French Fries are like crack. You can never eat just one, and even if you somehow manage too restrain yourself, chances are you’ll be jonesing for fries for weeks on end. Then, just when you think you’ve finally overcome the urge, you fall off the wagon again. Just like crack.

We always knew fries were bad news because of how fatty they are (according to Calorie-Count.Com a “small” serving of fries packs almost 14 grams of fat), but did you also know they are carcinogenic? You’ve heard of carcinogens right? You know, the nasty stuff that causes cancer. Well, here’s some quick math for you- according to a Dutch study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition all it takes is a daily intake of 10 micrograms of the carcinogen found in fries to increase your cancer risk by 10%. And that “small” serving of French fries contains about 22 micrograms. That’s right. You, over there with that red and yellow box in your hand- your f#$%ed.

Let’s get real though, girls. We like French fries and we aren’t going to give them up. Well, that’s fine, but we will just need to make a few adjustments to how we prepare them. Below are two recipes for yummy, low-fat, carcinogen-free French Fries your body and wallet can feel good about:

PLRG’s Italian Stallion Oven Fries

• 2 baking potatoes (we prefer peeled) cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or sub 1-1 ½ cloves of minced garlic)
• ¼ teaspoon oregano (or sub ½ teaspoon of fresh chopped oregano)
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary (or sub ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary)
• 1-2 “shakes” of red pepper flake (if you’re into spicy)* 
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh basil*
• 1 tablespoon shredded or grated Parmesan cheese 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and spray a baking pan with olive oil cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, tossing potatoes until they are completely coated. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on the baking pan and let cook for about 35 minutes.

*Once the potatoes have finished you have the option of tossing the fries with some basil or Parmesan. We recommend adding a tiny bit of Olive Oil though to help the parmesan and basil stick. Our nutrition info does not take this step into account.

(Makes 2 servings, each serving contains 200 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 0 grams of trans-fat)

Sweetie Pie Fries

• 2 sweet potatoes (we prefer the skin on) cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking pan with olive oil cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, tossing potatoes until they are completely coated. Arrange potatoes on a singles layer on the baking pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Then, turn oven up to 380 degrees, give the potatoes a quick turn over and cook for another 10 minutes.

(Makes 2 servings, each serving contains 150 calories, 6.5 grams of fat, and 0 grams of trans fat)