These zucchini sticks or fries are a great side to a meal and especially good if you are craving something like french fries. No oil or cooking spray is needed! And the wheat germ is jam-packed with all sorts of vitamins and minerals.

Most of the nutrition of a zucchini is found in the skin, so I left them on. However, they will be easier to coat with the bread-crumb mixture if you peel them. Also, the darker the zucchini skin, the most nutrients they have in them.

Note: If you are not a big fan of Wheat Germ, you can sub half of the amount with Whole Grain Breadcrumbs. The first time I made these, I only used breadcrumbs and no wheat germ, and found that they stuck better and naturally had a more recognizable taste to typical breaded recipes. However, using toasted Wheat germ is going to have more health-value. Regardless to what you choose, it’s an awesome snack to whip up.

I’m glad Marley made an appearance in the video. I didn’t get around to filming until 9pm, so the lighting is quite stark. Here’s the beauty in the light of day:

Ingredients

2  Zucchinis, chopped into sticks or “fries”
3/4 cup toasted wheat germ and/or whole grain bread crumbs
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
Cayenne Pepper, Ground Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder
1/3 cup Skim or non-dairy Milk

*If using Wheat Germ: Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Spread out the wheat germ onto a baking sheet. Once oven is preheated, bake for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from oven. Transfer Wheat germ into a bowl or dish, along with the nutritional yeast and seasonings. Preheat oven to 400F.
3. Pour milk into a bowl. Dip the zucchini sticks into the milk and then coat each one in the wheat germ mixture.
4. Place zucchini sticks on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
5. Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until they are a toasted brown colour.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. A spicy vegan mayo is quite nice with it, as well as some fresh lemon.