Baked Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

• 1 large egg white
• Salt and freshly grated black pepper
• 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• Cooking spray
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
• Marinara sauce (for dipping; quick homemade version below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. 
3. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. 
4. Dip zucchini sticks into eggs, then into bread crumb and cheese mixture- a few at a time and shake to coat. 
5. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. 
6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. 
7. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping.

Quick Marinara Sauce

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• Salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 small bay leaf

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. 
2. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low.
3. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Skinnytaste

How To... Make Seasoned Breadcrumbs (from plain breadcrumbs)

A recipe I was using (which turned out delicious, by the way) called for "seasoned breadcrumbs". We usually keep them in the house, so I wasn't concerned but when I decided to make them over the weekend, I looked in our fridge and saw that we had none. What I did find was plain breadcrumbs.

I quickly Googled for a recipe, and Food.com came to the rescue (with multiple 5* reviews). All the "seasonings" are pantry staples for me so a shake of this and a spoonful of that- I had seasoned breadcrumbs!

Ingredients

• 4 cups (13-oz) plain breadcrumbs (we love this 100% whole wheat breadcrumbs)
• 1-1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1-1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 rounded tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• 1 rounded tsp pepper
• 1-1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mix all your ingredients together :)

Source: Adapted from Food.com

Alton Brown's Bacon Horseradish Dip

I love me some Alton Brown, and this dip was no exception. While his onion dip is still my all-time favorite dip, this is another delish app that earned 2 thumbs up.

Now, if you don't care for horseradish, I would steer clear of this recipe. I like horseradish just fine, but if I could have this dip every day (of which I did eat this every.single.day for 3 days), I'd be one happy diner.

Adding the chopped bacon...

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 medium onions, large diced
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream (reduced-fat is fine)
• 3/4 cup Hellmann's mayo (full fat here)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp jarred horseradish
• Stacy's Pita Chips (for dipping)

Directions

1. In a cold saute pan, add the chopped bacon, turn onto medium heat and cook until the bacon is cooked all the way through (but before it gets extra crispy).
2. Once the bacon is cooked, remove the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate.
3. In the same saute pan, cook the onions until soft in the bacon grease.
4. While the onion is cooking, add and mix the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.
5. Add the cooked bacon and sauteed onions.
6. Place the dip into the fridge to allow the flavors to marry. (This step is important- it tastes much better if you let the flavors meld for at least 2-3 hours.)

Yield: approx. 4 cups

Source: Adapted from Alton Brown