Okay... I'm 7 months post-op and I can tolerate ANY kind of potato... except for french fries. Now I'm not big on them, but sometimes they just sound good.

Someone told me the other day to bake my green Beans. Well... I love green beans. I typically boil or steam them lightly (because they have to be super crunchy still!). But the thought of putting them in the oven kind of freaked me out. But the woman said they'd be amazing, so I braved it.

They were great! I can't eat a ton of them and I just cook for myself so I snapped and washed 10 beans and put them in a ziploc bag. Put a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil in along with a bit of salt and pepper and shook them around until they were well coated.

Then they went in the oven to bake at 400 for about 30 minutes (flip them 1/2 way through). Mine started getting pretty dark, but I was told to let them look "burnt". They came out a little sweet, salty and crunchy. Man they were good! It was a nice change of pace for me and really solved my french fry craving while still being good for me.

Anyway, if you're looking for something like that, give the beans a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I bought my green Beans today, and I'm fixing them tonight. Thanks for the great tip!

I bet the sweet potatoes would be good too. I'll give them a try next.

Never thought of using green Beans, but it sounds pretty good. I can't tolerate french fries either! It's like the only food I cannot eat!

I wonder if it would work for eggplant but peel off the skin

I bought the Hungry Girl cookbook a while back, and there is a recipe for baked french "fries" using butternut squash. I haven't tried it yet, but I think I will. Sounds pretty good.

I tried aspargus for lunch today. Roasted them just till tender (about 20 minutes at 375 degrees). Actually, like them better than my sweet potato recipe.

let me know if anyone can figure out eggplants - when I tried i used cooking spray on both side and baked but they came out bad. maybe i cut them too thin

thought this would be goodHG's Fiber-ific Fried cheese Sticks

Mozzarella FixBefore creating these cheesy faux fried hunks of heaven, we had totally given up on the whole mozzarella sticks thing. Total bar food... completely greasy and horrible for you. Not anymore, thanks to (you guessed it!) a box of Fiber One and our trusty blender. Check out this super swap and prepare to be wowed (and filled with cheese!)...

Ingredients:

2 light mozzarella sticks (50-60 calories and 2.5g fat per stick)

1/4 cup Fiber One bran Cereal (original)

2 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute

salt, pepper & Italian seasonings; to taste

Optional: low-fat marinara sauce (for dipping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor or blender, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Place crumbs in a small plastic container with a lid. Season crumbs with as much salt, pepper and Italian seasonings as you like. Set aside. Cut cheese sticks in half, so that you have 4 sticks. Place sticks in a small bowl, and pour egg substitute over the top of the sticks. Swirl egg substitute around so that it thoroughly coats the sticks. One by one, transfer sticks to the container with the crumbs. Cover container, and give it a shake to coat the sticks in the crumbs. Carefully return sticks to the dish with the egg substitute, and coat them again. Next put sticks back in the crumbs container, cover, and shake once more to coat (try doing this two at a time the second time around). Place sticks on a baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Spritz the tops of the sticks with a quick mist of the spray. Place dish in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes (or until the first sign of cheese oozing out). If desired, serve with warm marinara sauce. Best when eaten immediately, while cheese is hot and gooey!

Serving Size: 4 pieces

Calories: 155

Fat: 5.5g

Sodium: 500mg

Carbs: 13.5g

Fiber: 7g

Sugars: 0g

Protein: 19g

Is this recipe you were talking about Georiga Girl?

Thank Goodness It's Faux-Fried!Been craving those CRAZY fried green Beans from T.G.I. Friday's? WAIT. Before you order, check out our HG-ized version...

Ingredients:

For Dip

3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise

2 tbsp. peeled and chopped cucumber

1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. dry ranch dressing/dip mix

1/4 tsp. wasabi paste

dash cayenne pepper

For Green Beans

2 cups (8 oz.) fresh green beans, trimmed

3/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original), ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a blender or food processor

1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Optional: additional seasonings, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dip ingredients in a food processor or small blender (our Magic Bullet works wonders!). Blend until smooth. Place dip in a dish, and then cover and chill in the fridge.

Place the green beans in a large pot with 4 cups of Water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 9 minutes. Carefully drain the beans, and then place them in cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain and dry them well.

Put the egg substitute in a small bowl, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the Fiber One "breadcrumbs" with the spices (add extra seasonings, if you like). Cover a large baking pan with aluminum foil and/or nonstick spray. Set aside.

Place about 1/3rd of the crumb mixture into a large sealable plastic bag. One by one, dip green beans into the egg substitute, and place them in the bag with the breadcrumbs -- continue this with 1/3rd of the beans. Seal the bag and shake it up. Remove the "breaded" green beans, and place them on the pan. Repeat this process two more times, so all of the beans are coated.

Pop the pan in the oven and cook for 16 minutes, flipping green beans halfway through cooking. Beans are done once they're crispy. Allow green beans to cool slightly, and then serve with the dip. Yum! MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe (dip included)

Calories: 129

Fat: 1.5g

Sodium: 881mg

Carbs: 32.5g

Fiber: 14g

Sugars: 5g

Protein: 7g

Is this recipe you were talking about Georiga Girl?

Ingredients:

For Dip

3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise

2 tbsp. peeled and chopped cucumber

1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. dry ranch dressing/dip mix

1/4 tsp. wasabi paste

dash cayenne pepper

For Green Beans

2 cups (8 oz.) fresh green beans, trimmed

3/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original), ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a blender or food processor

1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Optional: additional seasonings, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dip ingredients in a food processor or small blender (our Magic Bullet works wonders!). Blend until smooth. Place dip in a dish, and then cover and chill in the fridge.

Place the green beans in a large pot with 4 cups of Water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 9 minutes. Carefully drain the beans, and then place them in cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain and dry them well.

Put the egg substitute in a small bowl, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the Fiber One "breadcrumbs" with the spices (add extra seasonings, if you like). Cover a large baking pan with aluminum foil and/or nonstick spray. Set aside.

Place about 1/3rd of the crumb mixture into a large sealable plastic bag. One by one, dip green beans into the egg substitute, and place them in the bag with the breadcrumbs -- continue this with 1/3rd of the beans. Seal the bag and shake it up. Remove the "breaded" green beans, and place them on the pan. Repeat this process two more times, so all of the beans are coated.

Pop the pan in the oven and cook for 16 minutes, flipping green beans halfway through cooking. Beans are done once they're crispy. Allow green beans to cool slightly, and then serve with the dip. Yum! MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe (dip included)

Calories: 129

Fat: 1.5g

Sodium: 881mg

Carbs: 32.5g

Fiber: 14g

Sugars: 5g

Protein: 7g

No, the one I was talking about was made with butternut squash. Here's the recipe.

Bake-Tastic Butternut Squash Fries

Ingredients:

-1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs- large enough to yield 20 ounces uncooked fresh)

-1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

-cooking spray

-optional: spices of your choice- garlic powder, etc.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a sharp knife to remove ends of the squash. Cut squash in half widthwise and then peel squash halves using vegetable peeler or knife. Cut squash in half lengthwise and then scoop out all seeds.

Next, cut squash into french fry shapes. Using a paper towel, pat squash pieces firmly to absorb any excess moisture.

Place squash in bowl, add a light mist of cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt and other spices of your choice. Toss squash to evenly cot and then transfer to large baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Use 2 pans if needed. Squash pieces should lie flat in the pan.

Place pans in oven and bake for 40 min (or longer for thick cut fries), flipping halfway through baking. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.

Makes 2 servings

Per serving (1/2 of recipe): 125 cal, <0.5g fat, 158mg sodium, 33g carbs, 3g fiber, 6g sugar, 3g Protein

Thanks for the ideas!

I do a version of this with brussel sprouts. Everyone says they hate brussel sprouts, but anyone who's tried mine loves them.

Buy them on the stalk if possible in the produce dept.

Pop them off the stalk, trim the stem if needed, remove the loose out leaves if any and cut in half.

Throw in a ziploc bag with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Leave it sitting out for at least an hour.

Roast in the oven for at least 30-45 minutes at around 350. You want them browned on the outside and soft in the middle.

While in the oven, get a non-stick pan going on the stove and put in a few tbs of butter.

Just as the butter starts to brown, throw in some Panko bread crumbs. Find the Panko style, it comes out 100x better than the stuff in the cardboard tube.

Brown in the butter until it smells like toast and set aside. Spoon over the sprouts when serving.

Even my kids eat these. The vinegar cuts the bitterness, the roasting caramelizes the outside and adds sweetness, and the breadcrumbs give it some crunch and richness.

Edited October 23, 200916 yr by AirKuhl