Spicy Baked Zucchini Sticks are bursting with flavor and so easy to make!
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Last week I discussed how a certain food has come to be associated with a memory. Little did I imagine that just a couple of days later, I would accidentally stumble on to another food with deep memories attached.
It started when I saw zucchini on sale at my local grocery store. I wasn’t sure what to do with them, but I bought a big bag and decided that I would figure it out. I started to cut them into wedges, probably out of laziness, then tossed them with some spices and threw them in the oven.
Forty minutes later I tasted one fresh out of the oven, and was immediately transported back to Israel.
Suddenly, I was sitting around the table in the hotel in Tiberias. I was in Israel chaperoning a group of disabled young women on the trip of their lifetimes. The girls sat around the table laughing and talking. Friendly as anything, they were quickly making friends with the other guests at the hotel. One by one, I took the girls up the front of the room where they had a buffet table set up. These young women weren’t accustomed to the “luxury” of hotels and buffet dinners, so this was extra exciting for them. After all of my girls had gotten their food, I went back up to get some food for myself. I had plans to go out to eat with another staff member that night, so I decided to have a snack.
I saw some zucchini wedges on a tray, so I put some on a plate and headed back to the table. I took a couple of bites, and was instantly hooked. They were gloriously spicy, flavored with the middle eastern spices I love so much. They were soft, but just a tiny bit crispy. They were delicious. I finished my plate and went back for more.
The trip went on for another week, and it was amazing, but also exhausting. It was filled with many extraordinary moments and plenty of delicious food. Needless to say, a plate of zucchini sticks wasn’t exactly the memory I clung to most when I came home. In short, I forgot completely about the delicious little zucchini sticks in that hotel in Israel.
Until I tasted these. Without even meaning to, I had recreated one of the most delicious foods I tasted on that trip.
- 5 small zucchini
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking (cookie) sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut the zucchini in half down the center, then again into 4-6 wedges to create sticks.
- Toss the zucchini wedges with the oil and spices until evenly coated. Place on a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.
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Thanks for stopping by, folks! Stay tuned for some more hamantashen- traditional ones this time! -Miriam
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I love zucchini! I don’t care if my kids won’t eat it, heck that will probably be an incentive for me to make them. They look yummy!
So cool to finally know someone whose recipe is featured in a real magazine!
yum!
Wow Miriam, that article looks terrific! And your photo there is wonderful — good thing you got your new camera in time for that assignment!
This recipe is just the kind of thing I’d make for lunch. One of the many reasons I like working from home…
Thank you! And yeah, that’s why I got the camera now. 🙂
Gloating? 😉 Actually I ate that for lunch three times this week. Not nearly as good cold but still delicious!
That is really exciting!
that is awesome!!! so happy for you! and the cookies look heavenly 🙂
Although i haven’t tried this before and looks so tasty i really thought it is an eggplant the texture and color looks like one when cooked. When i was in Israel I have stayed in a hotel where they served my breakfast the first time i tasted Hummus with pine nuts, My GOD tasted so GREAT!.. Thanks for the tip i will try to cook this one.
Glad you like these!
Funny you mention that about the hummus- one of the most delicious meals I ever has was a hummus plate with falafel and pita in a hole in the wall in Israel. I still drool thinking about it!
Absolutely TASTY! too bad i could not find a single restaurant who can recreate the taste here in west L.A.. Maybe is it the ambiance that made the food awesome..LOL!
Lol! I think it’s because everything is so fresh.
When you go to Israel ma’am, try to visit this place i just found there stuff in the net a year ago the place is great and food is ohhhhh lah lah! tiberias hostel is one of the hotels ive been with a great food. I think you can check there website through here http://tiberiashostel.net/. Please update me whenever yo have new stuff and ill update you with my travels.
Congratulations on the magazine feature! How exciting is that for you!! I love zucchini bread but I’m really not a fan of it cooked any other way. Having admitted that, I will say that your zucchini sticks do look very appetizing.
I make a lot of carrot sticks, sweet potato sticks, etc…now, I would love to try these zucchini sticks. My little girl would love these too.
Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe for zucchini sticks, Miriam! Congratulations on your article, as well. Thanks for sharing. You have a great blog and I’m glad to have found you!
Love your hamantaschen linzer tarts, so creative! I’ll have to pick up a copy of the magazine! The zucchini also looks amazing, I’ll definitely be trying it.
Congrats!
How exciting, I have zucchini in my fridge and didn’t want to make soup! This looks like a great dish!
How cool is that?! Congrats!! And these guys look scrumptious. I need to go run out and grab some zucchini so I can try this.
Its easy to make Russell very simple non intruding tasty and sumptuous..
Mmmmm … now I want to make these. Maybe even tomorrow for Shabbat!
i made these for the first time and half the pan was already eaten before I was ready to serve it! They’re sooo good! Thanks for an awesome easy and healthy recipe!
I dont have tumeric, can I leave it out do I use something else instead?
You can just leave it out. Won’t be the exact same flavor but it will be fine.
I never used to like zucchini so much but a couple months ago I had a bunch in my fridge and ended up using this recipe (after seeing it on WFS hehe). Now it’s in full rotation and I can’t make enough! Ran out of cumin once and it was still delicious =) Thanks!!
miriam i just wanted to let you know that i love this recipe. ive made it 3 weeks in a row now. thanks!!
why did mine come out CRAZY salty? flavor was great though, I really LOVE your blog, keep on posting more and more!!!
Not sure where you went wrong, try less salt next time, I guess. Glad you like the blog!
What is the texture like? Do they get a little bit crispy/crunchy, or are they zucchini-moist?
I’ve made these a few times and they are fantastic, though I have a question about the texture. When you make them, do they get crispy at all? Mine are always soft (and I follow your method exactly). They are still delicious, but if you have a trick to getting them to crisp up in the oven I’d love to know.
Are the sticks supposed to be crispy?
Like I wrote in the intro, just a little on the outside.
I made this for the chag!! It was so frekin awesome!! I recently started liking zucchini, and always love anything spicy:) my mom found it a drop to salty though… (I was ok with it)
Miriam can I make it without cumin?
You can try, but it won’t be quite as flavorful.
how many people does it serve?
You can serve about 6-8, but don’t tell anyone…I’ve eaten a whole batch by myself. 🙂
Delicious! I’ve even made this as a side dish to accompany spaghetti and meatballs. I used Italian seasoning and a touch of red pepper instead of the tumeric, paprika, cumin, and cayenne.
Hi, I know you posted this a while ago but was wondering if this would work if I half cooked before Shabbos, and then put in oven right before. Would it dry out? Is there any way of doing this to serve as a side dish on Friday night? Thank you so much
I made these for friday night- needless to say there were no left overs!
The zucchini tastes great but the sticks are soggy. How do I get them crisp
any suggestions to make these ahead and reheat after shul next week? Thanks