Crispy Zucchini Sticks

Ingredients
Serves 4
3 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt and black pepper in a shallow bowl.

Cut the zucchini lengthwise into eighths. Cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces.
Combine zucchini, vegetable oil and water in a resealable plastic bag.
Shake to coat zucchini. Remove zucchini from plastic bag.
Coat with the bread crumb mixture.
Arrange zucchini in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned, about 7 minutes.
Serve immediately with warm spaghetti sauce, if desired.

Grandma's Secret Tip
The summertime flavor combination of zucchini and basil was one Grandma liked. So she often added 1/4 teaspoon dried basil to the bread crumb mixture before coating the zucchini with it. She sometimes set out a bowl of warm meatless spaghetti sauce for dipping the crisp zucchini sticks into. (recipe and tip from Grandmas’s Kitchen)
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Great things to do with bread crumbs

Bread crumbs have been around our kitchens for a long long time. I remember my mom dredging just about everything in bread crumbs, after dipping it in an egg and milk or cream mixture. It always made the outside of every piece of meat crusty and delicious. Lots of Italian dishes call for breadcrumbs, like veal and eggplant Parmesan. I also remember my mom making Potatoes Au Gratin with bread crumbs all over the top. It was so good.

Recently, I found a great video which uses bread crumbs three different ways. I thought the one with Broccoli was really interesting. Chefs nowadays suggest making your own bread crumbs and, I have to admit, they are a lot better and more flavorful than the ones we used to shake out of those little boxes.

Here's an easy recipe for bread crumbs. You can add whatever else you would like to add to the flavor:

Ingredients: Italian bread (enough to make 2 cups of 1/2 in. cubes), 2 T butter, 1 T olive, 1 T minced garlic, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Directions: Cube the bread and process it until coarse bread crumbs form. Melt butter on med. heat in skillet. Add bread crumbs and cook 7-8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove frpm pan. Add olive oil, minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Add bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and cool. Add salt, ground pepper and your choice of herbs (oregano, thyme, basil).

Click on picture to see the video:



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