Crunchy, sweet, flavorful, and full of anti-oxidants. Could these be the greatest healthy snack food of all time?
Delicately crunchy on the outside. Melt in your mouth soft on the inside. And just the right bit of seasoning to boot. These Parmesan zucchini chips could quite possibly be one of the greatest and tastiest healthy snack foods of all time…or even serve as a vegetable side dish with a full on meal. This diverse and incredibly easy recipe makes use of one of nature’s greatest superfoods and helps make snack time, dinner time, or any other time, just a bit tastier.
Part of the issue with maintaining a clean diet is the fact there are landmines to throw you off track every which way you look. These landmines become ever apparent during those times of day when it’s not quite lunch, or not quite dinner, or not quite time for bed….but you’re HUNGRY. Grabbing a bag of chips or heating up a frozen burrito are far too easy. With the lack of healthy snack food options at most supermarkets, you’re often left to your own devices. Unfortunately, too many people simply don’t know how to make something that’s both tasty AND healthy. This is when poor food choices occur and throw your otherwise healthy day of eating for a loop. With these quick, easy, and tasty Parmesan zucchini chips, you’ve got one more weapon in your never-ending fight against hunger.
A Healthy Snack Food? Isn’t That an Oxymoron?
I’ve written a great deal about integrating “superfoods” into your diet. These particular foods are very nutrient-dense, contain loads of essential vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting antioxidants. Think of foods like blueberries, avocado, broccoli…..you get the idea. Given the properties of zucchini, it firmly belongs in this superfood category. Check out a handful of benefits of eating zucchini:
- Cancer prevention – high amounts of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins fight the kind of internal stress that causes a variety of cancers.
- Anti-Inflammatory – Vitamin A and C are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds which may prevent and/or slow the development of inflammatory diseases such as asthma and arthritis.
- Heart health – Zucchinis contain 10% of your daily dose of magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral proven to lower your risks for heart attack.
- Healthy skin – Zucchini contains loads of the essential mineral manganese which is vital for the formation of proline, a form of protein which contributes to your production of collagen..and a healthier complexion.
Parmesan Zucchini Crisps: The Quick and Easy Healthy Snack Food
So instead of reaching for that bag of Cheeto’s, you’ve decided to take matters into your own hands and whip up something a little better for your health…and waistline. Good decision. You’ll see just how easy this healthy zucchini recipe can be, and how fast you can have these done and ready to devour.
What you’ll need:
- 2-3 zucchini
- olive oil to coat baking sheet
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup Romano cheese (feel free to eliminate the Romano and use all Parmesan)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- First things first, pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Next, grab your zucchini and slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices. Set aside.
- Next, combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl (EXCEPT THE SALT) and set aside.
- Combine egg and milk together in another bowl. Add zucchini in batches to the egg/milk mixture. Toss to coat, allowing excess liquid to drip back into the bowl. Again, working in batches, toss zucchini in the bowl containing your dry ingredients. Be sure to press the coating against zucchini to ensure it sticks.
- Arrange coated zucchini on a lightly greased baking sheet. If you have a little extra time to spare, throw the baking sheet of zucchini into the fridge for about 20 minutes. This helps the coating stick better.
- In your 425 degree oven, place the baking sheet on the middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping zucchini midway through the cook cycle. If they aren’t as crispy as you’d like, turn on the broiler (keep a close eye on them) or simply let them go a little longer.
From start to finish, this entire recipe should take no more than 25 minutes.
The Healthy Snack Food That Keeps on Giving
You didn’t think I was just going to send you on your way now, did you? With these little chips made, you’ve now got a ton of options. You could go ahead and eat them like potato chips. Consider dipping them in marinara to up the taste factor even further. Cook these extra crispy and throw them on top of your favorite sandwich. Seriously, the added texture and flavor takes an ordinary turkey sandwich to unbelievable levels. Looking for a vegetable side dish? Well, these make the perfect partner to any sort of fish, seafood, or chicken dish. Doing a pasta night? Cook these up nice and crispy, then roughly chop them and toss them in with your pasta. They’ll provide a nice little crunch with each bite and deliver a layer of taste that can liven up any pasta dish. When I’m really feeling creative, I’ll roll these crispy little morsels up in a whole wheat burrito, along with some marinara, a small handful of mozzarella, and some baked tofu for mexi-italian burrito that has become one of my favorite healthy snack foods on the planet. Sounds weird, but give it a try sometime…
Bottomline, you don’t need to turn to store bought junk to satisfy your cravings. These Parmesan zucchini chips are such an improvement (nutritionally and taste) over the processed junk everyone else is eating. Leave that stuff to them. So next time you’ve got a craving for something salty and crunchy, take the few minutes to cook up a batch of these bad boys and enjoy this healthy little snack food, guilt-free.
Think these sound good? Cmon….you know you do. Go ahead, be a pal, and LIKE US on Facebook so you don’t miss any of our other TASTY recipes!
Matt
Latest posts by Matt (see all)
- The Summer Slim Down Workout Part 2 - May 21, 2013
- Video – Afterburner Ab Workout - May 14, 2013
- The Summer Slim Down Workout Part 1 - May 14, 2013
Pingback: Zucchini Chips | Beautiful Disasters