Vegetarian Loaded Greek Fries with Garlic-Scallion Dipping Sauce Recipe
Turn French fries into a meal with this recipe for vegetarian loaded Greek fries, served with a creamy, herby garlic-scallion sauce made with Greek yogurt! You’ll love the crispy, oven-baked oregano fries paired with crunchy raw veggies!
A couple months ago, we almost had a break in at our house.
My husband had just left for work and I was taking a shower when I heard the dogs barking like crazy. They do that when someone walks by our house, but when they kept barking, I got concerned. I walked to our front door to check out what was going on when I noticed someone leaving our front porch. I quietly peered through the blinds and noticed this creepy KKK looking guy sitting in our front yard with a case of beer under his arm, peering into our windows.
Needless to say, I was terrified.
So, I did what anyone should do in such a situation. I ran into the bedroom, got under the covers, and hid. Yes, just like a child.
After a few minutes, I managed to drag myself out of bed, cross my fingers and see if he went away. Nope. Less cute Ed Norton from American History X was still there, looking like he was trying to get in to the gate to our backyard. Finally, I called for help. Except instead of calling the cops really anyone useful, I posted on my neighborhood facebook page asking if I should call 911 or our neighborhood cop, and texted my husband, both of which promptly responded "CALL 911 YOU IDIOT!"
Moral of the story? Big dogs and a male neighbor who pulls up at just the right moment are good things to have. Also, my fight or flight response is more like curl into the fetal position and freeze.
I've learned my not very useful fear reaction is the same for real threats (creepy dude trying to break in, speeding car coming at me while crossing the road) and perceived threats (fear of failure, fear of global catastrophe, fear of rejection). Both metaphorically and physically, I'm scared into inaction.
This year, I've spend a lot of time feeling scared, fearful of things that actually seem quite likely. Part of it is the general chaos of the world. Another part is feeling like I'm on the verge of Really Big Things happening for my business, which sounds great, but with big possibilities there's also big chances for failure and all the pain that comes along with that. Both are pretty certain - bad things will happen in the world (because bad things always happen - how much and whether it affects me personally is unknown), and I will fail with at least something in my business.
I don't spend my days curled up in a ball on my office floor, but I have been spending a lot of my days lost in my mind, kinda the metaphorical version of being frozen into the fetal position. Because in a sense, that's really all that mindlessness is - your brain's attempt to protect itself from a scary reality. But the more time I spend mindlessly checking social media or lost in thought, the less time I have for action, the one thing that can actually cure fears.
Yesterday I read this post called "Responsibility 2017" by my dear friend Celia, the lovely human being responsible for my head shots. One of the things she wrote in her reflection of the (well earned) success she had in 2016 and looking forward to 2017 was this:
"Being responsible to my commitments and the people who have given me so much while also giving everything I have to what I really feel I should be doing… that’s the only way I know how to deal with what’s going on in the world. To continue to feel things fully. To start giving back to the people and organizations in my community. To hold others accountable to live into their best selves. To be fully and totally aware and appreciative of the freedoms and “ordinary” luxuries I enjoy every day."
Her words hit me hard. Responsibility sounds so....boring. As someone who has lived a life of privilege, I've also lived a life free of any major responsibility. Yes, I was responsible for chores and responsible at my job and I'm responsible for taking care of my fur babies, but the only person who would have really suffered if I shirked my responsibilities was me (and, you know, the pups).
Now I feel a sense of responsibility to the world.
I have a responsibility to those with less privilege to not exhaust myself with anger but to harness that energy to speak out and take action.
I have a responsibility to take those scary next steps with my business, for both my clients, and you lovely readers, because as uncomfortable as it feels to type this, I know from your emails and comments that this blog has been an inspiration for many in healing their relationship with food.
I also have the responsibility to practice self care and take care of my needs, because as Celia said, "the world needs your light and laughter and joy. It needs it real bad, y’all"
Thinking outside of myself and my personal fears, I know many of you reading are at varying places in your journey to making peace with food, struggling with low body image, food fears, disordered eating and/or a desire to go on yet another diet. Maybe you're stuck in a scary place right now, where you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is dark and scary and cold. You have a responsibility to not turn around, because whether you recognize it or not, there's people who rely on your existence and you have the responsibility to give them your best self.
Whatever that next scary next step is, I encourage you to swallow your fears and take it. Need some support - feel free to leave a comment!
Aaaaaand on a totally unrelated note, here's a recipe for Greek loaded fries, which you have the responsibility to make this weekend for the Super Bowl because they're really delicious. And now comes the awkward part where I transition to a recipe about fries.
How to Make These Vegetarian Loaded Greek Fries
This easy recipe starts with homemade oven fries, imo the best kind of fries to make at home when you don’t have a fryer. They get crispy in the oven with a tender, fluffy potato interior. I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes, which have a waxier flesh that’s a lot more flavorful than russets. To season them, use plenty of garlic and dried oregano. As a topping, I used a mix of raw veggies, kalamata olives and feta cheese, along with a generous garnish of fresh parsley.
The best part of this vegetarian loaded Greek fries recipe is the garlic-scallion dipping sauce made with Greek yogurt. It’s creamy and garlickly and loaded with fresh flavors from scallions and dill. It has similar flavors to tzatziki minus the cucumber!
Vegetarian Loaded Green Fries Recipes Adaptions
This recipe for vegetarian loaded Greek fries is pretty satisfying, but if you want to boost it up with more protein, just add a can of chickpeas. Or, although it obviously won’t be vegetarian anymore, you could use grilled chicken or ground spiced lamb.
I also made this recipe using frozen sweet potato fries and I highly recommend! The garlic and oregano won’t stick to the frozen fries, so just leave that part out.
Vegetarian Loaded Greek Fries with Garlic-Scallion Dipping Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 large cucumber, chopped
3/4 cup feta, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Garlic Scallion Sauce
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potatoes with olive oil, garlic and oregano in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread potatoes evenly on 2 large baking sheets and roast for 35 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and tender.
While potatoes are baking, mix all garlic-scallion sauce ingredients together. Season with salt to taste. Set aside until ready to use.
When potatoes are cooked, transfer to large serving dish. Top with tomatoes, cucumber, feta, olives and parsley. Serve with garlic-scallion sauce.
If you like this vegetarian loaded Greek fries recipe, you might also like these recipes:
Greek Tacos with Garlicky Kale and Creamy Feta Sauce
Zucchini-Chickpea Balls with Chopped Greek Salad
Greek Braised Cod
