I Beg Your Parsnips (recipe from our book The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure)
Sure, now we’re veggie-loving registered dietitians, but we weren’t always besties with our greens! In fact, as picky kids, the second our mom turned her back when we were at the dinner table, we’d quickly scurry off with our salads in hand to our deck where our best friend Mary and her black lab Buddy, were anxiously waiting for any veggies we’d want to share. So how, you may be wondering did those girls become veggie fiends?
It happened gradually for us in our high school years–after witnessing how energetic and healthy they made us feel, how they made our skin glow and how they played a part in weight control… and after experimenting and seeing how delicious they could be, the switch flipped and our love affair with veggies began—nowadays we seriously can’t get enough…
And now that we get to witness our clients reap the same veggie rewards, we are constantly trying to find easy ways to make getting delicious veggies easier. That’s one of the main reasons we wrote our latest book The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure and created recipes like our Kale Recharge Smoothie, our Smoked Paprika Zucchini Chips, and our Zucchini Parmesan Rounds. And now these! We can’t wait to hear what ya think!
I Beg Your Parsnips
We serve these matchstick fries to our families as a super tasty and healthy alternative to french fries. They’re fun to eat and packed with flavor. You won’t miss the real deal, and neither will your arteries or wardrobe! The pepper gives them plenty of pizzazz—you won’t even need the salt!
Serves 2 (1⁄2 cup per serving)
Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray
1 large parsnip (about 9 inches long, 5 ounces), peeled
Cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. To make “matchsticks,” cut the parsnips into long, thin strips, using a very sharp knife, or a mandoline if you have one. Spray the parsnip sticks with olive oil and lay them on the baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with cracked pepper on both sides.
3. Bake the fries for about 25 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. They are ready when they are cooked completely, crispy and slightly brown.
4. As you allow them to cool, sprinkle with pepper and salt to taste.
Per serving: calories 50, total fat 0g, saturated fat 0g, cholesterol 0g, sodium 7mg, carbohydrates 12g,
dietary fiber 3g, sugars 3, protein 1g
Percent Daily Value: vitamin A 0%, vitamin C 19%, calcium 2%, iron 2%
For more recipes like this please check out our book The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure (it also includes a 10 Day Weight Loss and Jumpstart Plan)
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 large parsnip (about 9 inches long, 5 ounces), peeled
- Cracked black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make “matchsticks,” cut the parsnips into long, thin strips, using a very sharp knife, or a mandoline if you have one. Spray the parsnip sticks with olive oil and lay them on the baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with cracked pepper on both sides.
- Bake the fries for about 25 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. They are ready when they are cooked completely, crispy and slightly brown.
- As you allow them to cool, sprinkle with pepper and salt to taste.