Perfectly fried zucchini rings, veggie alternative snack that has recently spoken to many vegetarians all over the world. Since it does not require professional cooking skills nor a lot of energy and time spent in the kitchen, people have realised how convenient and beneficial for the human body such a snack may become. Find out for yourself today with Hana’s Recipes portal, showing you the photo recipe with the outcome of 12 crispy veggie pieces!
Zucchini: Health benefits of the main ingredient
If you’re searching for a snack that’s both delicious and nutritious, look no further than the fried zucchini rings. In previous photo recipes making use of zucchini as the main ingredient, for instance creamy zucchini risotto or fine zucchini fritters, we have shown you how beneficial zucchini itself is for the human body and the immune system. Let’s remind ourselves of those advantages again, persuading you to daily prepare your meals from this ingredient:
- Low calorie content: Zucchini happens to be quite low in calories. A single cup of raw zucchini has approximately 20 calories. Therefore, this leads many people to implement zucchini in their everyday recipes for proper weight management, ideal for those on a diet or with special dietary limitations and diseases.
- Hydration: You have certainly noticed before how watery zucchini actually is. In many recipes, it is necessary to wipe it with a napkin to remove its excess water. Zucchini contains over 90% of water, which is truly a high level. However, it keeps the human body properly hydrated, particularly beneficial during hot summer days or after challenging physical activities.
- Nutrients and antioxidants: Despite zucchini’s low calorie content, it is rather rich in essential nutrients like vitamin A and C, potassium and folate. It also provides small but still advantageous amounts of B vitamins, calcium as well as iron. Additionally, we can find plenty of antioxidants in zucchini, specifically carotenoids like beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Altogether, they help the human body fight oxidative stress as well as any potential risk of chronic diseases.
- Control over blood sugar levels: Not only is zucchini low in terms of the glycemic index but it also consists of a generally small fiber content. This helps to stabilise blood sugar levels inside the human body. As a result, zucchini becomes a great choice to implement in diverse recipes for people with diabetes or for those who might be potentially at risk of developing this condition.
- Digestive, heart, even eye health: Zucchini is rather low in fiber but it is not in terms of dietary fiber source, especially the one consumed with its skin. This helps with general digestion, prevention against constipation and healthy support of the gut membrane. In addition, potassium content in zucchini regulates the blood pressure, leading to the risk reduction of hypertension as well as the heart disease. And what about the proper eye health? We already introduced antioxidants called lutein and zeaxanthin. Both of them are beneficial for the protection against age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Thanks to the mentioned health benefits of zucchini, short preparation time of the whole snack and delicious veggie outcome at the end, fried zucchini rings have become a true crowd-pleaser and an amazing alternative to traditional fried snacks.
Enough talking! Let’s get to the recipe itself! Follow the photo guide below and achieve the snack that will be enjoyed by everyone!
Ingredients
- 200 g of zucchini,
- Salt,
- 30 g of roasted nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, …),
- 60 g of grated Parmesan (you can also choose the cheese type yourself),
- 1 tbsp of olive oil,
- Ground black pepper,
- Dried herbs (e.g. Provencal pepper but again depends on your preference)
Fried zucchini rings: Quick & easy preparation
1
Firstly, cut the zucchini into 0.5 cm slices. If it has seeds in the middle, hollow them out and you will have the shape of zucchini rings at the end. Stack and salt them on both sides and let them “sweat” for a few minutes.
2
Continue with wiping them using a napkin to remove excess water. Turn on the oven at 200 degrees.
3
Wrap the individual rings in a mixture of crushed / blended nuts (choose the type yourself based on your favourite taste or mix different kinds if you wish) and Parmesan cheese. Again, it does not have to be Parmesan but any cheese you generally like.
4
Place the zucchini rings on a baking sheet next to each other. You can also sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese. Spray the rings with olive oil and bake them at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn them halfway through the baking.
Well done! Fried zucchini rings are now ready and their crispiness as well as essential nutrients may be taken in!
Do you need the main course, with which you can combine this veggie alternative snack? No issue! Hana’s Recipes portal recommends trying out the delicious salmon, spicy chicken wings or French boulangere potatoes, where fried zucchini rings could replace the normally used pickles.
If you obviously make more of fried zucchini rings, you can also serve them as the main course, together with rice being the side dish instead. The choice is completely up to you! Bon appetite to whatever form of fried zucchini rings you go for!
FAQ: Can I air-fry the zucchini rings instead of baking them?
Yes, you can certainly air-fry the zucchini rings. Set your air fryer to 200°C (390°F). Then fry for about 10-15 minutes, turning them halfway through for even more crispiness. And ideally fried zucchini rings have been born! Enjoy!
