Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

• Two Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch by 4 inch sticks
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sweet potato pieces in a large bowl, add the olive oil, and stir until the potato pieces are evenly coated in the oil. Add the spices and mix well until they are evenly distributed over the potato pieces. Place the sweet potato pieces flat on a large baking sheet, drizzling any remaining oil over the top. Spread the pieces out over the top of the baking sheet and put it in the oven. Allow to bake for 15 minutes, then remove the tray, flip the pieces over, and place the tray back in the oven for another 10 minutes. You can then remove the tray from the oven and serve the sweet potato fries immediately, or, if you want the fries to be extra-crispy, you can then turn the oven up to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and leave them in for another 3-5 minutes, watching closely to make sure that they don't over-crisp and burn.

Sweet 'n Spicy Firecracker Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound Gold’n Plump® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Portions, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

For serving: (optional)

• Hot cooked rice
• Chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, buffalo sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss chicken pieces with cornstarch. Beat eggs in a separate bowl or shallow dish. Dip chicken pieces into eggs.

Add oil to a large nonstick skillet set to medium-high heat. Once hot, fry chicken until golden brown but not fully cooked, 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard excess oil.

Add chicken to prepared baking dish and top with buffalo sauce mixture. Bake until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes, turning over chicken pieces halfway through cooking time.   Serve over rice and top with chopped scallions, if desired.

Spicy Spaghetti Squash Fritters

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups spaghetti squash
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• ½ cup plum tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsely
• ¼ cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. I’m assuming you’re using leftover spaghetti squash, meaning you’ve already baked the squash, cut it open, and scraped out the spaghetti-like insides.
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Take the spaghetti squash mixture and form little balls about two tablespoons in size.
Lightly fry for about 7-8 minutes over medium-high heat, then flip and fry for another four minutes. Make sure these fritters are really golden brown. You need to fry them extra long since there is no flour to coat and bind the ingredients.
Garnish the fritters with more Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (you could use breasts as well but thighs stay more moist)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Rub:

• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic (you can sub 1 teaspoon garlic powder here)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

Instructions

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Use kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the honey glaze for later after the chicken has cooked to pour on right before serving. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.
If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!