I’m a weirdo that loves going grocery shopping.  I know it’s the chore that most people detest the more.  I sort of get it too.  You have to deal with other shoppers and that one person who doesn’t realize you steer a cart like you drive a car, STICK TO YOUR SIDE PERSON AND DON’T TAKE UP THE WHOLE AISLE!! You have to think about what you need and what food to make.  You have to stand in a line and there is always someone with 50 items in the 12 or fewer lane.  It’s frustrating and boring and a chore to get over as soon as possible.

But I still love it. 

I solve a lot of those frustrating grocery problems by going first thing in the morning.  The grocery store is almost zen-like at 8 am.  The aisles are quiet, the music is gentle, the produce is just being put out fresh, there are zero lines, and the whole place becomes one giant meditation on the delicious things I’m going to make with my purchases. 

I go with a list every time I go shopping because it helps me keep organized.  It also makes the trip go a lot faster.  Sometimes though, I go rogue.  I’ll see something on sale and add it to my cart or I’ll find some interesting food that I want to try.  That happens a lot at Trader Joe’s.  I feel like I find something new there every week.  It’s dangerous because I can easily spend all the money there but it’s also fun because I find things like baby zucchini.

Yes, baby zucchini.  It’s tiny, it’s adorable, and the minute I saw I put it in my cart.

It’s not like the baby zucchini is any different from regular zucchini.  It’s just littler.  We all know that mini food is just better.  It’s science.  Anyways, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the baby zucchini was fries.  Weird, right?  Right.  But zucchini fries are a thing and I thought these little guys would be perfect cut into fries. 

I found that a lot of zucchini fries had cheese and or gluten in them, so I thought I would make mine free of those things.  Not because they’re bad, just that I don’t really eat those things.  Also, you can make these with or without eggs so you have even more options!  Oh, and you can totally use regular-sized zucchini if you don’t have access to baby zucchini.

Alright, time for fries.

Zucchini Fries 

• 8-10 baby zucchini OR 2-3 regular zucchini, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 eggs OR 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal + 6 tbsp water)
• 2 tsp coconut flour
• olive oil spray, optional 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
2. Using a food processor, blender, or very sharp knife, crush the pistachios so they make a coarse meal.  Not entirely powdered but not huge chunks.
3. In a shallow dish or bowl, whisk together the almond flour, crushed pistachios, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
4. In another shallow dish or bowl, whisk together the eggs (or flax eggs) and coconut flour.
5. Using one hand dip the zucchini fry into the egg batter and then place it in the almond flour mixture.  Using your other hand, coat the fry with the “breading” and move to the baking sheet. 
6. Continue until all the fries are coated.  If you would like, spray the fries with a little olive oil.  This isn’t entirely necessary but it adds a little more crunch to the fries.
7. Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the tray and flip the fries, spray again if wanted and then bake for another 10 minutes.
8. Eat immediately, these do NOT keep well, so make them right before you plan to eat them.

Dipping ideas, because what’s a fry without something to dip it in?

• Ketchup (duh)
• BBQ Sauce
• Smokey Garlic Mayo (don’t knock it til you try it)
• Dairy-Free Ranch (because I’m a Midwest girl through and through)