Breaded Baked Zucchini

Zucchini and I generally don't get along. I hate it raw, because it has a funny texture. And if you don't cook it well enough, it still has a funny texture. I feel this way about egg plant too.

At the sanctuary's vegan micro-farm, there are a lot of monster zucchinis. I felt compelled to try and make something with them, aside from zucchini bread.

So I made this! And it was delicious!!! Like, melt in your mouth good. Cook it long enough and you will not have any of the normal texture of zucchini.

I got the recipe from here.

Baked Zucchini Sticks
(Adapted from this recipe at health.com.)
Ingredients
(for the vegan parmesan)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup walnuts
a dash of salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 medium-sized zucchini
1 1/2 teaspoons NRG egg replacement powder + 2 tablespoons warm water (or another egg substitute equivalent to one egg)
1/4 cup nondairy milk, plain
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or unseasoned breadcrumbs, hand seasoned with your favorite spices – garlic, onion powder, salt, black pepper, etc. – to taste)
Cooking spray

Directions
1. Begin by making the vegan parmesan. In a food processor, combine the nutritional yeast, walnuts, salt, and olive oil. Pulse until well-blended and “crumbly.” Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F. Slice the zucchini into strips 3″ long and about as thick as a medium-cut french fry. Try to cut them as evenly as possible, so they all bake at the same rate. Set aside.
3. Prepare the wet mix: in a small bowl, mix the NRG egg replacer with warm water, whisking well. Add the milk. Set aside.
4. Make the dry mix: combine the parmesan and breadcrumbs in a wide, shallow bowl, mixing well. If using unseasoned breadcrumbs, add extra spices to taste.
5. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.
6. One by one, dip the zucchini strips in the milk/egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs/parmesan, giving them a quick, gentle shake in between the wet and dry mixes. Place them on the baking sheets, with a little space in between each zucchini stick. You can use a spoon to scoop the breadcrumbs on so it does not get so goopy.
7. Bake at 425F for approximate 30 minutes, or until golden brown. I made mine a little thicker so had to cook them longer, about 35-40 minutes.