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Garlic Zucchini Fries are so delicious! These savory beauties are garlicky, salty, and tender with optional parmesan cheesy goodness. Plus they’re a wonderful, healthier alternative to regular fries.

It’s summertime and that means zucchini galore! 

There is always an abundance of zucchini during the summer. There are so many ways to use up this summer bounty. Zoodles, zucchini muffins, zucchini waffles, zucchini bread, zucchini cake, zucchini frittatas, zucchini soup, zucchini pancakes, zucchini fritters, zucchini cookies … you get the picture. 

People go crazy for zucchini when summer comes around. Do you love zucchini as much as everyone else? I love it for so many reasons. 

Zucchini is so easy to prepare. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much. It can be sautéed in minutes for a quick weeknight veggie. It’s great thrown into casseroles, soups, pasta, meatloaf, and so much more. 

Then there’s zucchini fries … oh my goodness they are so yummy and addictive. The best part … they’re so easy to make! It’s almost not even a recipe because it’s so simple.

All you have to do is grab a bunch of zucchini from the market or your backyard if you’re lucky enough to have them growing. Cut them up into “fries”, mix them around with some melted healthy fat of choice, Celtic sea salt and some garlic powder. So easy! 
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You can stop there … or if you can eat dairy, I highly recommend sprinkling some finely grated parmesan all over the zucchini fries. It’s so good! 
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Then pop those healthy fries into the oven and bake them until they’re just perfect and light golden brown around the edges. 
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My family goes crazy for these delectable garlic zucchini fries! They disappear so fast, I always end up wishing I had made more.  

Instructions: 
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1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Remove ends from zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Slice in half again widthwise. Then slice into fourths lengthwise creating thin “fries”. 
3. In a shallow dish, toss zucchini fries with melted ghee/butter or avocado oil, garlic powder and sea salt. Use clean hands to mix around and evenly coat. 
4. Line zucchini fries on prepared baking sheet, flesh side facing up. Sprinkle and evenly distribute parmesan over the tops of the zucchini fries.    
5. Place in oven and lower heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until parmesan is light golden brown and zucchini fries are cooked through and start to have light golden brown edges. 

Notes: 
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• Yield: 4-6 servings. 
• Recipe can easily be doubled, but you might need to spread it out on two baking sheets. 

Eat Well & THRIVE!
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They multiply like bananas and I need to find things to do with them. I like making zucchini noodles like these Nettle-Basil Pesto Noodles, or Sautéed Zucchini.

Zucchini is very versatile. It will take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with so it can be used in savory or sweet dishes. Sweet is what I have been wanting since I have been off of all sugars (and grains), even fruit for three months to heal my adrenals.

Now that I can have a *little* maple syrup here and there, I used a small amount in my grain free chocolate zucchini bread recipe to give it just a hint of sweetness. It doesn’t take much after going cold turkey off sugar to be highly sensitive to sweet! I also used homemade applesauce made without any added sugar to give it a little extra sweetness.
 
If you are completely off all sugars, you can substitute stevia. Add it little by little as the last thing you put in, and do it to taste. 

Can’t have eggs? That’s ok! Use chia or flax seed as a substitute. To make a chia or flax seed egg substitute, simply put a few tablespoons of the seeds in a jar. Cover with water. The seeds will turn into a gel-like substance that you can add to a recipe in place of eggs. I use a heaping tablespoon per one egg.

I like using coconut flour for my fruit-based, grain free breads like my banana bread or blueberry bread. I use almond flour quite often for other breakfast items like our favorite grain free waffles, or these amazing lemon pancakes, and lunch wraps or flat bread. I like to mix it up so I’m not eating too much of one thing.

The zucchini I used in this recipe was so huge that I was able to make 3 loaves and still have a quarter of it left. You only need a cup of shredded zucchini per loaf so it can easily be stretched. Great for the budget!

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​This recipe makes one loaf. If you want to double it, you can. I like to double the recipe but not double the eggs. The photo above shows a doubles recipe with 4 eggs and 4 TBS chia seed “gel”.
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Instructions:
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add wet ingredients one by one.
3. Add zucchini last.
4. Stir well after each addition.
5. Let mixture sit for at least five minutes.
6. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
7. Pour batter into pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
10. This bread will be crumbly so handle gently when transferring and slicing.
11. Can be stored in the refrigerator.

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 When working with coconut flour, be sure to measure precisely. Also, letting the mixture sit for at least five minutes will allow the dense coconut flour to absorb the moisture and be less “gritty”.

This batter will be fairly thick (almost crumbly, but wet) like a cookie batter. It’s not smooth or runny like a cake batter. Does that make sense?
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The end result is a moist, dense cake-like bread that is wonderful paired with a cup of tea, or Swiss water decaf coffee, or a tall glass of raw milk!


​What’s your favorite way to eat zucchini? 


Be nourished. Be happy.
Enjoy!

We are very excited to have new contributors on board providing recipe and nutrition information. They will give us fresh perspective and recipes each week!

Getting kids to eat vegetables can be a tricky battle. My kids will often offer a firm “no” before even tasting the dish. Over the years I’ve tried all sorts of fun ways to prepare and present vegetables in an effort to entice them to be adventurous, try new vegetables and inevitably consume more vegetables.
I’ve done some pretty crazy stuff to get my kids to try new foods, with mixed results. From time to time though, I come across a winner of a dish. A dish my kids, the whole family even, adore…

That’s where these Stuffed Zucchini Boats come in. There are copious amount of veggies concealed within this fun dish and the kids find it difficult to resist.

Of course you can feel free to mix it up and stuff your Zucchini with your veggies of choice totalling two cups to replace the mushrooms, red peppers and leeks – we just find this combination to be so flavorful that we enjoy it this way time and time again.

To me these Zucchini Boats are a fun, veggie, carb free, pizza alternative. So, my preference is to top them with Oregano and Parmesan (proper Parmigiano Reggiano) to give them an authentic pizza flavour.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and get out a baking dish.
2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthways, remove the pulp with a teaspoon and reserve a half a cup.
3. Heat a little coconut oil in a large frying pan/skillet.
4. When hot add the reserved zucchini pulp, mushrooms, red pepper, leek and garlic.
5. Cook until the vegetables have softened and the liquid has reduced.
6. Once cooked, remove to a bowl.
7. Fill the Zucchini Boats with the vegetable mixture and top with the Oregano and optional parmesan.
8. Place into the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and the zucchini has cooked through.

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I believe that life is all about balance so while we enjoy the Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats, it’s also fun to prepare a meaty version, stuffed with a rich meat filling that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Both of these Stuffed Zucchini Boat recipes are really easy to prepare and a delicious way to get more veggies into your family meals.