Low Carb Chili Cheese Fries ~ How to Make Jicama Fries

I was chatting with my good friend Merrilee a few weeks ago about healthy recipes. She's been following a low carb diet for quite awhile now with great success and commented that she's been craving chili cheese fries.

Hmmmm... I thought.... Chili cheese fries as a low carb, healthier recipe... sounded good, but could it be done?

So I took to the internet, googling several low carb versions of the fry until I found an idea from low carb chef George Stella to use jicama and EUREKA! My chili cheese fries were born!

 Visit the printable recipe here: Chili Cheese Fries

Or enjoy my step by step video which is part of a Father's Day collaboration!




Ingredients Chili

• 1/2 onion, small dice
• 1 package ground turkey (app one pound)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tin (7-10 oz) diced flavoured tomatoes like Rotel, Aylmers, Hunts, or stewed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp creole spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar or brown sugar Splenda
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• A few shakes of hot sauce
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

1.  Saute the onion, ground turkey, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Continue to saute at medium heat until the turkey is browned and fully cooked.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on medium low heat while the fries bake (at least 45 minutes).
3. Remove bay leaves.

Ingredients - Fries

• 1 jicama (1 lb.), peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick fries
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp creole seasoning

Directions - Baking (recipe adapted from Healthy Recipes Blog)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and fit it with a cooling rack.
2. Place the jicama strips in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover, and microwave for 15 minutes, stopping once to gently stir.
3. In a large bowl, toss the jicama fries with the olive oil and the creole seasoning. Arrange on the cooling rack. Bake 45 minutes, until browned. 

Directions - Deep Frying (recipe adapted from George Stella's Livin' Low Carb: Family Recipes Stella-Style )

1. Place the jicama strips in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover, and microwave for 15 minutes, stopping once to gently stir.
2. Dry the jicama well with paper towels. 
3. Place a heavy pot over medium-high heat and fill with at least 1-inch vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
4. Carefully place the chips into the hot oil (use a slotted spoon and wear mitts) and fry until very crispy (just a few minutes will do). Cook in batches, as necessary. Remove and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle liberally with the creole seasoning to taste.
   
    Recipe Cheese Sauce 
   
   Melt 5 squares of Laughing Cow Cheese one at a time into 1/4 cup of milk over medium heat. Whisk constantly. Whisk in more milk at the end to get the consistency you want.
   
   Serve the chili over the jicama fries with a gorgeous drizzle of the cheese sauce over all
   
   Author:
   
   Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, a former website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada, the $20,000.00 winner of the online competition "The Real Women of Philadelphia" and a finalist on the Food Network Canada show Recipe to Riches. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.