If you are like me, you struggle between eating your favorite foods and maintaining your ideal weight, and the struggle seems to be endless. Trying to stick to one of my New Year resolutions, I was hunting for healthy snack ideas, whn I stumbled upon this lovely Zucchini Fries recipe in Kraft Recipes magazine. I am not a fan of Zucchini, except for a Chocolate Zucchini Bread, and largely avoid it in my foods, but this looked interesting, s I thought I’ll give it a try. And it is indeed something you should try too! [Photo courtesy: Kraft Recipes]
Zucchini has a hard texture, which works to its advantage here – the fries do not become soft and soggy, they maintain a firm shell, while the coating on the top gives it a crispy covering. Cheese gives it a warm gooey coating, and seasoning adds an element of flavor. Quick, easy, healthy and delicious – you don’t find such foods easily, so hang on to this recipe!
Oven-Baked Zucchini Fries
makes approximately 8 servingsIngredients
3 zucchini (1 lb.)
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 packet Shake & Bake Coating Mix
1 small eggMethod
Heat oven to 450ºF.Trim the zucchini -cut crosswise in half, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch sticks. Add cheese to coating mix in shaker bag; shake gently to combine.
Whisk egg in medium bowl. Add zucchini; toss to coat. Use tongs to place 1/4 of the zucchini in shaker bag; close bag and shake to evenly coat. Spread onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
Bake for 12 to 13 min. or until golden brown, turning the baking tray 180 degrees after 7 min to facilitate even baking. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients.
Remove the baked fries from the oven, and serve them with your favorite dipping sauce, like this Jalapeno-Corn-Paneer Dip
This is a great way to enjoy some healthy greens in a fun and tasty way. It also serves to be a great snack for kids – they’ll love the taste, and you’ll love feeding them something healthy!
Looking for some more easy and inspiring Appetizer recipes? Here are some tips from our team! They’ll help you serve some appealing appetizers at your next party.
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Though they are a great idea, I agree with those who suggest a healthier alternative (In whatever form you choose) to shake and bake n bake. More important is that the recipe calls for the skin to be removed. Most of the nutrition in a zucchini,as with cucumbers, summer squash, etc is in the skin. The inside structure is mostly water.
these looks awesome, will surely try them
Loved the look of these. I know this is a very old post for you. I featured it on my Friday Five @ Feed Your Soul Too – http://www.feedyoursoul2.com/2013/06/friday-five-sides-all-sides.html
Great photo! I love zucchini fries, and these look so good. You’ve inspired me!
I didn’t really care for these made with zucchini but then I tried them with asparagus and they were primo!
I didn’t really care for these with zucchini but then I tried them with asparagus and they were primo!
I love this recipe and I love the funnel the zucchini fries are in. Where do you buy those or make them? Thanks for sharing!
Only thing I didn’t like about this was the shake n’ bake. I’m going to do this tonight but will find a subsitute for it ! Looks yummy!
This look and sound great HOWEVER there is nothing healthly about shake n bake. It’s made with partially hydrogenated oil, sugar and probably too much salt. I would highly suggest replacing that with a seasoned organic panko crumb coating instead which is what I’ll do 🙂
I like that they are baked rather than fried. I find that I do not fry anything anymore because heart disease runs heavily in both my family and my husband's. It's not worth taking the risk. I plan to make these soon and add it to my collection of "baked" foods. Thank you.
Yes! Finally a good "baked zucchini" recipe that actually tastes as good as fried! This was not too hard to make, the hardest part for me was cutting the zucchini, but once you get going, you start getting faster! :o)
Simple but look amazing. I like your presentation too. Can't wait to try!
HI Lauren.
Shake & Bake is a coating offered by Kraft; you can find it online or at a local grocers:
http://www.kraftbrands.com/shake-n-bake/
But as one of the commentors Seb suggested below, you can make your own version using cornflake crumbs and AP flour. I believe bread crumbs would work too, so give it a try.
what exactly is shake and bake? would bread crumbs work?
I used gluten free bread crumbs in place of the shake and bake and these turned out fantastic – a huge hit with the whole family!
what a beautifull stumble !
Thanks so much Seb, for sharing your recipe! I'm sure it'll help several other readers to try this at home:)
I wondered the same Raw_Girl. It's not something we have in the UK, but apparently you can make your own version by combining.
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn flake crumbs
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Hi Raw_Girl – it is one of the readymade seasoning mixes offered by Kraft. You can buy them in any grocery store. Here's some more info if you like:
http://www.kraftbrands.com/Shake-n-bake/
What is shake and bake coating mix?
These look terrific!
Those look delicious! I'm going to have to try them.
Mary, Nancy – welcome to the blog. I'm glad you enjoyed the post, and thank you for your kind comments!
Ohhhh this sounds incredible! Lovin' this healthy twist! Great blog!!
These zucchini fries sound amazing and healthy too. Love your photo!