Carrot Fries? Who ever heard of a carrot fry!?!

I hadn't either...until just now! It's "Substitution Tuesday" and I was faced with coming up with something genius that I could blog about. As I stood there with the freezer wide open, pondering over what to make for supper for what seemed to be a lifetime, my eyes settled on a bag that had been there for quite some time...it was a half-eaten bag of frozen sweet potato fries. Based on the amount of freezer burn, they had been in there a while. So, in the garbage they went.

Standing back in front of the fridge, I am seriously contemplating picking up the phone and calling my former "bestie" at the local pizza parlor when something catches my eye. A brand new bag of sweet, delicious carrots. My mind jumps back to those poor sweet potato fries in the garbage and I know I need to pay homage to them in some way. The result? You guessed it...carrot fries!! We served our carrot fries with a juicy and delicious flat-iron steak. But, you can really pair them with any protein. Let me know what you think!!

Time Needed: 15 minutes to prep; 15 minutes to bake

Ingredients Needed:

1 pound of carrots, cut into strips (baby or regular will work)
2-3 cups of breadcrumbs (mine were Italian flavored)
2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (Almond milk is thicker and coats better than dairy milk. But you can really use whatever you have on hand.)
1 tbsp. each of salt and pepper

Equipment Needed:

2 small mixing bowls
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Baking sheet

How to Make Carrot Fries

Step 1 - preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2 - add breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to a small mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Step 3 - add unsweetened almond milk to another small mixing bowl.
Step 4 - quarter up the carrots by cutting them in half lengthwise, then cut each piece lengthwise again.

Step 5 - add carrots to the almond milk as you cut. Let them soak for about 4-5 minutes.

Step 6 - transfer carrots to the breadcrumbs, letting excess almond drip away beforehand.

 

Step 7 - shake the bowl to thoroughly coat the carrots.

Step 8 - remove carrots from the breadcrumbs and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Aren't they gorgeous?!?

Step 9 - bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. When they start to brown, they are done. Serve family style, but be careful, they are HOT!!