Frying Without Guilt

July 9, 2019 - Nutrition - 0 Comments

Most people like the crunchiness of fried foods. The problem with cooking it is the high caloric value as well as the frying oil can be a mess. I discovered not too long ago an air fryer. Yes that’s right, a cooker that can cook or crisp up my food without the unwanted calories or mess associated with frying. Best of all, it is easy to use and clean up is even more simple.

I purchased a three quart air fryer called DASH. There are many different brands on the market and any fryer that is purchased would be fine. The average range in price is $60-$75; there is no need to spend more than this. Some of the great features are that it is compact ( I store mine in the pantry), it has several temperature setting, along with an easy timer. The temperature setting ranges from 170 to 400 degrees. The fryer comes with a removable canister to set the food in to cook. When finished, simply remove the canister, washout the inside and put it away. It is that simple!

Cauliflower, broccoli, red and yellow peppers, string beans and Tofu are a few of the many things I cook in the air fryer. Here is one of my favorite quick and easy go to’s when I get home late from work. The ingredients are as follows:

Broccoli Florets
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Tumeric
Sea Salt

Start with broccoli florets. I buy them in a bag from Costco because they are perfect size, are about half the price of buying broccoli in the supermarket and cutting it up yourself. Next, I pour in the amount of florets that fit in the canister then transfer the broccoli into a bowl. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and coat all the broccoli well. Transfer the florets back to the canister and place into fryer. Set the temperature to 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I usually cook them for 15 minutes because it crisps the tops of the broccoli well which I like.

Remove broccoli from the canister and transfer to the bowl previously used to coat them with oil. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to coat again, sprinkle garlic powder, parsley, turmeric and a pinch of sea salt. Lightly toss and enjoy!

To “fry” up the broccoli, take some almond flour in a bowl, toss the oiled florets until fully covered. Place broccoli into the canister and cook for 15-20 minutes. When the they are finished cooking, transfer to a bowl at add ingredients just like before.