Spicy Baked Zucchini Chips

One of the best things about my conversion to being vegetarian is I'm forced to try vegetables I avoided before. Zucchini is one of the ones that I always picked out of pasta, casserole, or what have you. But when I stumbled upon this easy, simple recipe via my Pinterest from Natalie's Killer Cuisine, I knew I had to try it (with slight modifications, naturally).

Spicy Baked Zucchini Chips

• 2 zucchinis, rinsed
• 1/4 cup parmesan, shredded
  
• 2/3 cup crushed Corn Flakes
  
• 1 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1 tsp onion powder
  
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  
• 1 tsp black pepper
  
• 2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice zucchini as thinly and uniform as possible. My parents have a mandolin but I was too lazy to go borrow it. Place the slices for at least 10 minutes to let excess moisture drain. Mix together all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until frothy. Lay these out like an assembly line because it will be quite a production.

Slice by slice, place the zucchini in the egg mixture, then coat in the Corn Flake mixture. I know this sounds relatively easy and quick, but my hands were coated in egg whites and cheese within minutes. I couldn't even document the assembly process. So messy.

Place each slice on a baking sheet and when the baking sheet is full, bake for 5-6 minutes. Pull out the baking sheet and flip over the zucchini chips (again, not as easy as it seems. Or maybe I need better spatulas.) Return to the oven for another 7-8 minutes.

Serve warm with bleu cheese dressing (I love Marzetti's Simply Dressed Blue Cheese) to tame the unexpected amount of spice. Why did I think adding a lot of red pepper was a good idea? I mean, just look at them. They LOOK spicy. Very, very tasty though.