Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip

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Yield: about 3 dozen sticks
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Here's a guilt-free way to enjoy the crunchy outside (and juicy inside) of a restaurant-style zucchini stick.

Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip

star rating (30) rate this recipe »
Hands-on time:
Baking time:
Total time:
Yield: about 3 dozen sticks
Published: 04/04/2011

Ingredients

Dip

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini sticks

  • 3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3"-long stick
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs
  • olive oil spray
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute; or 2 large eggs; or 3 egg whites, lightly beaten

Directions

1) To make the dip: Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over moderate heat, and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, then caramelize. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes. The lower the heat, the longer it takes, but the less likely you are to burn the onions.

2) Once the onions are a medium brown, remove from the heat and add the vinegar.

3) Place the onions and vinegar into a small food processor. Add the honey and mustard, and process or blend until smooth.

4) Add the mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

5) To make the zucchini sticks: Place the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt. Let the zucchini drain for 1 hour or longer; rinse and pat dry.

6) Combine the Panko, Parmesan, and pizza seasoning; set aside.

7) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spray the parchment with olive oil.

8) Dredge sticks a few at a time in the egg, then roll in the crumb mixture. Place the sticks on the prepared baking sheet.

9) Bake sticks for 12 minutes, turn over, and bake for an additional 8 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

10) Serve immediately, with sweet onion dip.

Yield: about 3 dozen zucchini sticks, and 1 1/2 cups dip.

Reviews

1 23  All  
  • star rating 05/05/2012
  • Josie from Virginia
  • I made this last night and it was very good. I love zucchini sticks and this recipe did not disappoint. But the onion dip was what stole the show. Like others I used Greek yogurt over mayo. I also cut down on the amount of vinegar as I find it's taste overwhelming. This dip is a wonderful compliment to veggies, specifically your garlic stuffed mushrooms. It will be a staple in my fridge from now on. Thank you.
  • star rating 05/04/2012
  • anniesmail from KAF Community
  • I have made these several times now because they are delish. The recipe as stated can make enough for 4 or 5 medium zucchini. I agree with the other reviews that the dip has too much mayo - use about 1/2 the amount. The mayo dilutes the terrific oniony flavour.
  • star rating 05/02/2012
  • Laura from Ohio
  • Wow. This was really great. I used honey from our bee hives, and it was fantastic. Sandwiches tomorrow to use the dip again! Thanks.........
  • star rating 04/15/2012
  • Miranda from Vancouver, BC
  • Super yummy! I used 75% Plain Yogurt and 25% Japanese Mayo for the dip and it was delicious and fairly low cal/low fat!
  • star rating 03/30/2012
  • lori mclain from denton, tx
  • These look great...love that they are baked !
  • star rating 03/30/2012
  • from
  • I agree with juggler78. I am English and this recipe is not traditional because of the way it is finished. Traditional English Hot Cross Buns do NOT have icing. They are finished with a pastry cross made of flour and water which I roll out, cut into strips, and then lay across the top in cross shapes. If you use icing do not call it traditional English because it is not.
  • star rating 03/16/2012
  • Alison from Greensboro, NC
  • The zucchini sticks turned out WONDERFULLY! Light and crispy perfection! After patting them dry, I tossed them in a couple of TBSP of flour before the egg dip. This really helps the egg and panko cling to the zucchini. The dip was good, but a bit too sweet for me. I will half the honey next time and/or add a bit of cayenne for a kick. I am going to try a version of this recipe next with sweet potatoes! Slice the potatoes into 1/8" rounds, dip in flour, egg then a mixture of panko, parmesan, brown sugar and cinnamon. Serve with homemade honey butter spread or cinnamon-spiked vanilla yogurt. YUM-O!
  • star rating 03/10/2012
  • NewNana from KAF Community
  • I love both the zucchini and the dip and everyone who I have made it for begs me to make it again. I did have some difficulty with the breading the first time I made the zucchini. The next time I tried coating the zucchini in flour first, then the egg and breading. That worked perfectly - the breading stayed on from coating through baking. The other change I made from the first time was to substitute Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise in the dip. It was absolutely delicious! I've never made the mayonnaise version so I cannot compare but 1 cup of my Fage 0% Greek yogurt has 130 calories and 23 grams of protein. One cup of my reduced fat mayonnaise has 960 calories and no protein. Given those stats I have no desire to make it any other way.
1 23  All  

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