Our “garden” consists of a zucchini plant, a tomato plant and two pepper plants placed in strange spots in our front yard. The zucchini plant is in an especially weird and hidden spot. So hidden that we check it one day and don’t see a thing growing, then a few days later this often happens:
(Dollar for scale.)
So, I looked up some recipes. I found you two winners to make a complete dinner. Or late lunch. Or breakfast, if you feel like being in a food coma and/or going right back to bed: Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches + Zucchini Oven Chips. Both recipes I adapted from Cooking Light.
Zucchini Oven Chips (adapted because they burn at the original recipe temp) The Ingredient List:
- 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
- 2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 small- or one big giant one)
- Cooking spray
Directions
1. Put the oven on 375°
2.Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stir.
3. Place milk in a shallow bowl.
4. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. I only had a baking sheet, so I just used that.
6. Bake at 375° for 10-20 minutes or until browned and crisp. Check them after 5 minutes and flip.
7. Serve immediately, these are good dipped in something. Maybe ketchup or ranch or whatever you are in to.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 6 slices
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (2-ounce) ciabatta rolls, split and toasted
- 8 large fresh basil leaves
- 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Directions
1. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. (If you don’t have a grill pan, like me, you can just use a regular pan!)
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil and garlic; toss to coat. Arrange zucchini in grill pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear.
3. Stick zucchini on a plate or dish of some sort. Drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. If you think it needs more vinegar, put it on there!
4. Top each roll evenly with zucchini, basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella.
5. Heat the sandwiches in pan until warm (takes about 5 mins). OR if you have a panini maker, use that!
I ate one part of the sandwich open faced, which was awesome. We also used baguette bread since that is all we had, but these would taste the best with the ciabatta bread that Cooking Light recommended. Finally, we dunked the sandwich in more balsamic vinegar, which if you are a vinegar fan makes this sandwich even more delicious.
This was an easy dinner and it was fun to eat a sandwich, which I don’t eat often… mostly because I can’t ever find a sandwich I like. I’m glad I found one, since I’m sure we will find some more surprise zucchini in the “garden.”
Lots of Dishes 