This post was created in partnership with North Carolina Sweet Potatoes. All opinions are our own. The other day I came across a post called Habit Shift: Meal Prep, where author Erin Boyle offers tips on developing the habit of prepping for meals in advance. For example, try scrubbing and chopping sweet potatoes in the morning or the night before instead of right before dinner. Which made me think, it’s all about habit shifting, isn’t it? The journey for Alex and I over the past 8 years of cooking together has been one of shifting habits: completely changing our minds about the way we eat to focus on fresh, home-cooked meals instead of frozen or packaged ones. Keep reading for more on habit shifts, and this Mexican fries recipe!
How to habit shift to healthy cooking
It hasn’t been that hard for us to change the way we think about food: it’s just been a change. It’s all about shifting habits, and that has happened gradually. It’s reaching for a handful of nuts and dried cherries for a snack instead of potato chips. Or chopping up veggies for a stir fry or curry instead of dumping flavor packets into a skillet and stirring. It’s making these healthy Mexican fries instead of going out for takeout. It’s not painful at all! It’s just a different way of thinking. We certainly still don’t have it all figured out, but we’re getting closer. For us, prepping most meals on the weekends suits us, and we’ve found a few easy meals that work on weeknights. It’s not glamorous or perfect, but it works. And each time we cook, we learn more about what works. In this phase of life, roasting whole sweet potatoes for 1 hour before dinner doesn’t work, but cutting potatoes for Mexican fries and roasting for 25 minutes might. How about you — what habits have you shifted to cook more at home? Or what habits would you like to shift?
How to make Mexican fries
Alex and I have often confessed our obsession with sweet potatoes, as well as with Mexican inspired flavors. Combined, the two compliment each other perfectly. And what better than sweet potato Mexican fries? While these Mexican fries may sound indulgent, they’re actually quite nourishing…perhaps we could even say healthy fries? These Mexican fries are simply roasted sweet potatoes topped with black beans, salsa, and a Mexican style vegan crema made out of tahini and lime. (You could also use traditional Mexican Crema.) Sweet potato fries don’t end up quite as crispy as russet potatoes, but the sweet, gooey potatoes against the zesty topping is fantastically satisfying. The only remotely difficult thing about Mexican fries is cutting the sweet potatoes into fries. To do so, you slice off the ends of each potato, then slice the potato in half lengthwise. Then, place the potato half cut side down and cut off a ¼-inch slice. Lay that slice on its side and cut it into several long strips, which makes the fries! Below is a video tutorial on how to cut potatoes into fries!
Video: How to cut potatoes into fries
Wondering exactly how to cut potatoes into fries? Here’s our quick tutorial showing me cutting fries in our kitchen!
More sweet potato recipes
As we confessed above, we love sweet potatoes! Outside these Mexican fries recipe, here are some more sweet potato recipes we love:
Sweet Potato WedgesRoasted Two-Potato SaladStuffed Sweet PotatoesLoaded Sweet Potato SkinsRoasted Nourish BowlLoaded Sweet Potato Rounds (a fan favorite!)Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas (another fan favorite!)Sweet Potato Hash Browns
This Mexican fries recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free. For vegan, omit the feta. 4.8 from 4 reviews
3 pounds sweet potatoes 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon chili powder 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the cumin lime crema
1 garlic clove ¼ cup fresh lime juice (2 limes) 2 ½ tablespoons tahini 1 tablespoon Mexican hot sauce (such as Cholula) 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Mexican fries toppings
15-ounce can black beans 1 cup salsa ½ cup feta crumbles (optional, omit for dairy-free or vegan) Fresh cilantro, for garnish
