The boys in this house always accuse me of ruining a perfectly good food by making it healthy. I wouldn’t say I ruin it, but instead I make it in a way that I can enjoy the taste without the guilt. I love a good spicy Buffalo wing, but I do not always feel the need to eat a week’s worth of calories in one sitting. Besides getting stuck in my teeth, they are just a mess to eat. Before I get to my Buffalo Sweet Potato Bites, let’s talk wings.
I had some amazing friends that I met at my gym when I lived in PA. These girls were beautiful inside and out. We probably spent much more time chatting and laughing than we did sweating.
One day after class, I misheard my unicorn friend Shelley. I thought she said she was entering a chicken wing eating contest over the upcoming weekend. My first thought was that there was no way she could win. My second thought was that she didn’t really seem like the type that would want to stuff 1000’s of wing calories in her face in front of other people for a prize. My final thought was that perhaps I heard her wrong.
Turns out she was cooking chicken wings for a little competition with her other non-gym friends. I was so jealous. Just thinking about all the different ways to cook a chicken wing and the different flavors, sauces, methods, and dips would keep my mind buzzing and occupied for days.
Shelley proudly texted us gym girls a picture of her finished-product-wings on that Sunday Funday. They looked delicious and I wished her luck (and hid my jealousy).
There is a time and a place for FaceTime. It’s good for my parents and when they want to see our long lost faces or when my husband wants to not feel so distant from our kids midweek. So when my friend Shelley attempted to FaceTime me on that Sunday during her chicken wing eating cooking contest, I politely declined knowing it was a pocket-dialed FaceTime. As much as I wanted to believe that my new friend Shelley could not wait until 8:10am Monday morning to see my face, and just had to contact me while she was with her “other” friends, I knew it was a wine induced accident. Sigh. Sadly, I thought about how I’ll never be cool enough to be invited to a chicken wing eating cooking contest and maybe I should have answered because that’s as close as I’ll ever get. SIGH.
BUT I was super happy to hear she won 2nd place. Shelley, you’re #1 in my book.
Back to my Buffalo Sweet Potato Bites. These are great to make when you want that heat, but not the fat and calories. They are a great add on to your appetizer spread and are no where near as messy as wings. I don’t have to eat them in the closet with dental floss handy.
You can dip these in just plain sour cream, ranch, or any other dressing you fancy. I mixed up a little Greek yogurt with real maple syrup and cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 1 med/large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into half moons
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
- 2 tsp corn starch or rice flour (or a combo of both)
- 2 tsp oil
- 3 Tbsp hot sauce ( I used Frank's)
- 1 tsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Prepare a pan with a rack coated in cooking spray.
- Season potatoes with oil, seasoned salt, and chili powder.
- Add cornstarch or rice flour.
- Toss so that potatoes are evenly coated.
- Bake for 30 minutes (flipping once halfway), adding time if necessary.
- Combine sauce ingredients.
- Once potatoes are done, brush one side with sauce and return to oven for 2 mins.
- Repeat with other side.
- Serve with dip and extra sauce as needed.
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