Baked Zucchini Chips

These are absolutely yummy!!! My husband (who was requesting fried zucchini) absolutely loved this version (Score for not having to go fried!). Our 33 month old son (who loves veggies) gobbled these up as quickly as he could.


(Only a small amount of what "Bubba" cooked up into)

Baked Zucchini Chips
Source: Never trust a skinny cook...

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup water
1 large zucchini (**don't go for a "Big Bubba" or you'll need to double the dry ingredients)

1. Slice your zucchini into "chips". I used a mandolin slicer for this. Warning: Don't let your husband use your slicer unless you're sure he won't cut himself. (Love you honey!)
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
3. Spray your cooking rack (you want the heat/air to circulate on both sides at the same time, so they cook best on a rack and not on a baking sheet) with nonstick cooking spray or cooking oil.
4. Dip your slices of zucchini into the milk and then immediately in the dry ingredients, making sure to coat both sides. Place on cooking rack in a single layer.
5. Bake at 425 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Eat right away or they will become soggy. We ate ours with a small amount of homemade pizza/marinara sauce.

*We used a really huge zucchini that I referred to as Big Bubba and I had to double the dry ingredients. This zucchini was about 12 inches long and 3 inches in diameter. If using a "normal" size zucchini, the listed amount of dry ingredients should be fine.

Pepperoni Rolls

This recipe has LOTS of room for modification and still turn out great.

Pepperoni Roll/Log

Bread/pizza dough (enough for 1 loaf of bread or 1 pizza per roll)
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Any other favorite pizza toppings

Roll out dough into a square/rectangle around 11 inches wide. I used a premade canned pizza dough and just rolled it out and then made it into an even layer - mine ended up a rectangle. Then you are going to cover the dough completely (don't leave an edge) with your meat and other pizza topppings. Top with a light layer of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning (don't go too heavy on this) and garlic powder. Then you're going to roll up your pizza into a log. Start at one end (the narrow end if it's in a rectangle), and tightly (and carefully when you're starting to roll) it up into a log. Once done, place on your baking sheet and cook in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The crust will be golden brown and when you flick it, it will make a thump - similar to testing cooked bread. Now here is the really important step: Do not cut into the log/plan to eat it, until it cools. This give the dough that's all the way in the center the ability to cook completely. It also makes it much easier to cut into slices. This can be served cooled with warmed pizza sauce to dip in and it still tastes absolutely yummy. It only takes about an hour for it to cool.

Ok, now on to my notes. I cut my log in half and separated it before cooking since I wanted to leave no room for error on the dough cooking all the way through. It was perfect the way it was. Also, most people brush melted butter or an egg wash on the top on the rolls before baking but I skipped this step and I think it wasn't necessary anyways. Might be if you use bread dough, but I'm not sure. Some people slice their roll into slices (kind of like you would for cinnamon buns) before baking and have great results. I might try that another time.

Spinach Stuffing Balls

While these don't sound very appealing, they were a hit with both myself and my husband. The particular recipe I chose to make came from MomAdvice.com. I tweaked it slightly, so if you want to see the original recipe, follow the above link.

Spinach Stuffing Balls

2 (16 oz) packages frozen spinach
1 package turkey-flavored stuffing mix*
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Thaw spinach and drain in a sieve, use back of a wooden spoon to press the spinach against the sieve to get as much moisture as possible out In a bowl combine the spinach, stuffing mix, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and butter. Mix thoroughly & roll into small balls 3/4 to 1″ size. (I used a "cookie" scoop to scoop out equal amounts and then rolled them in my hands to firm up the balls.) If cooking right away, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. If making for later, place on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, place in a freezer safe bag or container.

To serve from frozen: Place frozen balls on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

*Use turkey, chicken, or any other dry stuffing mix. Experiment and try out different combinations to find a flavor you like.