By Emily McLaughlin

Remember all of those fresh veggies I was talking about? The ones my mom acquired over the weekend? Well, they were gone in 2 days. My favorite use of them? Crispy, healthy, baked… veggie sticks.

These veggie sticks were extremely quick and easy to make, and I highly suggest them as a healthy alternative to the summer chips and dips that emerge at BBQs, birthdays and grad parties.

Obviously, I didn’t really measure out all the ingredients here. When you are breading the veggies, you want to make sure that the breadcrumb mixture doesn’t get soggy as you go. When I made these, I just kept adding more breadcrumbs to my bowl as I needed them.

Veggie sticks

Veggies, washed (I used 1 zucchini, 1 Japanese eggplant and 1 red bell pepper)

1 cup Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 cloves minced garlic

Fresh basil, thyme, oregano

1 egg (use olive oil for vegan recipe)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Slice the veggies into french-fry sized sticks, then pat them dry and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, and spices. In another small bowl, whisk the egg.

3. Set up a little assembly line, taking a few veggies at a time, dipping them in the egg, then the coating them with the breading. Place coated veggie sticks on a baking sheet (lightly greased).

4. Bake your veggies in the oven for about 20 minutes–or until they reach your desired crispness. The breadcrumbs will start to become a nice golden brown color.

These veggie sticks are addictive. After I consumed, pretty much, every veggie stick I had made (that is what my family gets for leaving me at home alone with them), I headed to my uncles for some grilled food and family time. Here are some snapshots. :)

A little surfing.

My poor aunt… thrown in the pool fully clothed.

… rough.

My brother on a miniature bike…

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer!