Kristi Whitley

Healthy Living

Perfect Zucchini Bacon
Serve these smokey-sweet crispy strips inside a veggie sandwich or wrap, crumbled atop a salad or by themselves as a snack.

1-2 large zucchini, sliced with a mandolin 1/8 inch thick

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon agave, or maple syrup

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons water, or a little more to thin mixture

 

Place zucchini strips in a single layer on two, large, parchment-lined sheet pans.

In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.

Using a pastry brush, coat the zucchini strips on both sides with the marinade.

Bake at 200 degrees using convection (My oven says “speed bake”, it is when the fan in the oven blows the hot air around. If your oven doesn’t have this just cook them longer.) for approximately 3 hours. Turn the zucchini over and cook for another 3 hours. 

Note: the zucchini strips have to completely dehydrate. They will be crispier when they cool. If they are not crisp after 6 hours, cool them then test for crispness. If they are still not crisp, cook them longer. 

The same spice recipe and technique works with eggplant.