Zucchini Fries

Tired of the same ole' side dish?

How often do you cook the same side dishes?  Corn, green beans, potatoes (mashed or baked).  Sound familiar?? 


Side dishes are an important part of the meal that are often overlooked.  I know that I surely get in a rut and cook the same sides over and over!  Everyone can use a little exploring in the side dish arena.  I mean, they are such an important part of the meal.  It's recommended that 3/4 of your plate contain some sort of side dish, whether it is a starch or vegetable.  


So I've been experimenting with side dishes.  Bringing more vegetables in to my diet.  Low carbs, high fiber, they are GOOD for you!  Summertime brings summer squash.  I'm lovin' me some squash!  So I had some left over zucchini in the frig and needed to use it up before it went bad.  So I experimented and decided to make zucchini fries!  Oh yea, I said zucchini fries...light, roasted (not fried),  breaded bits of tender zucchini, posing as a fry.  That's my take on it anyway.  More like oven fried zucchini sticks, but I like to call them fries.  


Are you excited yet?  These are sooooo good!  And, what better way to get your kids to eat some veggies by calling them fries!!!  Major winner!  You can eat them alone, or better yet, serve with a nice creamy dip.  I suggest some sour cream and chives, a creamy garlic yogurt dip, or a nice lemon aioli.  


What's your favorite new side dish?  I love to know...

These are almost too easy  to require a recipe, but I did put something together for you.


Zucchini Fries


serves 4


1 medium zucchini
1 egg
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t Italian seasoning
Optional:  creamy dip, or sour cream and chives


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Slice each half into planks and then in to long strips.  To make them bite size fries cut each long strip in half across the width.


Beat egg in a dish. Set aside.  In another dish place panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and grated cheese.  Mix to blend.


Dip sticks in egg and then in the bread crumb mixture.  Turn to coat all sides.  Place on a wire rack that has been placed inside a cookie sheet.  This allows browning on all sides.  Bake for 20 min until golden brown and tender.


Serve with a nice creamy dip if desired.

Southern Sundays

Welcome to another...

Southern Sundays

Is the weather warming up where you are? It sure is around here.  Summer is on the way and I'm getting in the grilling mood.  In fact, we grilled last night!


We had a wonderful chicken kabob dish flavored with tequila and lime....can anyone say Margarita??  Oh, and I made a tomato stack salad that was to die for!  Look for the posting of these recipes soon!  What is your favorite food to grill?  Is it chicken, steak, pork, vegetables, or perhaps pizza??  Let me know!  It's fun to share different ideas with each other and I love the creativity that you all have!


A big "thank you" to all that participated in last week's Southern Sundays.  We had a great response and several recipes were very popular among the crowd.  This week I'll be featuring 3 outstanding recipes!  Take a moment and pop over to the creator's sites and say 'Hi!".

Congratulations on this week's features!

Dumb Dora Coffee Cake

by The Mouth of the South

Grilled and Glazed Carrots

by Cooking with K

Fudge Crunch Brownies

by Back For Seconds

Quite a selection wouldn't you say?

Everyone ready to party?

Guidelines:

Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Chicken With Tomato Couscous

I just got back from vacation visiting my family in Franklin, TN.  Jet lagged...but I had a great time!  Let me just say that the weather was just gorgeous all week.  Not hot, not humid (which it always seems to be humid to a Californian!) mid-70's...just perfect!

Franklin, TN is such a quaint place to visit with lots of civil war history, beautiful countryside, and fun things to see and do.  Mom and I love to take long drives viewing the countryside and small towns that surround the area.  This time we went to Radnor Lake and I was so happy that we did.  It was beautiful!

I took some time to take pictures of the lake, the old part of town, and some wonderful Victorian houses that are in the area.  I'll be sharing those pictures and stories with you soon.  I think that traveling is such an exciting part of life.  Seeing other parts of the country, how the people live, what's important to them, and the food they make is a growing experience.  This is one of my favorite things!  Do you all feel the same way?  What is the best place that you've visited??

This week in Nashville, the CMA awards were going on.  The city was crowded with people that came from all over.  My flight home last night was a star-studded flight to say the least.  Celebrities going home to LA.  Tom Arnold, Denise Richards, and Stone Cold were very friendly and taking photos with a local Army serviceman, which was fun to watch.  This definitely made the 4 hour flight go quicker, and was nice to see the honor to our serviceman.  

But on to the food....

The other day I left you with a homemade Hummus recipe.  (Click on the title in the previous sentence to go to that recipe. )  This recipe focuses on a dish that goes well with that hummus.  A  Mediterranean style dish that is a great family, weeknight dish.  You can have this on the table in 30 minutes.  How great is that?  Using simple ingredients, and a little help from packaged couscous you can have a flavorful chicken and couscous dish that is complimented by hummus and pita wedges.

What is Couscous you say?? Couscous is a wonderful grain.  Made from semolina these tiny bits of round pellets come from North Africa and is a staple in many countries along the Mediterranean Sea.  Most stores sell a version of instant couscous which cooks very quickly, 5-8 minutes. (Love that!)  Couscous should be light and fluffy, and never gummy.  If you've never tried it, take a chance, cause you are in for a treat!  It's a great alternative to rice.  A very versatile grain.  You can find in the store next to the rice.

Kitchen Tip:  Flavor couscous by cooking in either water or chicken broth, and adding spices, herbs, or vegetables. 

Try this dish soon.  A great weeknight meal, and very kid-friendly.  They love the little grains, cause they are like mini rice!   I'm sure that everyone will give you a big "thank you" for cooking this for dinner!  

See the little pearls of couscous here?  It's great with all the vegetables and herbs in it!

A great dish to serve with the homemade hummus...the flavor work together so well.

I love this dish!

Chicken With Tomato Couscous

serves 4

1 10 oz package toasted pine nut couscous

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T olive oil, divided

Salt & pepper to taste for seasoning

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 T chopped fresh basil

2 T red onion, minced

1T lemon juice

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Hummus and pita wedges (optional)

Prepare couscous according to package directions.

Brush chicken with 1 Tbsp. oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook chicken in a large nonstick skillet or grill pan, over medium high heat about 8 minutes on each side or until done.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, onion, lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. oil, and the salt and pepper.  Stir tomato mixture into prepared couscous.

Divide couscous mixture among 4 plates; top each with 1 chicken breast.  Serve with hummus and pita wedges if desired.

adapted from Southern Living