I refuse to buy a deep fryer. It would mean that I subscribe to the lifestyle that I fry and eat everything that I cook. I don't. I go to restaurants and eat fried food, hahaha!

When I'm home, I like to at least pretend that I'm healthier than that though, by baking the things I order fried in restaurants. These are a few of my favorite "faked and baked" recipes that I eat on a regular basis:

Oven Baked French Fries

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 15 minutes / Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 tsp. sea salt

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/2" thick slices. Cut the slices again into 1/2" sticks, about 4-5 fries per slice.

3. Place the fries in a strainer and run under cold water for 2-3 minutes, stirring the fries with your hands. The water will run clear from the fries (it will be cloudy at first) and stiffen up a bit when they're ready. Pat the fries dry with a paper towel.

4. Place the fries on a cookie sheet and drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Mix again with your hands until all the fries are coated.

5. Arrange the fries on the cookie sheet so that they're not touching each other and every fry has some space, flat on the cookie sheet. Use two cookie sheets if necessary.

6. Bake the fries in the oven for about 10 minutes. Flip them over with a spatula and bake for another 5 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Plate and serve.

Gluten-Free Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 20 minutes / Servings: 6-7 Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (6-7 pieces)

• 12 oz. Saucy Mama Honey Barbecue Wing Sauce

• 1/2 cup oat flour or corn starch

• 1/2 cup egg whites or egg substitute

• 2 cups gluten-free chips (corn chips, rice and bean chips or quinoa chips-the crunchier the better)

• coconut oil cooking spray

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Using your hands or a kitchen mallet, break up the chips until they are very finely ground, like the texture of bread crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a large, sealable plastic bag.

3. Create three stations, 1) a plate with the flour, 2) a plate with the egg whites, and 3) the plastic bag with the chip crumbs.

4. Separately dredge each chicken tender through the flour, then through the egg white, and then place each one in the bag with the crumbs. Massage the crumbs and press them into the coated chicken tenders while inside the bag. Remove the chicken tender from the bag and place it on a large cookie sheet.

5. Spray both sides of each of the chicken tenders well with the cooking spray. Place in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

6. Pour the Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce onto a plate. Dip each of the cooked chicken

7. tenders into the sauce, coating both sides completely. Transfer to a serving dish and serve.

Baked Blueberry Crumble Cake Donuts with Buttermilk Cream Cheese Glaze

Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook Time: 20 minutes / Servings: 24 donuts

Ingredients:

• 1 box cake (I use Trader Joe's), prepared to box instructions

• 3/4 cup dry milk powder, separated

• 1/4 cup flour

• 2 tbsp. corn starch

• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 stick butter, melted

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted

• 2 cups fresh blueberries

• non-stick cooking spray

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 4 tbsp. buttermilk

Steps:

For the Crumble:

1. Heat the toaster oven to 250 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, 1/2 cup dry milk powder, flour, corn starch, granulated sugar, salt and pecans. Toss with your hands to combine until the mixture combines into pea size chunks. Bake in the toaster oven for about 15 minutes, until baked and golden.

3. Remove from the heat, allow to cool and add the remaining milk powder and the melted white chips. Mix again until well combined and all the pieces are coated in the white chocolate. Refrigerate until the mixture is set, about 15 minutes. Break the pieces up again if needed into pea suze chunks. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Glaze:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Donuts:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Prepare the box cake according to instructions.

3. Place 1 tbsp. of the crumble mixture into the bottom of each the donut spaces. Place 5-6 blueberries on top of the crumble mixture.

4. Pour the batter evenly into the donut pan, filling each space about 1/2 full. Don't overfill the donut spaces, or you'll end up with muffins!

5. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6. Allow the donuts to cool slightly before releasing them from the pan. Drizzle the warm donuts with the buttermilk cream cheese glaze and a bit of additional crumble mixture before serving.