Is your child tired of the same old fries with dinner? Invite him to bake up some tasty zucchini fries to accompany the next family meal. Because they are baked, not fried, they are a great healthy alternative!
What You Need:
- 2 medium zucchinis
- Paring knife
- ¼ c flour
- ¼ c Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp salt
- Dash of pepper
- 2 plastic zip-top bags
- Sheet pan
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Spatula
- Paper towel
What You Do:
- Invite your child to preheat the oven to 400F, then wash and dry the zucchinis.
- Now he can carefully half the zucchini and then cut into strips using the paring knife resembling the same shape and size of a French fry. Using a paring knife is a great culinary skill, but should be done with adult supervision.
- Next, your child can measure and add the Panko breadcrumbs, flour, and salt and place in one of the plastic zip-top bags.
- In the other zip-top bag, your child can place the egg, seal, and then squish until it is scrambled.
- Now he can coat the sheet pan with oil. Tell him to place a handful of zucchini strips in the bag with the egg, remove, and place in the flour and breadcrumbs and shake.
- Invite him to remove the coated zucchini from the bag and place on the sheet pan. He can keep putting the strips in the egg and then into the flour and breadcrumb mixture until all the zucchini strips are on the pan.
- Now he can pop the zucchini in the oven for 10 minutes. Then he'll flip them over and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
- Offer assistance as needed removing the zucchini from the oven and then invite your child to remove the oven-baked zucchini from the sheet pan and place on a sheet of paper towel. He can sprinkle the finished fries with salt and serve to friends and family!
Did You Know:
Not only is zucchini edible, but the flower is too! And one zucchini has only 25 calories, making it one of the healthiest vegetables!
By Sarah Lipoff
Sarah Lipoff has a K-12 Art Education degree and enjoys working with kids of all ages.
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