Air Fryer Zucchini

 I love my summer garden. We eat out of it almost all summer long. I can, freeze, and share the harvest. The sweet corn, beans, tomatoes, and peppers are plentiful. And you know what else is plentiful? The zucchini. Ugh. I'm just not a huge fan of this green vegetable. I try to like it. I've prepared it in breads and brownies. I've even made it into a mock apple pie. I've tried it in just about any recipe that hides the zucchini. I just don't see the big deal about zucchini. (I should add that I found a zucchini pizza casserole recipe the whole family loves. And I sometimes add zucchini that I have in my freezer to my spaghetti sauce. So maybe I like it a little more than I think. But don't tell the Farmer.)

It's a joke here in Iowa that the zucchini is so plentiful, that in order to get rid of your harvest you need to leave it on someone's door step when they are least expecting it. Think of it like a zucchini stork delivering bundles of not-so-cute squash that are nothing to be desired.  I once was "gifted" nine zucchini this way. NINE!!!! What on earth was I going to do with NINE zucchini???? I "gifted" them to some one else. 

Even though I never look forward to a zucchini plant in the middle of my perfect garden of other glorious veggies, my hubby always plants one. He loves zucchini. He even eats it when I don't try to hide it in other foods. The past two years, the zucchini plants have not made it. I may or may not have been secretly delighted about this, but we were still "gifted" zucchini that I had to deal with. This year, we have TWO zucchini plants. It's like the zucchini gods knew I silently (or not so silently) cheered when the Farmer's beloved plants did not thrive. 

Which brings me to this recipe that I created. As much as I do not like preparing zucchini, this Air Fryer Zucchini recipe is quick and easy. I was a little late to the air fryer game. Okay, really late. I've only had mine a few months now. I'm still learning how to use it, and have been trying to create recipes so I can use it for more that just cooking up some cheese balls or frozen fish sticks. The Farmer loves this Air Fryer Zucchini so much, he polished off the entire plate by himself last night. 

Air Fryer Zucchini

Author: The Marigold Kitchen

A unique and tasty appetizer that is fresh from the garden!

Ingredients

• 2 cups zucchini slices, sliced about 1/4 inch
• 1/4 cup Italian Dressing
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Prepare your zucchini by slicing it into 1/4 inch slices. You can peel the zucchini if desired.
2. Add the Italian dressing to a bowl.
3. In another bowl, toss together the bread crumbs, cheese, and seasonings.
4. Coat each zucchini slice in the dressing, the the bread crumbs.
5. Lay the slices in a single layer in an air fryer.
6. Air fry at 375 degrees for 5 minutes, flip and fry for another 3 minutes.

Notes:

Ranch dressing makes a great dipping sauce!