Turning Veggies Into Fries

Tis the season … for zucchini. This is the time of year when every food magazine, blog and TV show starts talking about what to do with your “abundance of zucchini.”

It’s a bit of a sore spot for me, since the one time I tried to grow zucchini in my own vegetable garden I was a resounding failure. But black thumb nevertheless, now is the time that green and yellow summer squash will fill the shelves of your supermarket, and there’s about a million ways you can use them.

Here is one fun, exciting way to have your zucchini – turning them into “fries.” Oven baked with no oil, these zucchini fries nevertheless are crisp, crunchy and delightful. A quick coat of egg white them some breadcrumbs before baking provide a delicious coating that elevates zucchini to an exciting side dish. I added some salt, pepper and garlic to these to give a little kick, but you can add any spices of your choice to play up more interesting flavors.

Zucchini Fries – Serves 3-4 as a side dish

2 medium to large zucchini

2 egg whites

1 cup breadcrumbs (panko are also good)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Clean and pat dry the zucchini, then cut into wedges about 1/2″ thick.

Lightly beat the egg whites and place in a shallow bowl or on a plate. Mix the breadcrumbs with the salt, garlic and pepper (and any other spices of your choosing) and place on a separate plate. Dunk the zucchini sticks into the egg white, allowing any excess to drip off, then into the breadcrumbs, trying to adhere an even coat without having it come off in clumps – though some bare spots are not the end of the world.

Spread the zucchini on a greased baking pan and bake at 450 F for about 10 minutes on each side.

Amy Spiro is a journalist and writer based in Jerusalem. She is a graduate of the Jerusalem Culinary Institute’s baking and pastry track, a regular writer for The Jerusalem Post and blogs at bakingandmistaking.com. She also holds a BA in Journalism and Politics from NYU.