though, I practiced my sign language between baking times 🙂

Baked Asparagus Fries 

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh, organic asparagus

1 large egg

hot sauce

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking oil. Wash asparagus and break off the tough ends. Beat egg and a couple drops of hot sauce together in a bowl. In a shallow dish, mix together panko breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese, pepper flakes, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Using your hands, take one asparagus spear and place it in the egg mixture. Shake off the excess yolk and place in panko bowl. Completely cover with crumbs and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with every asparagus spear. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Flip after 10 minutes.

Note: If you want a nice, thick coat on your “fries,” coat them in flour after you dunk them in the yolk and before you dip them in the panko mixture. I did not do this because I didn’t have the time (I did eventually have to write a paper, after all) and just wanted a light, crunchy coat.

 

Advertisement

Baked Butternut Fries

So simple, yet so yummy. I could eat a whole batch of these fries and feel no guilt whatsoever. What more can you ask for? Perfect for the “most wonderful time of the year” (AKA the most pull-your-hair-out-crazy time of the year). Finals, papers, a speech (superior autobiographical memory, anyone?), and a new job. I rather just do the shopping and forget about everything else. So yes, simplicity is very much needed right now. Not to mention, I find that cutting up a squash is a healthy way to release my pent-up frustrations 🙂

Baked Butternut Fries 

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the oven rack on the lowest level and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut butternut squash into fry-like pieces (I always leave the skin on) and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil and toss. Layer baking pans with parchment paper. Place squash fries in a single layer and add salt and pepper. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the level of crispiness is achieved.

Baked Barbecue-Avocado Nuggets

When I made my Baked BBQ Onion Rings a couple weeks ago, I ended up with leftover BBQ mixture and panko crumbs. And so, I looked around for other foods I could coat. Thus, the BBQ- avocado nugget was born! Crispy outside and nice, soft inside. I swear, it tastes better than a chicken nugget. I even tricked my brother with them. Coming into the kitchen, he completely ignored my avocado-BBQ sauce-panko station and zoned in on the what he assumed were chicken nuggets (I blame video games). After he took a bite and I told him what they really were, he glared at me… then took another! Win! I finally got my brother to eat an avocado! Now I just have to disguise every vegetable he eats 🙂

Baked Barbecue-Avocado Nuggets

Ingredients:

4 avocados

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

2/3 cup barbecue sauce (I used cajun-seasoned sauce)

1 egg

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 and 1/3 cup panko crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spay a pan with oil. Cut up avocados into small nugget-sized pieces. In a shallow bowl, combine and mix flour, barbecue sauce, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In another shallow bowl, place and spread out panko crumbs. Using your hands or tongs, take one avocado nugget and place it in the barbecue sauce mixture. Transfer to panko bowl and completely cover with crumbs. Place on the baking pan. Repeat with every nugget. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Convincing? I think so.

Baked BBQ Onion Rings

Onion rings have been on my to-do list for a looong time now. My first attempt was not so good. And so, I had to rebuild my ego up before trying again. This time, I am proud to say, I have succeeded in making the perfect onion ring. And it is soooo worth the first failure to be able to stuff these in my mouth. My brother and I were left by ourselves last weekend and we had the pleasure of gobbling these down for dinner along with avocado nuggets (recipe soon to come!) Just make sure to use a good BBQ sauce!

In other non-related food news, I am very excited for today. Why? It’s my birthday! And this so happens to mean that I get treated to my favorite food, sushi! (Is it bad that my greatest joy comes from consuming raw fish???) Now oddly enough, I’m very much hoping that Hurricane Sandy comes through strong tomorrow night so my college closes down for Monday. That way, I can get an extra day to study so I can enjoy a study-free birthday without feeling guilty. According to the weather channel (yes, I know, such a reliable source) South Jersey is supposed to get hammered. I already know people are stocking up on water bottles and flash lights. As for me, I think I’ll just barricade myself in with some left-over sushi and onion rings 🙂

Baked Barbecue Onion Rings

Ingredients: 

2 medium onions

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

1/3 cup barbecue sauce (I used cajun-seasoned sauce)

1 egg

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 and 1/3 cup panko crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spay a pan with oil. Peel off the the hard outer layer of the onions. With a medallion, slice the onion into 1/4 inch thick slices. (Careful with your fingers!) In a shallow bowl, combine and mix the flour, barbecue sauce, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In another shallow bowl, place and spread out panko crumbs. Either using your hands or tongs, take one onion ring and place it in the barbecue sauce mixture. Shake off the excess sauce and place in panko bowl. Completely cover with crumbs and, again, shake off the excess and place on the baking pan. Repeat with every onion. Bake in oven for 18 minutes.

Baked Jalapeño Baby Poppers

It’s official. This are my new favorite snack. Yesterday, I wanted to make a nice appetizer to eat while watching the MTV Movie Awards. My idea? Jalapeño poppers! I only had them a few times before, but I loved the spicy kick they had. After looking through the kitchen, I had all the ingredients-except for the full grown jalapeños. Luckily, we had mini jalapeño slices in a jar. Next obstacle was how to keep the cheese from sliding through the bottom. The answer? Ham! To my surprise, it worked out perfectly. Bite-sized definitely made them easy to handle. We liked them so much, I had to make a second batch. Just a warning though: you will need some water with these!

Baked Jalapeño Baby Poppers 

(Makes 24)

Ingredients: 

24 jalapeño slices, deseeded and the centers cleared out

1 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup shredded provolone cheese (or you’re favorite type of cheese)

1/8 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Panko breadcrumbs

ham (or other meats like bacon would probably taste good too. Or if you don’t want meat, maybe slices of bread?)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cover a baking pan with aluminum foil. Take a slice of ham and top with a jalapeño slice ring. Cut the ham so that it just forms a base around the jalapeño. Continue with the rest of the jalapeño slices, placing each on the baking pan. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, shredded cheese, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. From here, I just roll the mixture into a cheese ball. Next, stuff and mount each jalapeño ring with the cheese. Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs over top of each popper and then place in the oven for 13 minutes. Enjoy!