Sliders and Veggie fries

One of the shows on the food network that I enjoy watching sometimes is Diners, Drive ins and Dives. I love diner food, and seeing the different ideas these places come up with is really neat and inspiring. The sliders that I made this week were inspired by one of those episodes, and were a big kick the first time I made it a few months ago. Thought I'd do it one more time and just tweak the recipe a little bit, and they were even better! I wanted something to go with it but didn't wanna do traditional fries, so I thought I'd try a few variants, and did zucchini fries and sweet potato fries. I'm not a huge sweet potato fan but they both turned out pretty good, not as addicting as normal fries but a lot healthier!

Basil Pesto Sliders

• 12 Potato rolls (any type of roll will work really, but the potato ones have my favorite flavor for this)
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 6 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
• Olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 t italian seasoning
• 1/4 t chili powder
• 1/4 t cayenne powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 t basil pesto
• 1/4 t dijon mustard
• 1/2 t rice vinegar

In a small bowl, mix the mayo, pesto, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a small frying pan (or use the grease from frying the bacon) and add the onion, garlic and seasonings. Cook until the onions are soft, stirring frequently. Mix the onion and seasoning mixture in a bowl with the meat and roll into balls. I use a big griddle for frying it up but you can use a regular nonstick frying pan. Coat it in butter and brown the burger patties, flattening them while they cook. As they cook, cut the potato rolls in half and toast them on the griddle. After flipping the burgers once, sprinkle them with some of the cheese and bacon and cover with a pot lid to melt the cheese. Spread the bottom roll with the mayo mixture and top with a patty and the top bun. These are so tasty, you can add whatever toppings you'd like, but the basil pesto mayonnaise really has a nice flavor to it and goes so well with the burgers. Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini fries

• 3 medium zucchini, sliced into skinny sticks
• 2 large egg whites, beaten
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 T grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 t dried basil
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl beat the egg whites until frothy. Mix the bread crumbs, seasonings and cheese in a shallow dish. Dip the zucchini sticks in the egg and then in the bread crumb mixture before placing on the cooking sheet. Make sure they're well coated. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a little crispy. Turn them over halfway through cooking to make sure they get brown all the way around. Serve warm and enjoy! They go well dipped in marinara like mozzarella sticks, or ranch dressing which is my favorite!

Baked Sweet Potato fries

• Olive oil
• 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into skinny sticks
• 1/2 t paprika
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a large bowl toss the sweet potatoes with just enough oil to coat them. Sprinkle with the seasonings and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet, make sure not to over crowd. Bake until they're tender and golden brown, turning occasionally about 20 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.