Panko Zucchini Steak

My mom has an amazing garden on their acreage in Carstairs, Alberta. For the past couple years, she brings me all the fresh veggies that I could ever want.  She just started harvesting her zucchini and they are huge.  She usually brings me 5 at a time, every week, so you can imagine the faces I get when the kids ask what's for dinner and I answer with, "zucchini!" 

So I've had to get creative. So today, I made panko zucchini steak. so good, and so easy to make.  

method: Oven at 350F

I don't necessarily measure when I cook.  I leave that kind of meticulous precision for baking. I baked the zucchini first, for 10 minutes and then turned it over. Before placing it back in the oven, I drizzled on the olive oil, I spooned the tomato sauce on the zucchini, sprinked the basil leaves and walnuts (probably about 1tsp of walnuts on each steak (we love walnuts in this house).  I placed it back in the oven for about 7-10 minutes to cook in the walnuts and the oil, took the steak out and let it sit to cool down slightly.  Sprinkle panko on the steak before serving to keep that crunch, or else the panko seeps up some of the oil and tomato sauce.

Prep time: 30 min.
Ingredients:

• Zucchini - sliced into steaks 1/2 inch thick
• tomato sauce (your choice, I used home made)
• Japanese panko cumbs
• walnuts (ran through the food processor)
• salt & pepper to taste
• fresh basil leaves (chopped finely)
• olive oil

My kids absolutely loved it.  Well, the two older ones did.  The 6 year old ate some of it but complained that it tasted too healthy.  What a kid.  But try it out next time, and let me know what you think!