Oven-Fried Summer Squash

Click to enlarge (shown with calaba squash)

This dish is super easy and super good!  No standing over a skillet of hot grease either!  So good, it was impossible to refrain from having a second serving!    I had zucchini, yellow and calaba squash in the refrigerator but decided to use the calaba today.   Calaba and zucchini are in the same family of vegetables and very similar in appearance and flavor.  However calaba has less water in it and is usually much cheaper.  I debated whether to parboil the calaba squash slices for a minute or two for this but decided against doing so.  It got fully done in the 20 minutes just fine.  The pork rinds make it crunchy on the outside, but it is soft and moist on the inside.  I use Randolphs pork rinds, which are not quite as salty as most brands, as I am very sodium sensitive.  I find them at my local Walmart.  This dish is Induction friendly.

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. zucchini, calaba (its cousin) or yellow squash

2 oz. pork rinds, plain, finely crushed

1/3 tsp. my seafood spice blend: http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/my-seafood-spice-blend/

6 T. my homemade mayo:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/homemade-mayonnaise/

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 450º.  Crush rinds and add spice blend on a paper plate or saucer and mix well.  Dip out mayo onto another paper plate or saucer.  Cut stems and bottom tip off squash and cut into ¼” slices lengthwise.  Holding the very tip of each piece with one  hand, with a basting brush in your other hand, baste both sides of the squash slices with a coating of mayo.  Set brush down and  with your now free hand, sprinkle rinds on both sides of the squash and then place on a non-stick sheet pan.  Repeat for each piece.  I’ll tell ya up front, if you just dip these babies down into the rinds (more will stick on) you ARE going to run out of rinds before you’ve coated all the squash.  Been there; done that;    So trust me on this one…….just sprinkle it onto each side, letting the excess fall back into the plate and you should have enough for the entire batch.  Pop into a 450º oven for 20 minutes or until nice and brown.  No need to turn during baking as the bottoms get nicely browned where they touch the pan.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

245.3 calories

21.3 g  fat

4.18 g  carbs, 1.25 g  fiber, 2.93 g  NET CARBS

10.8 g  protein

250 mg. sodium

45% RDA Vitamin B12, 25% B6, 21% E, 27% C, 20% phosphorous, 50% riboflavin, 55% selenium, 18% zinc, 18% copper, 23% iron, 10% magnesium, 13% manganese

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