Easy, Cheesy Oven-fried Vegan Zucchini Bites

Are you looking for a last-minute snack to add to your New Year's spread?


This easy recipe makes for a cheesy, salty, crispy bite.  We ate them plain, but you could pair them with a little salsa or plain-flavored coconut yogurt to dress them up a bit.

We have some exciting things going on here at Welcoming Kitchen in the New Year.  Please stay tuned for information on a new website that I'm thrilled to be part of and some new connections with VegNews (yippee!!).

We wish you a very happy and healthy 2012!

We shared this with Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Allergy-Friendly Fridays.

Oven-fried Zucchini Bites
Makes approximately 50 bites

Ingredients:
2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices (It should make about 1 cup of slices.)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Daiya cheddar-flavor cheese (optional)
1/2 cup non-dairy plain-flavored milk (I used coconut milk beverage.)
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
Canola oil spray (use a fillable spray pump if you need to avoid soy lecithin).

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425.
Spray a baking sheet with oil.
In a shallow bowl, combine flaxseed meal and non-dairy milk. 
In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal and salt.
Mix in cheese, if you're using it.
Let the flaxseed meal/milk mixture sit for approximately 5 minutes.
Wet zucchini slices in the milk mixture.
Then transfer to the cornmeal mixture.  Spoon the cornmeal over the zucchini slices ensuring that each one is coated and has some cheese.
Place coated zucchini slices on prepared baking sheet.
Spray the tops of the slices.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.  The slices are done when they are a golden color.

Happy New Year!
Kim