Crispy Baked Zucchini!

Every summer I fall in love with squash blossoms all over again. They are gorgeous.  The color, the texture, the fact that they contribute to the production of a delicious fruit - I love it all. 

I haven't had much luck with zucchini in the last two years. Last year I struggled with squash bugs from  the beginning of the season until the end when I eventually surrendered the plants to the bugs . . . and then the bugs to the yard waste pick up. This year I chose a new spot to plant, heaped the area with lots of composted horse manure and planted the seeds. The plants are healthy, beautiful and thriving.

I picked my first three large zucchini of the season and I turned the first one of them into baked zucchini fries. I stumbled across the recipe on the Thechew.com and couldn't resist trying it out. Here is the link directly to Clinton Kelly's recipe.

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/crispy-zucchini-fries-with-tangy-dip-clinton-kelly

I adapted the recipe to be gluten free since one family member is highly sensitive and it worked great. 

 CRISPY ZUCCHINI FRIES

INGREDIENTS

1 large zucchini, cleaned

Brown Rice Flour

2 eggs, whisked

3 - 4 cups gluten free bread crumbs (We love Udi's brand breads)

1 tsp paprika

Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Cut the ends off of the zucchini. Cut the zucchini into two or three sections crosswise, slice each section into quarters lengthwise and carefully remove the pith, then cut the quarters into a medium thick slices lengthwise. 

3. Place enough brown rice flour onto a plate or shallow dish to be able to drag zucchini sections through ~ 1/2 cup or so. Season with Salt and Pepper. Whisk eggs into a shallow dish. Combine bread crumbs and paprika in a third shallow dish and season with Salt and Pepper. 

4. Dredge the zucchini fries through the flour, shake off excess, then coat in the egg mixture and press into the breadcrumb mixture. 

5. Place the zucchini fries on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet leaving a little space between each fry.

6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden.

Clinton Kelly recommends serving them with a delicious sounding dipping sauce, but I omitted it for this time since our gluten intolerant family member must also avoid soft and liquid dairy products. We ate them plain and they were absolutely delicious just so. They were crispy on the outside and slightly soft and sweet on the inside. Mmmmmmm. The kids dipped them in their favorite salad dressing. I think they would also be delicious with a dollop of pesto or a drizzle of basil infused olive oil.