Medifast Recipes > Appetizers > Medifast Zucchini Chips Recipe

Ingredients Needed

1. Zucchini Raw (4.0 cups sliced)
2. Olive Oil (2.0 tsp)
3. Salt (0.25 tsp)

Instructions

Here’s how you can make Zucchini Chips.

• Prepare your oven by preheating it to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Layer a large baking sheet or two small baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
• Then on the parchment paper, put the zucchini slices in one layer. Bake for 3.5 to 4 hours.
• Flip zucchini slices occasionally to make sure both sides are evenly cooked. Continue to bake until desired crispness is achieved.
• When done, remove them from the oven and place in a bowl or plate. Serve and enjoy.
• Zucchini selection and storage tips:
  
  Although zucchinis are available throughout the year in most markets, May to August is their prime season. This is the reason why they are called summer squash.
  
  Zucchini are easily damaged, so handle them with care. As indicator of freshness, look for a moist stem end and slightly prickly, yet shiny skin. The most ideal zucchini to select are those that are not more than 6 inches long and one to two inches in diameter, with firm skin, free of cuts or bruises and at least on inch of stem still attached.
  
  Do not wash zucchinis until you are going to use them, to keep them fresh, store them in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, you can keep them fresh in fridge for four to five days. Use them immediately at the first sign of wilting; softness is the usual indicator of deterioration.
  
  If you are storing cooked zucchini, you could keep the fresh for up to two days by refrigerating them while covered.
  
  To freeze them, first slice the zucchinis into rounds, blanch for two minutes, submerge them into cold water, drain, and seal in airtight containers or baggies. Frozen zucchinis keep for ten to twelve months.
  
  Zucchini not only offers delightful taste and texture to many dishes, but also gives you many health benefits. Here are some healthy reasons why you should add it to your diet:
  
  It is a great addition for your diet. A cup of zucchini aids in your digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating; it has 36 calories and 10% of the RDA of dietary fiber.
  
  It lowers cholesterol. The dietary fiber found in zucchini attaches itself to bile acids that the liver makes from cholesterol for digesting fat, this helps lower cholesterol. The liver is charged with producing more bile acid due to fiber that binds so well with bile acid, thus crowding its ability to immediately digest fat.
  
  It helps prevent cancer. Since fiber promotes healthy and regular bowel movements, the high amounts of fiber found in zucchini also helps prevent carcinogenic toxins from settling in the colon. Furthermore, the vitamins C and A, and folate found in zucchini are powerful antioxidants that fight oxidative stress that can lead to many different types of cancer.
  It lowers blood pressure. The potassium found in zucchini together with magnesium helps lower blood pressure. Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to arteriosclerosis (blood vessel damage), heart attack, stroke and other serious medical conditions if unchecked. Both magnesium and potassium found in zucchini can help alleviate the stress on the body’s circulatory system.

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Nutritional Information for 1 Serving

• Calories

  60.0

• Fat

  4.5g

• Carbs

  0.0g

• Protein

  0.0g