Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Once upon a time, my now-93-year-old grandmother had a huge garden.  Despite having ten children, and thus, plenty of people to give them to, she always seemed to have an abundance of zucchini.  I recall eating zucchini as a child in a million different ways - fried zucchini, zucchini sauteed in butter, zucchini bread, zucchini pancakes - you name it.  I loved them all.  Now, one of my favorites are these zucchini crisps.  They  are a great way to use a spare zucchini or two and you can cook them to be as crispy as you would like, without all of the fat that comes with deep frying.  My whole family devours them every time I make them.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium zucchini (sliced thinly, will ultimately fill a large baking sheet)
• 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil
• slightly less than 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs
• slightly less than 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. Coat zucchini slices with olive oil by tossing together in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix panko crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper (to taste).
4. Press one side of each zucchini round into the panko mixture; place panko side down in a single layer on the baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle the tops of the zucchini rounds with the remaining panko mixture.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness of zucchini and desired crispiness.

Note: You may want to double this recipe!

Difficulty: Relatively Easy

Time: 25-30 minutes

Source:  Modified from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life and also seen on http://bakehouse.squarespace.com