Hemp Heart Crusted Zucchini Fries {Vegan, Paleo}

by Leave a Comment

I know.  You just read “hemp” in the title and immediately assumed it was about marijuana.  I GET IT.  I live in Oregon, where it is now legal to smoke, grow, and posses these controversial little plants.

But that’s not what this post is about.  Because I’m not about to touch that conversation with a 10 ft bong pole.

Hemp hearts.  These are the shelled seeds of the hemp plant, and they are loaded with maximum nutrition.  Back when we were trying to find new and varied protein sources for my food intolerant toddler, these were a saving grace.  I mixed them with a little bit of raw honey to make them barely sticky, and gave my kid the spoon.

He was a serious fan.

Now that summer is squarely upon us, I have zucchini coming out of my ears.  It’s one of my kid’s favorite foods so I planted a few little seedlings…and they grew.  In fact, they’re mutant and grow as big as my head. Or roughly seven times as big as my hand.

We have to get creative to use them all, so I’ve been trying out different recipes using as few ingredients as possible to maintain the natural flavor of the fantastic zucchini, and to get them out of my kitchen fast.

I made a fast coating of hemp seeds, arrow root, a dash of tumeric, paprika and salt.  They were a fast hit with my family, and we chowed all of them.

HempHeartZucchini

ALL. OF. THEM.

They went so fast that I didn’t even manage to get a good picture because they were so tasty and nobody could wait for a dumb camera.

Did I mention they’re paleo and vegan, too?

Ingredients:

  • 1 large (ish) zucchini, cut into sticks
  • 1/2 cup hemp hearts
  • 2-3 Tbsp arrow root powder or tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp tumeric (optional)
  • dash of paprika
  • small bowl of water
  • Coconut oil for cooking

Instructions:

  1. In a medium frying pan, heat 1/4 inch of coconut oil until hot. (Typically medium+ setting, but don’t let it smoke.)
  2. Combine hemp hearts, arrow root, and spices and blend throughly.
  3. Take a piece of zucchini and dip it in the water. Remove and lightly shake excess water off.
  4. Press each flat side firmly in the flour mixture and then place into hot oil, flat side down.
  5. Rotate the zucchini to get both flat sides nice and brown (2-3 min each side). Be careful not to burn them!
  6. Place on paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.

Eat as soon as they are cool!  These stay fresh and delicious for a good 30 minutes after cooking.

EZucchini

What are your zucchini hacks?

Zzzzz,
Carrie

 

Discuss Here