If you love asparagus put yo hand on up.
What’s not to love about these little guys??! Incredible raw, sautéed, roasted, blanched…the list goes on and on!
I’m not a big salty food snacker (HELLO sweet tooth), but I always find myself in a pickle when I’m trying to do an appetizer or starter for a dinner or party. When I’m serving others (like when I have 10 hungry guys on my couch watching football) I always get nervous to serve something too healthy. I know I’ll like it, but it’s tough to find a healthy crowd pleaser.
I find that if a healthy dish looks like its the “original”, people are more likely to try it (or maybe that’s just what I tell myself). With the abundance of asparagus in stores lately, I really wanted to find a way to play with them in my kitchen.
Well, no more worries about those thighs after you get ahold of this recipe for my new fries. These Cajun Asparagus Fries with Avocado Dip are LIFE CHANGING. JMan (my boyfriend Jared) and I were all out hunching over the bowl chowing down on them the first time I made these. I may have eaten the whole batch and been too full for dinner.
Asparagus are really sturdy vegetables so they hold up really well when roasted and make awesome dip vehicles. When I was dreaming up my Asparagus Fry recipe, I happened to stumble across this version of Coconut Crusted Green Beans from The Toasted Pine Nut which totally helped with my inspiration.
I think crunchy and salty always pairs really well with smooth and spicy. I’ve been playing around with avocados in my smoothies and sauces lately, so I knew avocado would be the perfect choice to give us a really creamy and satisfying dip. For the spice, enter Cajun seasoning.
I usually make my own Cajun seasoning and am always trying to sneak that spicy flavor into my dishes. You can use the recipe I follow: here, or buy your own from the store. Beware, store bought seasonings are often not preservative-free. When I make my own, I always use Himmalayan salt.
These babies are the perfect addition to your next summer BBQ or gathering. The flour mixture creates a delicious crunch followed by a little Cajun kick from that dipping sauce.
You’re going to want to start by prepping your asparagus. Give them a good wash and dry. I know a lot of people chop the bottoms off, but I like to hold a piece of asparagus at each end and bend it until it snaps. Discard the end that has been broken off and you’re left with the freshest part of the vegetable. You’ll want to cut each piece in half again until all of the asparagus pieces are about this size (this makes for easier eating and serving).
Set your asparagus aside and you’ll assemble your “breading” station. I used two plates, one for each flour mixture, and a bowl for the eggs. Dump the coconut flour on one plate. Crack your eggs into the bowl and whisk well. On the remaining plate, pile your almond flour, parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Give that a little mix.
To bread your asparagus, start by rolling them in the coconut flour. Next, coat them in the egg mixture. Finally, spin or sprinkle the asparagus with the almond mixture, and place on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil. Sprinkle them with 1/2 tsp of Cajun Seasoning.
Pop these directly in the oven to bake.
In the meantime, add the avocado, lemon juice, almond-cashew milk, Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Dump this out into a bowl or ramekin to serve. Please note: avocado doesn’t keep too long once it is scooped out of its skin after it oxidizes. This dip should be consumed on the day it is made. You can always cut the dip recipe in half if you aren’t a hefty dipper like me.
Moral of the story today, MAKE THESE. And, make sure to tag me in your creations!!!! Happy dipping!!!!
DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS FOR LATER:
xoxx,
Miss AK
PrintAsparagus Fries with Cajun Avocado Dip {gluten free, oil free}
{gluten free, oil free} – Oven: 425 Degrees
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- To Make Asparagus Fries:
- 1–1.5 lbs of fresh asparagus
- 1/2 cup of almond meal
- 1/3 cup of coconut flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. of garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. of Cajun Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. of salt
- 1/2 tsp. of pepper
- To Make Cajun Avocado Dip:
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup of greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. of UNSWEETENED almond cashew milk (or other non-dairy milk of choice – this is my favorite to use, however)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. of cajun seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Snap off the bottom of each piece of asparagus. Cut in half again.
- Pour coconut flour onto a plate.
- Crack eggs in a bowl and whisk.
- Pour almond meal, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder onto a plate. Mix.
- To dredge your asparagus start by rolling them in coconut flour.
- Next, place them in the egg mixture.
- Then, gently roll or sprinkle them with the almond/ parmesan mixture.
- Place on a baking sheet.
- Springle breaded asparagus with 1/2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning.
- Bake for 10-15 mins until breading begins to brown.
- Add avocado, lemon juice, almond-cashew milk, Greek yogurt, 1 tsp. of Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper to a blender. Allow this to incorporate until smooth.
- Spoon out your dip and serve.
Lindsay @ The Toasted Pine Nut says
LOVE the idea of using asparagus!! I’ll have to try your recipe 🙂
allmcd3 says
Thank you!!!!! They were SOOO yummy. I love how the top portion gets extra crispy!
LauraB says
Made this last night and it was delicious!!!
Thank you!!
allmcd3 says
Laura, I’m SO glad to hear that!!! Thank you for testing 🙂 Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss a recipe!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
These look so addicting! I love that these are baked (I first thought they were fried!) and don’t have all that extra fat. Cajun seasoning is so full of flavor. A perfect dip for these asparagus fries!
allmcd3 says
These are SO addicting, Kathy. I love all of the flavor from the Cajun seasoning, too!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
Oh boy! Avocado fries?!? I have to try a variation of these. Love that you used coconut flour 🙂
allmcd3 says
Thank you ma’am!!!!! I just love coconut flour!