- Fried Zucchini with a Creamy Dipping Sauce -

Howdy! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. I sure did!
I've not posted recently because I've been out of town. But I'm back and ready to get you some recipes and more great info.
Onto today's post:


  I love fried things. I always have. Thankfully, though, I don't really crave them anymore. But a couple weeks ago, for whatever reason, I wanted to try my hand at making fried onions. They were ok. Tasted good because they were fried, but nothing much to look at. So I decided to try making fried zucchini instead. And it worked SO well. Much better than the onions. I am quite excited about it... not that I fry things regularly. But I'm glad that I have a solid go-to recipe if something needs frying. [Tonight I'm going to try making fried mozzarella sticks with fresh mozzarella from Trader Joe's. And I just devoured a whole pan of baked kale chips!] :)

Anyway, after I made the fried zucchini I realized that I didn't have anything to dip it in- it's been so long since I've eaten a dipping sauce. But one can't eat fried zucchini without a sauce! So I peered into my fridge to find things I could whip together real quick. And I mean real quick! I didn't want the warm zucchini to get cold and soggy. So a little bit of this, a little bit of that in the blender and next thing I know I have a creamy, delicious dipping sauce for my delectable fried zucchini. Woo!

I know it's not hard to fry something up, but here's the recipe I came up with in case you're interested. The recipe for the dipping sauce follows.

Fried Zucchini

• 1/2 c. refined almond oil, for frying [Can use coconut oil or macadamia nut oil. If you use unrefined coconut oil, it will taste like coconut. I'd use refined. Do not use olive oil or butter.]
• 1/2 large zucchini, sliced in french fry strips
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c. blanched almond flour

• 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese [finely grate]

• pinch salt & pepper
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• couple shakes of garlic powder

- In a small bowl, beat egg.
- In medium bowl add all dry ingerdients and mix together.
- Heat almond oil in skillet until a drop of water sizzles.
- Place a couple strips of zucchini at a time into egg, then into flour mixture and toss to coat.
- After first coat of flour, place zucchini pieces back into egg mixture and then coat again in flour  mixture.
- Place coated zucchini in oil and fry about 5 minutes each side. Or until deep golden brown.
-Drain on paper towel.
Serve immediately.

[I got the idea to add parmesan cheese from Maria over at Nutritious and Delicious blog. But this is my own recipe.]

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 c. cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 1/2 tbsp organic chicken stock [make sure no sugars or oils are added to it]
• 3/4 tsp dijon mustard
• dash garlic powder
• pinch salt & pepper [to taste]
• 1/8 tsp xanthan gum [optional, makes it a little thicker]

- In blender or food processor blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Pour into serving dish and let set in the fridge for a few minutes.
- Serve with fried zucchini, fresh veggies, chicken, etc.

**If you try either of these recipes out, please come back and let me know how you liked them or if you altered them and how they turned out. Thanks!

-Enjoy eating-