Looking for a ridiculously easy and tasty side dish? Yes. Yes, you are.

I had “eggplant fries” at Hartford’s Taste of the Nation event May 6, courtesy of Joey Garlic’s Pizza. They were crispy, savory, cheesy sticks of heaven, especially with accompanying pomodoro sauce for dipping. But when fried, these can be heavy, as eggplant is a virtual sponge for oil.

At home, I improvised my own baked version. I peeled an eggplant, sliced it into skinny “fry” shapes, tossed the sticks in flour, dipped them in egg white and rolled them in seasoned panko crumbs.  Baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, these came out as crunchy and irresistible as their fryolator counterparts. I gave them a small drizzle of olive oil, a small shake of garlic powder and a shower of Parmesan.

A healthy and interesting alternative to potatoes, for sure. I love eggplant, but until now, I haven’t done anything with it beyond baked eggplant parmesan.

We made these last night to go with a pineapple-chipotle marinated pork tenderloin. To drink: Boutari Moschofilero, which I picked up at Table & Vine last week. It’s been seven-plus months since we arrived home from Santorini and I miss it Every. Single. Day.

P.S. Boutari loves Fun With Carbs. Though I’m not sure I’d call it a “healthy eating blog,” based on my multiple KFC Double Down posts alone.

(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Photo by Diana Guay / ctnow.com

On Monday I helped orchestrate a KFC Double Down taste-test in the Courant newsroom, enlisting about 12 reporters, editors and producers to try the ridiculous sandwich. (If you’ve been living under a rock, it’s the monstrosity created with two fried chicken breasts, cheese and bacon.)

Here’s a link to our recap and another link to the photo gallery shot by Diana Guay, a very, VERY brave vegetarian.

A little background after the jump…

Knowing how newsrooms love free food, I decided I’d order 10 of the sandwiches: eight of the fried variety and two of the grilled version. First, I called the KFC location in my town. “No, we didn’t get the shipment of stuff to make that sandwich,” the employee told me. Okaaaaay. So much for the 11-day advance press blowout.

I called Hartford’s Farmington Avenue store and placed my order more than an hour before I arrived. When I got to the store, the employees hadn’t even started working on it. Might I mention the store was practically dead, despite the lunchtime hour and the release of this crazy sandwich. Forty minutes later, my 10 Double Downs were ready, and the manager lovingly packed them in boxes for me. At that point,  I was so hungry I was ready to eat my own arm.

Although several of my coworkers scarfed whole Double Downs (I won’t name names) many only wanted a bite. I managed two good-sized bites, which probably added up to half a sandwich. And in full disclosure: it tasted good. Meaty and moist, yes. Nice kick from the 11 herbs and spices. The creation was mostly chicken – the cheese and sauce were far from overpowering, and the bacon presence was minimal. Had I eaten one fresh from the fryer, it would have been even better.

But it wasn’t the fat content that staggered me – it was the pure, evil sodium. Within 15 or so minutes of digestion, I swore I could feel my veins pounding as my blood pressure rose and rose. (Did I mention that one Double Down has 1380 mg of sodium?) I’ve got a track record of unhealthy favorites, but I’ve never felt this disgusting.

I made a beeline for the water cooler, but a gallon wouldn’t have been enough. I felt sluggish, listless, useless, like pure garbage. That continued for the rest of the day. On the way home, I stopped at Price Chopper and bought more than $50 worth of fresh produce.

The good news? I’ve probably eaten close to eight servings of fruits and vegetables each day since. Salads, green smoothies; egg white omelettes with spinach and tomatoes; peppers, apples, mangoes. And I sweated out more toxins at an hour-long Zumba class last night.

So I suppose I have the KFC Double Down to thank for propelling me toward this week’s healthy eating kick. Negative reinforcement and all. The things I do for page views.

Photo courtesy of KFC

KFC announced Thursday that it was rolling out its Double Down sandwich nationwide on Apr. 12.

Read my blog entry at A La Carte.

Where’s the bread, you might be asking? Well, that’s what the fried chicken fillets are for, naturally. Because how else would you hold the cheese, bacon and sauce together.

According to KFC’s nutritional information, the “original recipe” Double Down is only 540 calories. A grilled-chicken version is about 460. You know, in case you’re watching your figure.

No need for any social commentary on this one. America loves its ludicrously fatty foods, and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. That’s why pop-culture phenomenons like This Is Why You’re Fat and “Man v. Food” exist. It’s why we celebrate competitive eaters like Joey Chestnut and televise hot-dog eating competitions on July 4. It’s just no fun to watch people shovel down broccoli.

Memo to KFC, though: maybe not the best timing, sending the news release on April 1.

Welcome! I’m Leeanne Griffin, a former interactive journalist for the Hartford Courant turned freelance writer. I author the A La Carte dining blog for CTnow.com and contribute to the Courant’s weekly restaurant column in the Flavor section.

As you may have gathered, nothing makes me happier than food experiences. I could easily spend hours in specialty food shops, and just try dragging me away from cheese displays. I find it endlessly thrilling when I can track down hard-to-find wines. Farmer’s markets are little slices of heaven, encouraging me to get creative with fresh fruit and vegetables. I could – and do – talk for hours about cooking and dining with like-minded friends, other bloggers and foodies.

A phenomenal restaurant visit can leave a smile on my face for days, as does a wildly successful home-cooked meal. I make my own bread, despite a general lack of patience, because it’s so good warm from the oven. Trying a new-to-me ethnic cuisine is almost as exciting as traveling to the place of its origin, but there’s nothing like sampling saganaki in Santorini, cracked conch fresh from the ocean in Turks and Caicos and spectacular Napa wines steps from the vineyards where the grapes were grown. I hope to experience a lot more exotic travel in the next few years.

But I’m certainly not all about high-end cuisine (who can afford to be?) Some of the best food out there can be purchased with a $10 bill. I love clam shacks, burger joints, delis, the little Vietnamese places where you can get a bathtub-sized bowl of pho for $7. I also have a knack for picking up on bizarre foods, particularly menu items like the KFC Double Down.

Here in Connecticut, we’re a stone’s throw from incredible thin-crust pizza, creamy Blue Point oysters, a whole bunch of microbreweries and about 30 wineries, not to mention gorgeous produce from the state’s working farmland. Though I was born, raised and educated in central Massachusetts, I’ve grown to absolutely love the Nutmeg State. I’m honored to be able to write about its excellent restaurants, chefs and food-related entrepreneurs on a daily basis.

I hold a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University, where I also teach adjunct in the graduate communications program. My background as a professional journalist colors my work – though I’m proud to be part of a burgeoning food blogger community, my roots take precedence. So because of this, I do not accept free meals, products or gift certificates from restaurants or PR companies. I follow these practices across the board with both blogs in order to eliminate danger of bias. I do not accept samples for review at this time, either.

On Fun With Carbs, I talk more about my cooking and travel experiences, or restaurant visits outside of Connecticut, with a rant or two thrown in for good measure. Posts are of my own opinion. All content and photos are created by and belong to me, unless otherwise specified.

Thanks for reading. Happy to have you here.

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