Eggplant Fries

Eggplant Fries

My co-worker has been on a low carb diet with me for about a month and he started to miss fries. Sure, he's seen my mock fried rice made with cauliflower, so he wanted to know what a good substitute was since french fries are really high in carbs. I told him eggplant fries. He asked me if I've ever tried them and I said no. So, I told him I would try them and get back to him. I'm glad I did. At first, I thought I made too much, but I sure finished them like they were enough. They will give you the french fry experience without the carbs. They're sweeter and creamier than potato fries, but the taste is similar.

EGGPLANT FRIES
1 small to medium-sized eggplant
sea salt
palm oil or shortening (non-hydrogenated)
other spices, to taste (if using)

Serves 2 or 1 greedy person.

Peel the eggplant and cut into fries. I've seen recipes where they then dredge them in flour and flour has carbs so I didn't. I dredged mine in parmesan cheese, which I do not recommend either. I don't mind the texture of the outcome so feel free to stay natural. Heat your palm oil (white 'palm shortening' is fine if it's not hydrogenated) to 350 degrees and fry in batches until you achieve a golden brown color. I use palm oil because it has a high smoke point. If you would rather use lard or peanut oil, go ahead. Sprinkle salt and spices (you could use garlic powder, cayenne pepper, etc.) to taste. Serve immediately.

My eggplant fries were a little greasy, but tasty. Grease is fine when you're on a low carb diet so don't worry about it. I've seen other recipes where they put them in cold water before frying to reduce greasiness and if you've tried this, let me know how it went.

1 cup of eggplant has about 3 grams of net carbs. 1 cup of potato is about 29 grams of net carbs.