Fried zucchini first timer

Ok, hard to believe, but I've never made fried zucchini before. Well, not until this week. Really, I've never made much fried anything. I try to steer toward healthier methods of cooking -- baking, boiling, grilling. That doesn't mean I don't LOVE fried foods. I love me some fried chicken, but have never, ever made it in my kitchen. I eat it sometimes from KFC or the grocery store deli. I know I wouldn't be any good at it. My lack of experience would make it less than wonderful and I know me...I'd skimp on the breading and oil trying to make it a little less unhealthy and would spoil it. I'd rather dig into a piece of extra crispy from KFC and eat it blindly, not knowing exactly how much batter was used and how many calories are in it.

So, since I picked up some zucchini on my shopping trip this week and saw a recipe on one of my new favorite food blogs, The Black Peppercorn (www.theblackpeppercorn.com), I decided to try it. I've also had a box of Panko bread crumbs in my pantry that I've been wanting to use. I've never cooked with Panko before, but have eaten dishes made with Panko before. Love them!

So, my 8-year-old has been very eager to help in the kitchen lately. He was my co-pilot tonight and helped me dip the zucchini from bowl to bowl and then into the pan.

This was batch one. They got better as I went along with a little more breading and a perfect golden brown coating. I'll definitely be making these again...maybe along with some mushrooms and cauliflower or onion rings. Any other good veggies I should try?