Delicious Appetizers from the Garden

You may have noticed that restaurants are offering fried zucchini in season as an appetizer. Demarle products offer a healthier way to achieve the same taste with an added bonus of easy cleanup.

With fresh zucchini and yellow squash from the garden on the kitchen counter and company on the way, I decided to bake appetizers. I adapted the recipe for Zucchini Frippe from the DAH A Fresh Approach to Beginnings & Endings Cookbook to make it gluten free and less allergenic for me (egg whites only). And, since I was planning to serve them with dips, I did not add any seasoning.

3 yellow squash and 1 zucchini were cut on the diagonal in 1/4" slices. The slices were dipped in a whisked mixture of 2 egg whites and 1 T oil and then coated with a 1:1 mixture of shredded Parmesan cheese and GF bread crumbs. These were laid out on the large Silpat®/PBS and baked for 15 minutes at 375°.

I served them piping hot out of the oven with ranch dressing and sweet chili sauce for dipping. They were such a hit I did not get a picture of them before they disappeared! This tray of appetizers was devoured in no time by 5 adults, You may be thinking that anything coated with Parmesan cheese and dipped in sauce would taste good, but the yellow squash got even more compliments than the zucchini.  

This is a recipe worth passing on to you. So tasty and healthy! Thanks, Lavelle, for adapting a seasonal treat to the Demarle style of cooking!

Zucchini Fritte

Serves 6-8

By Lavelle Wallace

From the DAH A Fresh Approach to Beginnings & Endings Cookbook

Ingredients

1 8-10”Zucchini sliced on the oval ¼” thick

1-2 t chopped fresh herbs of choice (basil, oregano) optional

1 C Panko breadcrumbs

1C shredded Parmesan cheese

1 t sea salt

1 egg

1 t olive oil

Fritte is Italian for fried, but these have the same great taste without frying. My mother used to make the pan-fried version of these (without the Parmesan cheese) every summer when the squash was ripe. It was a family favorite. These are a great healthy beginning to any meal or an additional vegetable. They’re so easy to make because they are all cooked at the same time.

Directions

Place oven rack in enter position and preheat oven to 375°.

Place the Silpat® on the PBS and set aside. 

Prepare zucchini and herbs as listed above. 

In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, sea salt and herbs. 

In a small bowl, whisk egg and olive oil. 

Dip zucchini slices into egg mixture and then into bread crumb mixture.

Place zucchini slices on the Silpat®. 

Bake for 12-16 minutes until golden brown. 

Remove from Silpat® and place on a serving plate. 

Serve hot or at room temperature.