I often am looking for a salty and crunchy snack in the afternoon or after dinner late night. Sweets don’t do it for me: I need the salt. Given that zucchini is a vegetable and you are baking them (rather than frying) this recipe is a smart alternative to the typical fried potato chip or goldfish (my personal favorite). You can modify these any way you’d like but I opted for a thicker slice so it would be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and I added lots of red pepper flakes for a real kick.  This recipe is a hefty snack for 2 people, double it if you are making for a group. It’s also great to make as an appetizer.  As per usual, I didn’t measure when I created this recipe so go with your gut when proportioning out the various ingredients in the bread crumb mixture. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini, washed and sliced roughly 1/4 thick
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 or so tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup whole wheat panko break crumbs (or whatever kind you have/prefer)
• hefty sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp non fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 egg white
• salt & pepper
• Olive oil

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• Brush a layer of olive oil or vegetable oil to a cookie sheet
• Combine egg white and yogurt in a shallow bowl and combine well
• Combine bread crumbs, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes, cheese, garlic, parsley in a shallow bowl
• Coat your zucchini slices in the yogurt mixture and then transfer to bread crumbs

• Place the slices on your cookie sheet. Using your misto, spray the slices with olive oil to dampen the bread crumbs.

• Bake at 400 until golden brown (about 20 minutes)
• Serve with your favorite sauce