Home Grown Tomatoes presents...Sweetness

2 Large sweet potatoes

Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Home Grown Tomatoes is a weekly Vegan/Vegetarian column by Giovanina Bucci

So I had a completely random thought on my walk to school this morning as I passed a young lady wearing wind pants. The sound made me think to myself "Are people still wearing those?" It also made me think to myself, why do we wear clothing that amplifies the sound of our legs rubbing together? I mean, I'm not scared to admit that mine definitely do, but I certainly don't want to wear a surround sound system to let the whole world know! Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am all about elastic waistbands, but this girl will be sticking to sweat pants, basically anything that is both soft and quiet.

Anyway. I don't know if any of you are experiencing this wave of 2010 madness, but seriously, people...what the hell? The clock struck midnight on January 1st and I did not get the memo that this year was going to be absolute chaos! Hence, the outrageously simple, quick and painless recipe that is to follow...I'm sure most of you (particularly those of you with kids thrown into the mix) can appreciate this. First off, these can be prepped ahead of time (for those of you who actually think a minute or two ahead of the rest of us). Secondly, the recipe can go either sweet, spicy, or both depending on what you're in the mood for.

Serving size: 2 Lg sweet potatoes makes about 40 fries (depending on thickness)

extra virgin olive oil


Seasoning Option #1
black pepper
red pepper flakes
cumin
Spanish paprika



Seasoning Option#2
black pepper
cinnamon
brown sugar
dash of nutmeg (optional)
cayenne or red pepper flakes (if you like sweet and spicy together)


* Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse sweet potatoes (skins on), and cut into quarters (slice in half width wise and slice each half again length wise).

* From there, slice each quarter into 5-7 pieces lengthwise, similar to a steak fry. Try to keep your slices consistent as you want the fries to cook evenly. Either in a bowl or in a freezer bag, season your fries with just enough olive oil to coat them and with whichever seasoning option you prefer. (I did not include measurements for the seasonings, you've got free reign here. I tend to season pretty heavily and I enjoy a lot of spice. My only suggestion would be not to go overboard with the brown sugar if you choose option 2.)

* Once your potatoes are coated evenly with oil and spice, bake them for at least 40 minutes - ideally you want them tender with a bit of crispiness on the outside.

While the potatoes are in the oven, you can make the honey mustard dipping sauce. I know the pictures do not reflect even a tinge of a yellow (mustard) hue, but trust me, it's in there.

Dipping Sauce
3 parts Veganaise (or mayo of your choice)
1 1/2 parts honey
1 - 1 1/2 Dijon mustard (begin with 1 part and add more to your liking)




You can definitely cut and marinate these at least a day in advance and just keep them refrigerated in a freezer bag or Tupperware until you are ready to bake them. They're definitely hearty and offer a bit more nutrition than your average white potato steak fry. Enjoy!