Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat

Meaty, savory, chewy & perfectly salty - that's what this taco meat is! This is a new favorite recipe of ours!

A couple of my daughters took a road trip to go visit my parents. Lucky them, they got to eat grandma's food! My mom created this terrific vegetarian meat substitute on the 25th of this month. Mom will flavor this meat various ways. This recipe is for a taco meat flavor, and it is SO GOOD.

My daughter Lexi has been a vegetarian for a few years. Lexi has recently introduced a little meat to her diet, but is still generally vegetarian. As long as she remains healthy, we support her in her choice. Grandma and Lexi created this recipe together, so it is now officially named "LexiBurger".

This meat is high protein from the tofu and egg, and high fiber due to the perfectly chewy brown rice. You do not need to tell your family that they are eating tofu, because you cant tell it's in there! Freezing extra-firm tofu is a trick our family has used for years. When you thaw it and press the excess water out, it has an awesome meaty texture when you crumble it. Just buy some extra-firm tofu and throw it in your freezer just for this purpose.

The egg helps to bind everything together perfectly, just so you know.

Are you wondering what the "Umami" is mentioned below??? It's another flavor profile that they know about in Japan. It gives amazing full-bodied, rich, complex flavors to savory foods. MSG enhances umami, for example. Umami flavors are found in slow-roasted stews, and sauces made with fond which have been reduced to concentrate the flavors, mushrooms, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc. It's a mysterious flavor that you can't quite put your finger on, but you really notice when it's there because the food tastes so amazing, you just want to stuff your face! Look "umami" up online for a more detailed description.

Put this delicious taco "meat" in tacos, burritos, with or without re-fried beans and cheese, on top of nachos, or on top of a taco salad. Lexi brought some of this meat to my house and we made nachos for a tasty filling treat. YUM. I have pictures of our nachos in this post.

 Look at this meat, it tastes even better than it looks!

Crazy good vegetarian taco meat nachos.

Vegetarian Lexi Burger:

1 package organic extra-firm tofu
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. chewy cooked organic short grain brown rice
1/4 to 1/3 c. soaked chopped dried onion
2 T. rice oil
1 T soy sauce (Tamari for gluten-free)
1 to 2 T. hot taco sauce, to taste
2 t. sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), up to 3 t., for richness
1 small beaten organic egg
2 t. organic paprika (or ground chili)
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. mushroom powder (to add full-bodied complex "Umami" flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 t. cumin powder
Chipotle powder, to taste
1/2 c. or more deodorized coconut oil, for browning the mixture.
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Seasonall seasoned salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
1/2 c. more cooked rice, if needed


Method:

Do ahead of time:

1.  Slice and freeze the box of tofu for at least 24 hours. THAW. Press firm to remove excess water and crumble finely.

2.  Cook the short grain brown rice only until it's nice and chewy, then chill at least overnight for best results (over-cooking makes the rice mushy).


The day of making the Vegetarian Taco Meat:

Mix the crumbled tofu with the 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. cooked brown rice and soaked dried onion flakes in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the rice oil, soy sauce, hot sauce, and sunbutter, and toss well to combine.

Add the beaten egg and toss well to coat completely.

Toss with the paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, mushroom powder, cumin, and chipotle.

Heat 1/2 c. coconut oil in a large skillet, when starting to sizzle, dump in the tofu mixture and stir-fry it like you would fried rice. You want to brown it a little, but do not over-brown or it can get a little dry. Add more oil if needed.

Season to taste with pepper, Seasonall, garlic salt, etc.

If the vegetarian meat mixture turns out too rich and oily, just work in another 1/2 cup or so of cooked rice.

For the nachos, we melted cheddar and jack cheese over gluten-free tortilla chips. Topped the nachos with the warm "meat mixture, drizzled on salsa and topped with a dollop of sour cream. I was too lazy to go get a can of olives, but we would of loved some along with fresh guacamole!

Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

Kamote Tops (sweet potato vines) and tasty, healthy ways of preparing them (Rejuvenating & Detoxifying).

Sketch of Kamote Tops, by Nancy Glazier.

"Bonne Sante'" is French for "good health!"

"Bonne Appetit" (good appetite!) is well known thanks to Julia Child.

It has been my experience that good fresh green Juices can contribute to both!

Where have all the bitters gone? Long time passing.... 

We have become so ensnared with sweets that most of us have forgotten about the subtle allure of the bitter edge..... 

Did you know your  body (especially your liver) actually craves bitter foods?

Sweet Potato Vines. also known as Kamote.

Why not get back in balance by cultivating an appreciation for bitter greens – they're waiting in the wings, ready to be your best friend.

Sweet potato greens are also known as KAMOTE TOPS, and are famous for building up iron levels in the blood in a natural & gentle way.

Adding a handful of sweet potato leaves to your favorite green mix- when you make your green drinks - - gives you a deep emerald green juice.... yet the taste is mild compared to a lot of other greens.

See one of our favorite green drink mixes HERE.

We were so excited to learn of Kamote, which has been a more recent discovery for our family. We love using this green in our meals. Kamote or sweet potatoes are very easy to grow in your garden. They are heat tolerant even in the hottest summers. The beautiful vines grow very quickly, so you will have a generous harvest of this delicious, versatile, and affordable green. Kamote is commonly eaten in other parts of the world, yet is virtually unheard of in the USA. It seems like our produce selection in general has become more limited than in earlier times. So, here's a shout-out to heirloom vegetables and fruits!

You can use Kamote tops as you would spinach, kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard...

They taste terrific steamed, blanched, simmered in soups & stews, used like spinach in spinach dip, in salads, lasagna... Kamote is mild flavored and delicious. If you plant sweet potatoes in your garden, you can harvest the tender tops until first frost. We like to blanch them and freeze them in meal sized portions for use all winter. One of our favorite meals is homemade Pork Chili Verde ladled over tender pinto beans and steamed kamote tops. We then top it with jack cheese and let it melt before serving.

We are sure that you will enjoy cooking with Kamote Tops too!

Perfect KAMOTE tops - Ready at a moments notice for my green drink.

"Heart of Green" drink, with added Kamote Tops.

Perfect! This is a great way to consume your bitters.

Bonne Appetit,

Nancy & Leila.

YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/pjGI_i_dFRk

Fully Loaded Chocolate Bombs with Cocoa Nibs, Coconut Oil, Fruit & Nuts (Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo) - plus a discussion about healthy fats -vs- sugar & starch.

Fully Loaded Chocolate Bombs.

This is a fabulous chocolate recipe we have kept as a guarded family secret... until now! 

I made these delicious little morsels with my mom during a recent visit with my parents.

This is a super easy and amazingly delicious chocolate recipe. It is based on my mother's healthy sugar-free chocolate formula now being manufactured by a company called Lakanto. 

We extend the Lakanto Zero-Sugar Dark Chocolate with coconut oil, cocoa powder and other goodies. The chocolate retains it's smooth texture, delicious taste, and has a beautiful shiny surface. 

These cute little chocolate bombs are exploding with flavor and a myriad of textures, and are a real pleasure to eat. We have noticed that this chocolate also curbs the appetite nicely. That means if you eat this, you will eat less of that (not good for you stuff).

You  also get the benefits of healthful coconut oil in your diet, while enjoying a low-carb, sugar-free chocolate at an affordable cost. It's a beautiful thing!

2 T. coconut oil is generally recommended daily for health benefits. An added bonus of adding coconut oil is that this chocolate will no longer require tempering! This is what makes working with this chocolate so super simple and fast. You will love it.

At our house, we have to have this chocolate, I can't imagine life without it now. Seriously.

We love that this is truly HEALTHY chocolate. That's why we are sharing this recipe with you. We are passionate about sharing recipes for foods people deeply crave, and we offer them with a healthy twist. Replacing the foods you love with a better choice, while maintaining it's great taste is what we are all about here at Kitchen Cheetahs.

You can add any inclusions to this chocolate that tickle your fancy. Make your chocolate base first and then you can get creative with it. You could try combinations like candied orange with chipotle, coconut flakes with macadamia nuts, dried pears and pecans, salted raisins and roasted, salted peanuts, pistachios with dried pomegranates, cashews and banana chips... We also love it with just cocoa nibs added.

Cocoa Nibs.

Now, I must tell you that during my recent visit, I ATE at my parents house. If you have ever tasted my mom's cooking, you know what I mean! I was not concerned, but still assumed that I would go home heavier then when I arrived. We ate tons of chocolate-dipped figs, figs and cream, and we made gluten-free, sugar-free rhubarb cake (so yummy), and grilled dry aged beef, and spaghetti with my mom's amazing homemade sauce, unique yellow squash "pasta", drizzled with olive oil,topped with cheese, and gluten-free french baguettes grilled with butter and coconut oil on the side. We also ate various salads with homemade dressings, the buttery scrambled eggs my mom is famous for, and her Sun Warrior Protein Pudding, refreshing green drinks, unique mocktails, and my dad's delicious protein smoothies... and more chocolate! It's all kind of a blur now really. A delirious food coma ensued. Sigh.

I get home and got on the scale and to my amazement... I LOST weight! I ate happily at my parents, without a worry. Mom's food was amazing and definitely not skimping on the fat! I was not deprived in the slightest. I ate good protein, vegies and greens, healthy fats, low-carb and sugar-free desserts. I ate a few gluten-free pretzels and that french bread, but basically eliminated grains, starch, and sugar for that week I was there. This validated my belief about fat -vs- sugars...

There are a few books out now that talk about high-fat diets, promoting healthy fats. Interesting, and I like it because eating fat leads to satiety (greater food satisfaction). Our bodies seem to know when we have had enough fat and our appetite quiets down. I think people who eat fats are happier too. I believe it is sugar and starch that generally cause obesity, not healthy fats. The more processed the sugar and starch is (white flour, white sugar, white starch) the worse it is for our bodies. Starch converts to sugar so fast in the body, it can make your head spin. A chemist friend of mine told me that starch converts to sugar in the mouth within seconds. Research shows that sugar leads to body inflammation and inflammation is underlying all disease. I figure that starch leads to body inflammation too. We at kitchen Cheetahs are very concerned about the majority of gluten-free products being marketed that base their formulas on starch and sugar. I'm sure you can figure out why.

The thing is, as a population, we generally know what we shouldn't be eating - but we eat it anyway. Why? Because it tastes good. Because it's easy. Because it's familiar. Because it's there.

The transition to eating healthy is made easier by eating healthy foods that are tasty, easy, familiar, and available. Sounds simple. Once educated, it is simple. I say, start with chocolate!

So have some fun and enjoy this guilt-free treat. Live on the edge and have some with breakfast!

Fully Loaded Chocolate Bombs Formula:

SMALL BATCH:

Chocolate Base:
170 grams (2 bars) Lakanto Zero-Sugar Dark Chocolate, chopped small
30 grams deodorized coconut oil
15 grams dark Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 + 1/8 t. intense sweetener powder, to taste (a mix of stevioside, monk fruit is good)

Flavorings (optional):
1/8 t. vanilla flavor powder
1/4 t. almond flavor powder, to taste
1/8 t. cherry flavor powder

Inclusions (about 1 1/2 c.):
80 grams (1/2 c.) roasted crispy whole almonds
60 ounces (1/3 c.) whole dried organic Bing cherries
35 grams (1/4 c.) dried organic sour cherries (sweetened has the best texture and taste)
35 grams (1/4 c.) organic raisins
20 grams (1/8 c.) cocoa nibs


LARGE BATCH:

Chocolate Base:
600 grams Lakanto Zero-Sugar Dark Chocolate, chopped small
100 grams deodorized coconut oil
50 grams dark Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 t. intense sweetener powder (a mix of stevioside, monk fruit & CitrusSweet is good)

Flavorings (optional):
1/2 t. vanilla flavor powder
1 t. almond flavor powder, to taste
1/2 t. cherry flavor powder

Inclusions (about 6 c.):
280 grams (2 c.) roasted crispy whole almonds
8 ounces (1 1/4 c.) whole dried organic Bing cherries
120 grams (1 c.) dried organic sour cherries (sweetened has the best texture and taste)
140 grams (1 c.) organic raisins
70 grams (1/2 c.) cocoa nibs


Method:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together, pausing and stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and warm. Mix together well.

Prepare one to two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.

Add the cocoa powder to the melted chocolate mixture and mix in well

Add the intense sweetener powder to taste and mix in very well. Taste for sweetness.

Add the flavor powders to taste and mix in well.

Add the inclusions and mix well.

Stir the chocolate occasionally as it cools until it starts to thicken up enough to hold a shape when mounded.

Portion the chocolate mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, in small mounds, using a spoon or a very small ice cream scoop.

Sprinkle the tops of the chocolates with sea salt before they set up, if desired.

Place the chocolates in the refrigerator until they are completely set up.

Store the chocolates in an air-tight container (in the refrigerator in the hot summer months).



Photos of the process:

Gather your ingredients.

Combine the chopped Lakanto chocolate and coconut oil.

Stir chocolate mixture every 30 seconds as it is melting.

Mix in the cocoa powder, intense sweeteners and flavor powders, to taste.

Start adding the inclusions.

Let any refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature before adding to the chocolate.

Stir the chocolate occasionally while cooling.

A silicone-lined baking sheet.

A parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Drop chocolate mixture into little mounds.

A finished tray of chocolates.

Chocolates with a kiss of sea salt.

Beautiful Chocolate Bombs ready for packaging.

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Chai Spice Mug Cake - Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, and Gluten-Free. Y-U-M.

Here is another Amazing 2-Minute Speedy Cake!

2-Minute Chai Spice Jiffy Cake.

This is another delicious gluten-free cake recipe that is very similar to our Amazing Mini Gingerbread Speedy Cake. These make your kitchen smell heavenly!

I adore Chai Tea. I make some herbal caffeine-free versions of chai that our family loves and they have long been one of our favorite beverages... But I just cant seem to get enough Chai, so this mini cake was born.

This low-carb Chai-Spice mug cake is light and fluffy. It tastes terrific, plus it is packed with lots of nutritious ingredients, instead of using a high amounts of starch like the typical gluten-free baked goods. This unique Mini Cake fills you up and keeps you feeling satisfied for a long time, taking care of your cravings for sugary sweets. It's perfect paired with a cold glass of organic whole milk or almond milk.

We LOVE these Jiffy Cake recipes!

This is a variation of a recipe created in the Kitchen Cheetahs Test Kitchens in the fall of 2014. This delicious microwave mini cake cooks in only 2 minutes. It's nice to make just a little cake and not have a bunch of leftover cake you don't know what to do with.

We like to prepare several of these single-serving cake mixes and package them up into mini zip-lock bags. The ingredient list is more complex, but it is totally worth getting out all of these ingredients to make these cake mixes. Then they are ready for a quick dessert, breakfast, or snack. Often 2 of us will share 1 of these scrumptious cakes. They are very filling and enjoyable to eat. These quick mini cakes are great for people who don't want to be deprived on their low-carb or gluten-free diets, and still want to lose weight.

These are truly a guilt-free treat. I feel completely comfortable having my family eat these for breakfast, or as a snack before bed. This is sugar-free, gluten-free, chemical-free, and dairy-free. It also has a nice protein content and is loaded with healthy fiber. The coconut oil is very good for you too.

Stay tuned, more delicious speedy mini-cake recipes will be posted on this blog!



MINI CHAI SPICE SPEEDY CAKE Recipe:

Dry Cake Mix Ingredients:

3 T. finely ground white almond meal
1 T. plus 1 t. coconut flour
1 T. finely ground golden flax meal
2 t. finely ground rice bran or oat bran
1 T. xylitol
1 T. IMO powder
1 T. Lakanto brand White Zero-Calorie Natural Sweetener (sugar substitute)
1/16 t. (heaping) lecithin powder


1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. ground cardamom, to taste (I love cardamom)
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves or allspice
1/4 t. ground ginger (make sure your ginger powder is fresh)
1/8 t. powdered intense natural sweetener, of choice (we will post a formula for soon!)
1/16 t. (heaping) sea salt or Biosalt (recipe on this blog)


Wet Ingredients:

1 large egg, at room temperature
1 t. vegetable glycerine
2 T. warmed coconut oil
2 T. warm water
1/2 t. real vanilla extract, optional


Method:

To Make The Dry Cake Mix:

Place the first 8 ingredients in a Krups seed mill and finely grind together. The finer this is ground, the nicer the cake will turn out.

Pour out the fine powder mix into a small zip-lock bag.

Add the rest of the dry ingredients into the zip-lock bag.

Seal the bag and shake together well to blend.

Repeat this process for however many cake mixes you choose to make.

Label and store the bags of cake mix in your refrigerator, or in your freezer for longer term storage.


To make 1 mini-Cake:

Oil a 2-cup sized Pyrex baking cup (we like to use deodorized 76 degree coconut oil).

Crack the egg into the 2-cup Pyrex baking cup and whisk to blend without incorporating air.

Add the vegetable glycerine and vanilla and whisk together.

Add the warmed coconut oil along with the warm water, whisk together well to blend.

Pour in a single serving of prepared dry Mini-Cake Mix. Stir together until smooth.

Place the Pyrex baking cup off-center in your carousel microwave for even cooking.

Cook on high for 2 minutes in the microwave. The center of the cake should just spring back when touched.

Let cake cool in the microwave 3 minutes.

Remove from microwave and eat once it has cooled down enough, or cover with a lid to keep moist and eat it later.

You may sprinkle the top with additional cinnamon or chai spices. Topping with whipped cream is excellent too!

Enjoy!


Variation: To Make a mini-cake that you can turn out of the baking cup:

Cut out a piece of parchment paper that fits neatly into the bottom of your Pyrex baking cup.

Oil the bottom and partway up the sides of the Pyrex baking cup. Place the parchment paper disk in the bottom of the baking cup and press to attach.

Oil the top of the parchment paper in the baking cup.

Mix up your cake mix in a separate small bowl and scrape it out into your oiled and papered Pyrex baking cup.

Microwave 2 minutes, as directed above. Cool 3 minutes in the microwave.

Remove from microwave and then invert cake onto an oiled serving plate. Peel off parchment paper.

Let the cake cool an additional 3 minutes before eating, or cover for later.

Source: VitaFiber IMO (Isomalto-oligosaccharide) fiber powder http://www.bioneutra.ca/product_vitafiber.htm



Photos of the process:

An easy way to store and warm the coconut oil for Jiffy Cakes.

Mix the wet ingredients together and them add the dry ingredients (I used a pre-made mix).

Mix together well until lumps are removed.

Microwave off-center 2 minutes, for even cooking.

The finished cake.

Sprinkle the top with cinnamon or chai spices if desired. You can top with whipped cream too!

A very nice textured cake.

Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy
The Kitchen Cheetahs!

BEST NEW HEALTHY CHOCOLATE in the World - Now being sold!

This is THE CHOCOLATE BAR we all have been waiting for!!!

My mom did it!!!

My mother, +Nancy Glazier, is the creator of this new healthy chocolate bar.

She LOVES chocolate and has been frustrated by the lack of tasty AND healthy chocolate choices in the market. Chocolate should not make you sick. My mom wanted to create a chocolate that everyone could enjoy, even those who have blood sugar issues or other health issues.  Chocolate by itself is healthy, it's all the other stuff that is typically added (sugar) that makes chocolate problematic.

Check out the CLEAN ingredient label at the bottom of this post. It's amazing.

She has been perfecting this amazing chocolate formula for a few years now, and it is FINALLY available for you, thanks to a company called Lakanto.

We are so excited to introduce this amazing chocolate to you here at Kitchen Cheetahs.

In many taste tests, this has been voted as the best tasting chocolate, hands down. People do not believe it is sugar free when they eat it. This chocolate is also easy on the digestive system, unlike other sugar free chocolates.

Try this gourmet healthy chocolate and We think you will agree that this is the best tasting chocolate ever, even better than the Belgian sugar-bomb chocolates. This chocolate is definitely worlds above the rest when comparing to all of the other sugar-free chocolates found on the market.

This gourmet bean-to-bar chocolate is sugar-free, chemical-free, low-carb, dairy-free, vegan, paleo... And GUILT-FREE! 

You can enjoy eating chocolate again! 

P-A-R-T-Y 

I just received this picture of the newly packaged gourmet chocolate last night. I hear it has sold out already.

More is being made of course and I have to find out where it is being sold in the market. I would like to have a link here on the Kitchen Cheetahs blog, to be able to directly purchase this chocolate. I'm working on it, so stay tuned. I just had to tell you the good news as soon as I received it! I can't wait to start posting recipes using this new chocolate!

We are working on healthy sugar-free caramels in the Cheetah Test Kitchens too. Can you imagine how much fun we are going to have together with all this chocolate and caramel action going on?

The back of the +LAKANTO - Zero Calorie Natural Sweetener chocolate bar

Do you see that this chocolate has about half the calories compared to regular chocolate?

Have a great day!

Leila

Tasty , Crispy, Low Carb French Fries! Plus a delicious Fry-Sauce recipe

Seriously Yummy Rutabaga French Fries - 

As good as regular potato Fries,

plus a Fry-Sauce to boot!

Low-Carb Deliciousness - That's what these are!

When you eat these fine, crispy morsels, you will feel like doin' the 'Rutabaga Boogie' - But you won't have to - Because, as I said, they are low-carb. Party!

Rutabagas are high in fiber and have about a 4th of the carbs that potatoes do.

We like to partially cook these ahead of time, so that when the craving hits, they are quick to make - and quick to satisfy.

Restaurants use a similar method. Commercial fries are already mostly cooked and then stored in the freezer. Then the restaurant just quickly fries them up in a vat of hot oil to finish them off for you.

Well, now you get to chose a healthy oil to make your own fries with, coconut oil. We prefer deodorized 76 degree coconut oil for this, as it does not interfere with the french fry taste. Coconut oil also can take the heat very well, so you also avoid those bad-for-you trans-fatty acids. By the way, these fries are REALLY GOOD as a side, along with the Angus Beef Stick Meat recipe I recently posted. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we are also sharing a delicious, easy Fry-Sauce recipe to go along with the fries. Happy day.

The secret we share with you here is to first parboil the rutabaga fries with a little Italian seasoning, then cool or chill them until needed. When the craving hits, bake & broil them, or pan-fry to finish them, until the fries are browned, beautifully blistered and flaky. If you don't parboil them first, you will be baking them over 90 minutes in a 400 degree oven -that takes too long!



Easy Reduced-Fat Fry Sauce Recipe:

1 c. Follow Your Heart Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
Seasoned Salt, to taste (recipe on our blog)
Ground White pepper, to taste, for more kick (or Cayenne Pepper, or Hot Mustard)
1/3 c. Jalapeno sour cream, optional (sour cream with chopped roasted jalapeno added)


Method:

Place mayo in a small serving bowl
Season generously to taste with seasoned salt.
Spice it up to taste with white pepper or mustard powder




Best Rutabaga Fries recipe:

2 Large Rutabagas (makes a lot!)
1 T. Onion Salt 
1 T. Italian Herb Seasoning Blend
Season-All Seasoned Salt
Fine Onion Powder
Coconut Oil


Method (a 2-stage process):


Stage 1 (parboiling):

Scrub the rutabagas clean. Cut off the tough ends. Then cut off the thick collar of skin that surrounds the stalks. Scrape off any rootlet hairs with a paring knife to make smooth.

No need to peel the rutabagas, the fries are better with the peel left on. the roasted skins have a great flavor and texture and are very similar to potato skins!

Cut as evenly as possible into french fry shapes (Long +1/4 to 3/8-inch thick is best).
CAUTION: Large rutabagas are very hard. Use caution and use a heavy knife. Cut in half - lengthwise (for longer fries) to create a stable base. Then cut the halved root into 1/4th-inch slices (lengthwise again). Stack the slices and then carefully cut into 1/4 inch french fries.

Soak the cut up rutabagas in very hot water while you are bringing a large pot of water to a rapid boil on the stove. You want to cook them in plenty of water.

Carefully add the drained rutabaga fries to the rapidly boiling water. Add 1 T. onion salt and 1 T. Italian herb seasoning blend to the pot (this really tames the strong cabbage smell).

Start timing when boiling begins in earnest, and boil about 15 (?) minutes, depending on the width of the thickest fries.

Parboil until fork tender (tooth tender), and is no longer crunchy. They will become closer to the texture of boiled red potatoes. Don't cook until mushy or the fries will break up.

Note: If you do over cook the rutabagas, no worries, just proceed with the recipe and make into hash browns.

Drain parboiled fries in a wide colander, so that you can sprinkle and toss them with Season-all seasoned salt mixed with fine onion powder, both of which aid browning.

Gently toss fries about every 5 to 10 minutes until cool. It is important to allow as much steam as possible to escape. Let completely cool.

At this point, you may immediately cook up a batch of cooled fries, or, layer into a storage container and keep ready to "fry" in the fridge up to 3 days. It is best to refrigerate overnight, but not necessary, it just breaks up the work.

It's good to keep a bag of parboiled and seasoned fries in the fridge for a "Fast-Fry-Fix".


Stage 2 (crisping):

There are 2 ways to finish off the fries:

1. Bake and then broil in the oven to finish (our favorite method).

2. Pan-fry in a heavy frying pan on the stove.


Bake & Broil Method:

Sprinkle the chilled rutabaga fries with seasoned salt to taste.

Toss the chilled rutabaga fries with melted coconut oil. The coconut oil will turn white when it hits the cold rutabaga. Spread the fries out onto a (dark heavy) pizza pan.

Bake the fries in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, then broil on high on the top rack of the oven to blister. Watch closely...Don't wander off and burn your fries!

The fries will be covered with flaky blisters, the texture we are after.


Pan-Fried Method:

The Pan-Fried Method takes only about 10 minutes from fridge to table.

Sprinkle cold rutabaga fries with Seasoned Salt to taste.

Toss fries with warmed coconut oil, inside a dark heavy skillet (cast iron is awesome for browning).

Fry on the stove top until blistered and browned with a little coconut oil, in the dark heavy skillet.

This method results in slightly less flaky and crispy fries, but they are still very good.


To Serve: Leave the finished fries in the hot pan to keep the fries hot longer.


Note: Rutabagas absorb very little oil and are much lower in starch than potatoes or yams, so they will not have the crunch of regular french fries (except the thinnest cuts) but will be yummy and more-ish dipped in this special tangy sauce! Broiling them gives the crunchiest effect, however.


P.S. Don't cut your hand off.

See the photos of the process:

Mom's Recipe Card

Cut off the tough ends of 2 large rutabagas

Cut in half - lengthwise

Stack the slices and then carefully cut into 1/4 inch french fries

Soak raw fries in very hot water while waiting for the pot of water to boil

Parboil rutabagas until fork tender

Drain parboiled fries in a colander, sprinkle and toss with seasoning

Cooled and seasoned parboiled rutabaga fries - At this point they can be stored in the fridge

Chilled coconut oil-coated fries - ready to be cooked






THE BROILER METHOD - OUR FAVORITE COOKING METHOD

Results in a crispy, blistered fry

Baked rutabaga fries - This is how they look before the 2nd browning

Close up of the blistered, flaky texture of the finished hot broiled fries in a dark, heavy pizza pan

Here they are - Hot from the broiler - ENJOY!





VARIATION: RESULTS OF THE QUICK STOVE-TOP METHOD

Still delicious but not as crispy and blistered

Pan-fried rutabaga fries

The 2nd browning: After pan-blistering in coconut oil - use a heavy dark pan for the best crust

Mom's Fry Sauce Recipe

This rich Fry Sauce makes up for the leanness of the veggie fries

YUM


Quote from MOM, "Yum O!!! I ate a giant rutabaga this way. Man O man, it was delicious beyond all reason."

Enough said.

Leila