I’m Jenny Finke – the blogger behind Good For You Gluten Free – a blog dedicated to living the gluten-free lifestyle. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in April 2012 and have embraced my new roles as gluten-free chef and baker. I am by no means an expert, but because I have to follow a strict gluten-free diet, I’ve hit the kitchen more than I ever have in my entire life and wanted to share my amazing finds and exciting learning’s with others on the same gluten-free journey.
Today I want to share with you a recipe I’ve adapted and played with over the years and, of course, have made it gluten-free. It’s a recipe for Gluten-Free Zucchini French Fries.
I love french fries… but I think we can all agree they are not the healthiest treat to like, especially when deep fried. When eating out I rarely eat french fries – not only because I know they’re deep fried and unhealthy, but also I know they’ve likely been cross contaminated in the fryer with glutenized products.
In my quest to find a gluten-free french fry that isn’t bad for you, I’ve turned to using various vegetables. I’ve tried baking my own potatoes and sweet potato fries, as well as turned green beans, eggplants and turnips into french fries. Today, I’m using zucchinis, my favorite vegetable, to trick my brain into thinking I’m eating those delectable fries I love so much.
The good thing about making french fries with healthy vegetables, and baking them too, is that you can eat a lot of them without feeling guilty. Who doesn’t love to eat large portions of french fries?!? This recipe allows you to do just that!
At first I was worried the zucchini would turn out limp and watery when baked, but they really do hold up firm in the oven. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve seen recipes for zucchini fries all over the place, and it’s truly up to you how to season them.
I’ve personally health-ifed this recipe quite a bit too. There’s no deep frying (baking only), and in honor of my blog post today on the Honeyville site, I used protein-rich Honeyvilled Blanched Almond Flour to coat the zucchini fries. I’m proud to say that the results were amazing – and not only am I eating my vegetables, but also the almond flour adds a pinch of protein while keeping these fries low carb and good for you.
So without further ado, please enjoy my recipe for Gluten-Free Zucchini French Fries. Go ahead and eat a bunch of these suckers without feeling guilty (well, everything in moderation, right?). Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 medium to large Zucchinis
2 Eggs
1 Lemon
1 tsp Salt + 1 pinch of Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Pinch Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Water
1/2 cup of Honeyville Fine Rice Flour (or a rice flour of your choice)
3/4 cup of Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Prepare a baking pan with cooking spray, or use parchment paper
3. Cut each zucchini into 8 “french fries” – first cut in half lengthwise, then divide each half into four even cuts, again cutting lengthwise.
4. Combine eggs, water, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, pepper and juice of 1/2 lemon – mix well
5. Dip each zucchini fry into the rice flour
6. Next, dip the flour-coated zucchini fry into egg mixture. Coat evenly and shake off excess egg.
7. Dip egg-coated zucchini fry into almond mixture. Generously coat.
8. Lay each fry on the baking sheet. Do not overcrowd – give each fry plenty of space.
9. Generously coat the fries with an olive oil spray. Sprinkle salt over the sprayed fries.
10. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes or until flour mixture starts to brown.
11. Garnish with excess lemon and serve immediately – enjoy with a marinara dipping sauce (optional).
You can store the fries in an air-tight container and heat up in the toaster oven for crispy fries the next day.
Notice the crispy texture (thanks to the almond flour on the outside), and the moist and tender zucchini on the inside. It’s love at first bite!
If you like this recipe and want more easy, gluten-free recipes, come on over and find me at Good For You Gluten Free. You can also follow Good For You Gluten Free on Facebook. I share a lot of great information on my Facebook page to help you live the good for you gluten-free lifestyle!
