One of the more embarrassing and dorky things that I will admit to all of you is the fact that I love [looooooveee] going grocery shopping. I look forward to it. It takes me forever.

I’m a browser. A wanderer. A look-at-everything-er.

Don’t send me on a quick run to the store to get milk for your coffee- I’ll stop and do things like take pictures of the produce.

I’m sorry but those peppers were gorgeous and they were practically begging me to photograph them.

While my grocery shopping habits might be detrimental to the schedule of my day- they are beyond beneficial to my cooking. Perusing gives me the ability to zone in on ingredients that are not only fresh but also affordable.

I mean you might zip right by the avocados that were on sale for the first time in like, forever.

Lucky for you… I did no such thing.

Baked Avocado Fries

You will need:

• 2 ripe / firm avocados
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs [ next time i’d prefer to use panko– didn’t have these on hand]
• preferred breadcrumb seasoning to taste [ salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, etc]

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line up the flour, egg, and seasoned bread crumbs in three small bowls or ramekins.

Pitt, peel, and slice the avocados into wedges. Prepare the avocado wedges as you would with any other breaded dish: coat in the flour, followed by the egg, and finished with the breadcrumbs.

I prepared a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top for baking the avocado fries. [Make sure your cooling rack is oven safe or not teflon coated, etc.] Coat the rack with non-stick cooking spray, and then place your wedges on the rack. Finish the wedges with a spray of  olive oil and a sprinkle of salt before baking for about 20 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown.

These were crispy  on the outside and  the avocado remained smooth and creamy on the inside.

Dip ’em in ketchup, pop ’em in your mouth, feel good that these are approximately one million times better for you than their fried potato alter ego. One million could be an exaggeration, but it is Monday, after all.

Mangia!