When the July issue of Cooking Light arrived last week I flipped through it while I was laying out by the pool. The recipes for zucchini caught my eye since I know they are in season right now. My father in law made these amazing zucchini boats last summer that I want to try to recreate sometime, but today I decided to use the zucchinis I got at the farmers market to make zucchini fries. These were not that difficult to make, although they do take a bit of time to bread and the you have to mix up the sauce as well (which involves roasting red peppers.) The end result was delicious and Tyler and I devoured them for dinner (they were pretty much our entire meal, what can I say I am still not over my cooking slump!) Tyler rated them an 8 out of 10. I kind of wish the breading had a bit more flavor to it but the sauce made up for it. We have lots of leftover sauce which I’m going to use to make bruschetta later this week, YUM! Definitely give this recipe a whirl if you’ve got zucchinis you need to use up!
Parmesan Zucchini Sticks with Smoky Roasted Romesco Sauce (from Cooking Light)
Ingredients:
Sauce:
3 medium red bell peppers (I just used 2)
2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup (1/2-inch) cubed French bread baguette, crusts removed
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked almonds (didn’t have so I used regular)
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (didn’t have so I used regular)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large garlic clove
Zucchini:
3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup egg substitute
Cooking spray
2. To prepare sauce, cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves and tomatoes, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten bell peppers with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop, reserving any liquid.
3. Combine bell peppers, reserved liquid, tomatoes, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
4. Preheat oven to 400°.
5. To prepare zucchini, cut 1 zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges. Repeat procedure with remaining zucchini. Combine breadcrumbs, panko, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dip zucchini in egg substitute; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place zucchini on a wire rack coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat zucchini with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with sauce.
