Grilled Parmesan Garlic Zucchini and Panko Encrusted Fried Zucchini

Today I decided to to share two recipes. One is so easy, it may not even really count as a recipe. Both of these are recipes I absolutely love. They are both two great ways to eat zucchini. Either dish I could eat as a meal alone, I love them that much. The first one is the really easy one that I came up with. All you need to make it is a grill, a zucchini, and the Parmesan Garlic Marinade I talked about yesterday from Saucy Mama. I'm telling you that marinade is my favorite! This recipe is so simple but so delicious! To find out more about Saucy Mama you can go to www.saucymamacafe.com. If you can't get the Saucy Mama Garlic Parmesan Marinade, you can use a basic Italian dressing as a substitute.

Next is a recipe I found at a site called Tortatebukura's Blog. The recipe says that it was adapted from Neely's recipe at the Food Network. Now if you don't have panko bread crumbs you could use regular, but I would highly recommend the panko bread crumbs. Regular bread crumbs have a very fine texture and are made from the crust and center of the bread. Panko bread crumbs are coarse (larger) in texture and are only made from the white part of the bread, no crust here. The coarse texture and using only the white portion produces a fluffier crumb. A lot of prepared foods in your frozen food section of you grocery store are made with panko. Both kinds of breaded frozen shrimp I buy from the store are made with panko. You can find it at most grocery stores now. I got the Kikkoman brand from my local Smith's (Kroger in other parts of the country). You can serve you fried zucchini with ranch dressing or marinara/spaghetti sauce. I personally prefer the marinara/spaghetti sauce.

Sorry I almost forgot the winners of the Greek yogurt! Please send you mailing info to laura@realmomkitchen.com

The winner of the 16 oz Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt is
gina said Yum - we love Greek yogurt - especially the honey flavor

The winners of two 5.3 oz cups of Oikos Organic Yogurt are:
Cindi said I love to use Greek yogurt...when I can find it. My grocery stores don't always have it.
Heidi said I have never tried Greek yogurt but have wanted to for some time. This recipe looks so good!





Grilled Parmesan Garlic Zucchini

2 medium sized zucchini
1/4 cup Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade
Parmesan cheese

Wash zucchini. Then cut in half lengthwise and crosswise. Marinade zucchini in Saucy Mama Parmesan Garlic Marinade for 2 hours. You can do it for less if desired, but the longer the better. Grill on outdoor grill approximately 5 minutes on each side until browned. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.






Panko Encrusted Fried Zucchini

Vegetable oil, for frying (I used canola)
2 to 3 large zucchini or 3 to 4 smallish zucchini, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
Parmesan cheese
ranch dressing or marinara/spaghetti sauce

Measure flour into a pie plate. In another pie plate combine panko and salt and pepper, to taste. In a third plate add eggs and water. Dredge the zucchini in the flour, followed by the egg wash and finally in the panko. Press crumbs into the zucchini rounds.

Working in batches, place the breaded zucchini slices in the hot oil and fry until golden brown (I just did this in a large frying pan) , 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined sheet tray and immediately season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Parmesan if you like. The serve with ranch dressing or marinara/spaghetti sauce.