Zucchini Fries, Need I Say More?

Happy Tuesday!  I hope you've had a fantastic day.  My agenda including Pure Barre, grading, grocery shopping and one epic cooking fail.  Crab stuffed mushrooms sounded divine after finding a recipe on pinterest.  The recipe seemed pretty sound.. so into the oven they went.  They were so gross, I only ate half before I gave up and threw them in the trash.  I'll stick with making crab cakes and goat cheese stuffed mushrooms from now on thankyouverymuch.

However, I'm going to share a recipe with you that was a success.  In my book, a success is something I want to make over and over again, which is why I'll post it on my blog to share the love.  It's no surprise that I love vegetables, but sometimes I just get bored with roasting them.  I've always loved zucchini - roasted, spiralized, fried. That's right I said fried, have you ever had fried zucchini?  If your answer is no, I'm so sorry... but now you can have a healthier version of the deep fried favorite.

Now, here's a little background story. When I was little, my mom used to always take me to Red Lobster.  One of the things we would always order for an appetizer were the fried zucchini.  They were incredible... flaky, crispy and lightly sprinkled with parmesan... yum.  Of course, now I couldn't eat fried zucchini at a restaurant even if I wanted to.  However, I had a lonely zucchini in my fridge and roasting it seemed so boring.  So, I created this recipe!

I love these :)

Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

1 1/2 zucchini
1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup marinara

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cut ends off zucchini - cut zucchini in half, cut halves in half and continue cutting until you have sticks.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and basil in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat egg in a separate bowl, set aside.
5. Dip zucchini sticks into egg, letting excess run off.  Next, dip into breadcrumbs, turning to coat.  Place on the baking sheet.  Repeat with all zucchini sticks.
6. Lightly spray zucchini on sheet with nonstick spray.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned - flip after 12 minutes of cooking.

fresh out of the oven!

See you later, I'm off to watch New Girl!  PS: Don't forget Registered Dietitian Day tomorrow!!
 

What's your favorite way to eat zucchini?