This simple recipe shows how even the healthiest of vegetables can be made into a delicious comfort food. Ideal for a snack or as a side dish, these zucchini sticks are a perfect choice for when you want something easy, tasty and nutritious. Zucchini is a cancer fighting vegetable full of fiber that promotes regular and healthy bowl movements, which in turn prevent carcinogens from settling in your colon. Zucchini is also loaded with antioxidants that decrease cancer causing oxidative stress!
Using not only a healthy vegetable, but the two main supplementary ingredients in this recipe really pump up the nutritional value.
- Walnuts may help reduce not only the risk of prostate cancer, but breast cancer as well, and it only takes as little as 7 walnuts a day to receive the cancer fighting benefit!
- Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast (it won’t make your food rise), it is a staple in vegan cooking for many reasons. It provides a cheesy or nutty savory flavor and is packed with nutritious benefits. Including high B-vitamin, zinc, selenium, folic acid, and even protein! Nutritional yeast even contains B-12 which is void in plant based foods.
Crispy Gluten Free Zucchini Sticks
Serves: 3-4 as a snack or side dish
Ingredients:
2-3 large zucchini and/or summer squash
2 T. fresh chopped thyme
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs (seasoned or plain is fine)
1 T. Bragg’s nutritional yeast
1 egg (or you could sub olive oil)
sea salt, to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Place the walnuts onto a baking sheet then roast, stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes or until toasted and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
In a food processor, mix the roasted walnuts, nutritional yeast, thyme, bread crumbs, and sea salt (or Herbamore) until broken down to resemble parmesan cheese. Place this mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut each strip in half. They will look like pickle spears.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl, dip each zucchini “spear” into the egg mixture, then immediately into the bread crumb and walnut mixture, coating each side (you could also forgo the egg and dip the spears into olive oil instead). Arrange dipped zucchini on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until the crumbs are golden brown and the zucchini are tender, but not too soft approx. 14-16 minutes.
Enjoy as a snack or serve alongside another dish of your choice for a meal.
