Baked Zucchini Sticks with Caramelized Onion Dip

GAH! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I've posted any recipes. My life has been so crazy that I haven't had time for blogging! Anyway... I'm going to make up for it by posting a bunch of recipes I've tried out lately. As we all know, late summer/early fall is zucchini season. As soon as I whipped up something with one zucchini, there would be three more in my garden. Here is one recipe that became a hit at my house. You can find the original recipe from King Arthur Flour here. Just a side note, I make the dip while the zucchini drains in the sink.

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Caramelized Onion Dip

Yield: about 3 dozen sticks

Dip:

1 T butter

1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced

2 T cider vinegar

2 T honey

1 T prepared mustard

1 C mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Zucchini Sticks

3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3" long sticks

1 T salt

1 C panko bread crumbs

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 T Italian seasoning

Olive oil spray

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. To make dip: Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat, and add sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, then caramelize. This should take between 10 to 15 minutes. The lower the heat, the longer it takes, but the less likely you are to burn the onions.

2. Once onions are a medium brown, remove from the heat and add vinegar.

3. Place onions and vinegar into a small food processor. Add honey and mustard, and process and blend until smooth.

4. Add mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

5. To make zucchini sticks: Place zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the tablespoon salt. Let the zucchini drain for 1 hour or longer; rinse and pat dry.

6. Combine panko, Parmesan and Italian seasoning; set aside.

7. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spray parchment with olive oil.

8. Dredge sticks a few at a time in the egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place sticks on baking sheet.

9. Bake sticks for 12 minutes, turn over, and bake for another 8 minutes until golden-brown and crisp.

10. Serve immediately with sweet onion dip.