You see, I knew that these crispy-on-the-outside, but soft and warm on the inside oven-“fried” zucchini sticks would be a match made in heaven with that tzatziki sauce. Seven zucchini sticks later (for test-tasting purposes only, of course 
), I’m proud to report that I was right – they go together like peas and carrots or Jenny and Forest.
But, believe it or not, I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. These zucchini sticks are coated with a simple-to-make breadcrumb mixture made from Mediterranean Snacks Roasted Garlic HummuZ crispz. “Um, why’s that a big deal?”, you might be thinking. Well, here’s why: it’s because those crispz pack a whopping 5 grams of protein in every serving! That means not only do you get in a veggie, but you also get in a good serving of protein with these oven-“fried” zucchini sticks. If that doesn’t have you jumping up and down right now then… maybe you’re normal (unlike me).
Jokes aside, you’ve got to try these! Rumor has it that there’s this little thing called the Superbowl coming up and I hear that these would make the perfect healthy appetizer for the occasion.
Oven-“Fried” Zucchini Sticks Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 bag Roasted Garlic Hummuz crispz (or 1 cup breadcrumbs)
- ½ tablespoon garlic salt
- ½ heaping tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 heaping tablespoons parmesan cheese
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 3 medium-sized zucchinis, rinsed & chopped into 3″ x 1/4″ sticks
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
- To make the Hummuz crispz breadcrumbs, pour the crispz into a blender or food processor and pulse until well-ground into a fine breadcrumb consistency
- Place the Hummuz crispz breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix in the garlic salt, parsley, and parmesan cheese
- Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray (it is preferable to use a baking sheet with holes such as a pizza baking pan or an oven-safe cooling rack, as this well help make the sticks crispier)
- Dredge a few zucchini sticks at a time into the egg and place on an empty plate
- Spoon on some of the breadcrumb mixture, coating the zucchini sticks on all sides, then place the zucchini sticks on the baking sheet (being sure not to crowd them) and repeat the process until you’ve used all the zucchini sticks **Important tip to avoid clumpiness – Don’t place the whole batch of breadcrumbs on a plate and then place the egg-covered zucchini sticks on it because the breadcrumbs will become clumpy and difficult to use. Plus, this way if you have any leftovers of the breadcrumb mixture, you can simply throw it in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer to use later.
- Bake the zucchini sticks in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through
- Serve hot, fresh from the oven
As I mentioned earlier, these zucchini sticks will go great dunked in some chilled tzatziki sauce. They’d also go really well with some warm marinara sauce. After all, half the fun and deliciousness of zucchini sticks is getting to dunk and dip them in all sorts of tasty sauces, right? Just be sure to chow down on these when they are fresh out of the oven because, like any fried or “fried” food, they get soggy when cold and don’t reheat well.
Bon Appétit,
*Disclosure: I won the HummuZ crispz in a Healthy Way to Cook giveaway, however I was not required to use them in this recipe or include them in this or any other post. The opinions shared here are 100% my own.
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