Roasted Veggie "Fries"

 

This is our go-to meal when we have our dinner and movie date nights at home: a mound of vegetables that taste absolutely delicious.  They have that crispness that tricks your taste buds into thinking they're enjoying some deep-fried yumimness , but in reality, it's just a bunch of good-for-you ingredients baked to perfection.   And there's even some hidden protein in the Greek yogurt and eggs!

 

These "fries" can be dipped in pretty much anything.  Carsten and I tend to lean towards bbq sauce and, my favorite, ranch with sriracha.  Marinara sauce would be another good option.

This recipe isn't, however, a perfect science.  Each time we make it, it's a little bit different, as we don't have an exact recipe.  We just throw things together, depending on what we have and what we feel like.  So feel free to use any vegetables that you have in your fridge!  Our favorites: eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and tomatoes. We've also recently tried okra, and it was delicious!

Ingredients
enough vegetables to fill you up - for the two of us, we usually pack two baking sheets full (and I mean pack)

about 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 or 2 eggs
about 1 Tbs lemon juice
liquid - milk  or beer

2 parts flour
2 parts cornmeal
1 part bread crumbs
spices to your liking (e.g. paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, coriander, etc)

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly spray two baking sheets with oil.
Cut longer vegetables (eggplant, zucchini) into long strips, about 1 cm thick.  Asparagus and green beans need only to be trimmed of their ends.  Any other vegetables can be sliced into 1 cm thick slices (mushrooms, tomatoes), or into bit size pieces (broccoli, cauliflower).  In a bowl (we like to use a bread loaf pan), combine yogurt, eggs and lemon juice.  Whisk to combine.  Add enough liquid so that the mixture will thinly coat the vegetables.  (You'll get the hang of the consistency you want quickly).  In a separate bowl (or loaf pan), combine the flour, cornmeal, breadcrumbs and spices.
Coat each veggie in the yogurt mixture, then in the flour mixture, then place on the pan.  (This goes quickly if two people are working together.  If you're alone, you can speed up the process by throwing all the veggies and the yogurt mixture into a freezer bag and shaking it until everything is coated evenly).  Spritz everything lightly with oil, then bake until golden brown and crispy.  This usually takes about 45 minutes, but we always check them at 35.

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