Foodie Friday – Air Fryer Recipes

An appliance that I thought would be more of a novelty item in my kitchen is our air fryer. I thought it would be good to have as a healthy alternative when I was in the mood for some fries or fried chicken. 2 items that are a staple in everyone’s diet right?!

I was so wrong.

Charlie and I use our air fryer almost every day. So much so that when we go grocery shopping we look for things we can try to throw in there. We’re obsessed!

The way air fryers work is almost like a commercial convection oven. It uses forced air to cook and crisp the item you’re cooking. This means you use virtually no oil when cooking, but are still able to get a crisp! I’m going to be real though, not all products come on the same compared to deep frying. But everything I’ve tried so far I’ve enjoyed!

I did a lot of research on air fryers – the pros and cons of each, factored in the cost, and evaluated which would be best for our home. We decided to go with the Phillips Air Fryer for a couple of reasons. First, the reviews. It got good reviews on Amazon as well as other store sites like Sur la Table and William Sonoma. Second, is the ability to buy parts for it. The biggest flaw that most consumers mention about air fryers is the basket. Some say that the non-stick chips, rusts, etc. But if your basket gets its wear and tear over time, Phillips sells the basket so you can easily replace it!

That was it, I was sold!

Today, I’m going to be sharing our favorite thing to make in our air fryer. French fries and chicken wings!

Garlic French Fries – Makes 2 servings
Note: Charlie and I like shoestring fries, but you can put any fry in there and it will crisp up nicely! Only thing to remember is the bigger the fry, the longer the time.

  1. Fill your air fryer basket with 10-12 oz of fries (this is about 1/2 of a small bag)
  2. Set your temperature to 350 and cook for 7 mins. Open up and shake fries around to prevent sticking.
  3. Set your temperature to 400 and cook for 4 mins. or until golden brown/desired color.
  4. While your fries are frying, melt a pat of butter and lightly brown 1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic. Set aside.
  5. Remove fries from basket and transfer into butter and garlic mixture. Add salt and pepper if desired.
  6. Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings  – Makes 2 servings
Note: My suggestion would be to purchase cooked wings.If you want to go with uncooked wings then I highly suggest to boil them the night before or right before you put them into the fryer. Season your water with your favorite spices to give the chicken more flavor!

  1. Place 10-12 wings in your fryer (start with cooked wings for a shorter cook time) and set your temperature to 400. Cook wings for 17 mins or until golden brown.
  2. Remove wings immediately from fry basket and transfer into a bowl. 
  3. Toss in lemon pepper or your favorite seasoning.
  4. Enjoy!

xoxo,

Please like & share:

Sydney Eats – My Favorite Places

I think it’s obvious, but Charlie and I are total foodies. Hence, our Good Bad Foodie venture. When we travel the way we want to experience a foreign place is through their food. We want to eat where the locals eat, we want to experience the places that the locals enjoy!

Ready for food adventures!

When we were in Sydney one thing we noticed is the food scene is very international, which we like! It reminded me a lot of the food scene in LA – lots of variety. Though the closest thing to “authentic Australian” we had was at Fortune of War, Sydney’s Oldest Pub. We loved the character of the pub and the variety of bar food they had. I had a couple Bilpin Ciders and shared some appetizers with Charlie.

The sign lured us in lol 🙂
Bilpin Cider – not to sweet!

Charlie and I love to stay in Airbnb’s  mainly because we love to cook while we’re traveling. Like I said, “Live like a local.” Aside from our epic food crawls and food excursions we like the idea of trying our hand at cooking in other places. Over at Paddy’s Market you can buy fruit, vegetables, as well as meat and seafood. It was a foodie’s dream!

Just one of the many produce stalls inside Paddy’s Market

One of the first places we went to eat in Sydney was at Din Tai Fung. I know this isn’t that unique, I mean come on, we have multiple in LA. The obsession in Sydney is far less than here in LA. No wait so we jumped at the chance. Silver lining is I can at least fulfill my craving here at home if I’m feening for some of those pork and crab soup dumplings!

Silken Tofu and Pork Strings with Century Egg from Din Tai Fung
Pork and Crab Dumplings from Din Tai Fung

Our go-to spot the entire time we were there were all these quick take out sushi stops. If you know me, you know I love me some sushi! Our favorite one was Sushi Hub near Central Station.

Photo Credit: Architect Magazine

My absolute fave food stop in Sydney came as a recommendation from our Airbnb host

Spice Alley in the Chippendale area of Sydney

You’ve got to check this place out if you are ever in Sydney! It’s this small little corridor that has different food stalls inspired by different countries in Asia. I wanted to try something from every stall but there were too many stalls and too little time!

Takoyaki
Karaage Chicken Udon
Please like & share:

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

It’s been a while since I’ve done a #foodiefriday post here so I thought I’d share a quick and simple breakfast to get your productive day started off right! Since my days have been really really busy lately I’ve been defaulting to smoothies and drinking them on the go. But a girl needs a little variation before I can’t stand the sight of another smoothie lol! I decided to do a chia seed pudding to add to my rotation. 
 
Chia-Pudding-
 
Prep time: 10-15 mins and then overnight
 
Ingredients
3 tsp chia seeds
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp agave
3/4 cup favorite chopped fruit in season
 
Directions
  1. In a Tupperware, mix chia seeds, yogurt, almond milk, vanilla extract, and agave together until fully incorporated.
  2. Top with your favorite fruit. I like peaches (frozen), strawberries, and mango but you can use blueberries, cherries, bananas, almost anything!
  3. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. If you want a little more sweetness, drizzle a little honey, more agave, or turbinado sugar (pictured) on top. If you want a little crunch add a 1/2 cup granola on top. I personally like the change of texture with granola but it doesn’t fit with my current diet (low carb).
  5. Enjoy!

xoxo,

signature

Please like & share: