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Going veggie -- celebrate with fries

It was bound to happen.

 When I was a little girl, I preferred grilled cheese or a quesadilla to a chicken leg. Daddy bragged that I ate grilled cheese from Greenville, SC to Quebec to Denver, CO, to wherever else we traveled, saving him bookoos of money. 

 To be fair, I ate plenty besides grilled cheese, but that didn't make the anecdote.

 Early on, I was suspicious of hamburgers and steaks, lest they were under-cooked. I didn't care for meat touching bones or fat or skin... or, let's face it -- meat. Bacon? Only if it was extra crispy.

 I knew my daughter would one day declare herself a vegetarian. If you live near Rutherford Road, you're bound to drive behind the chicken truck on a regular basis. It's a dirty, pitiful sight, and I'm sure many parents have detoured when seeing one of those dreaded trucks in the distance. Honestly, it takes a whole lot of compartmentalizing to get stuck behind the chicken truck then proceed to Chick-fil-A for a playdate.

 No judgment here. I've compartmentalized with the best of them.

 I was actually relieved when my daughter announced she had decided that she was a vegetarian. For some reason, it liberated me to follow suit. We evolved from a bacon munching, chicken nugget dunking family to a more plant-based one with one simple proclamation.

 Vegetarians, vegans, and pescatarians choose their lifestyles for a variety of reasons. Having defended vegetarians from ill-conceived humor and thoughtless hosts for decades, I am
quite prepared for this transition. I choose to be a pescatarian for now. Perhaps I'll transition to vegetarian or vegan in the future, but I am satisfied with my decision for today.

 Recipe: Oven-baked potatoes
Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, scrubbed, skin on
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons asiago cheese (more if desired)

 Your seasoning:
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons Trader Joes' Chili-lime seasoning (may use chili powder)
1 teaspoon basil (dried)
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

 Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 Cut potatoes into 1/4" strips. 
Place in a large bowl.
Toss with oil.
Add up to a tablespoon of seasoning. Reserve rest in an empty spice jar for later.
Place potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Flip.
Increase to 425.
Bake up to 10 minutes, until crispy.

 Notes:
The original directions said to bake 30 minutes then flip and turn up the heat, baking another 20. Our oven did not require as long. 
We lowered the salt from 2 tablespoons to 1.
We added more flavor by choosing chili-lime instead of plain chili powder.

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