Tales from our Garden: Zucchini Fries with Herb Mayo

Year, after year zucchini seems to take over our garden. Before we even discover the zucchini growing it grows into ginormous sizes. 

I have began to run out of zucchini ideas so last week I decided to go with a classic.Whenever I think of zucchini I think of the breaded and crispy zucchini sticks that I used to order on my days off as staff at Camp Timberlane at the local Haliburton restaurant McKecks. This time, I went a little healthier than the deep fried ones from back in the day and decided to oven  bake them instead and instead of the creamy ranch dressing that used to come on the side I whipped up a herb mayo for dipping. These went great with a side salad and some barbequed sausages.

Zucchini Fries
Serves 4 as a side

• 2 green zucchini, or 1 large one cut into strips
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 cups of italian bread crumbs
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the egg, flour and bread crumbs into separate bowls. Season each with some salt and pepper. Mix the garlic powder and paprika with the bread crumbs.
3. Dredge a strip of zucchini into the flour mixture, followed by the egg and then finally the breadcrumbs, place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining zucchini.
4. Drizzle the zucchini with some olive oil and place in the oven to bake. 
5. After 10 minutes, flip the zucchini over and place back in the oven for another 10-12 minutes or until the breading is golden and crispy and the zucchini is tender. 
6. Serve with some herb may for dipping. 
7. ENJOY!

Herb Mayo
Makes 1 cup

• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. chives, chopped
• zest and juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.
2. Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Tales from our Garden: Kale and Carrot Slaw

Wow! It has been quite awhile since I posted. The past couple months have been crazy including renovations on our house which has kept me out of the kitchen. Things are back to normal now so regular posts should resume.

We now have some catching up to do.

Over the May long weekend we planted our garden for this year, this year it includes:
- four types of tomatoes (beefsteak, cherry, heirloom and san marzano)
- kale
- carrots
- green onions
- peas
- corn
- zucchini
- cucumber
- herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano)
- berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and red currants)

The past few weeks have brought us many delicious raspberries which I have been enjoying by the bowl full daily,

This past weekend, I attended a pot luck picnic and decided to pick my first bunch of kale and a carrot from the garden to make up a delicious and easy kale slaw. This salad is perfect for a BBQ or potluck as the kale is hearty enough to remain crisp and not get soggy after a few hours.

This recipe is the first of many of this season's Tales from our Garden, so enjoy!

Kale and Carrot Slaw
Serves 6-8 as a side dish

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. honey
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch of kale, shredded
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds
• kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper until combined. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking until the mixture is thick and emulsified. 
2. Toss the dressing with the kale, carrots and sunflower seeds. Season with some more salt and pepper and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.