Zucchini Fries

It was only last summer that I began to appreciate the taste and texture of zucchini. I have generous neighbors who have shared their garden's bounty of summer squash with our family in the past, but this spring I felt it was time to actually plant my own. I'm happy to report that the zucchini plants are growing nicely and there are a multitude of flowers that I hope and pray will turn into an overwhelming production of actual zucchini to harvest.

However, I already have burning craving for this small, green, summer squash. Is anyone else finding it weird that I went from really disliking zucchini to growing it to craving it?

Until my garden produces the goods I crave, the farmers market and grocery store have more than enough zucchini to meet my needs. I started attempting to satisfy this craving with Zucchini Fries, but I have visions of Zucchini Bread, Sauteed Zucchini, Zucchini Fusilli, and Lemon-Zesty Zucchini with Pine Nuts in my very near future. What's your favorite zucchini recipe? I'd love to know.

INGREDIENTS:

2 zucchini

1 egg white

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut zucchini into 3-inch sticks. (Note from Holli: I cut the zucchini in half lengthwise first. Then continued to cut each piece in half and then half again before cutting the sections into 3-inch long pieces.)

2. Whisk an egg white in a small bowl and then add milk. In a separate bowl, combine Parmesan, bread crumbs, Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture, and then roll in breadcrumbs.

3. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and place zucchini on sheet.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.


Now, come to Mama. It's been a long winter without you.

Recipe from myrecipes.com; Modifications mine.

Yields: 32 fries. Each serving of 8 fries contains: Calories 139; Total Fat 5.1g; Saturated Fat 2.6g; Cholesterol 13mg; Sodium 902mg; Total Carbohydrates 14.6g; Dietary Fiber 1.8g; Sugars 3.6g; Protein 9.2g; Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 28%; Calcium 20%; Iron 7%

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.