Zucchini Fries Make You Feel Better

I'm feeling pretty drained. In the past twenty-four hours I have: found out that the A-man will be deployed to the Middle East next week, played one ninety-minute outdoor soccer game, one fifty-minute indoor soccer game, went on a run in the woods with Henry and got lost (making our run one hour longer than it was supposed to be while losing my keys, then finding my keys in the woods) and I hosted and produced a live, half-hour show at work. Luckily, today is not terribly busy so I have a chance to re-charge, but also a chance to soak in the fact that the rest of my summer is going to be completely different than I thought it was going to be.

There are a lot of emotions that come about when you learn your love is going to a war zone again. Emotions that my dear family and friends accept when they listen (and I mean really listen -- without them I wouldn't be able to deal) to the brunt of my frustrations. There's anger that he's leaving again. There's worry of his safety. There's frustration at the military -- he was just there -- for seven months! There's pain, hurt, disappointment and loneliness. We just got engaged! Then there's the realization these emotions don't depict our relationship or our love for one another -- a realization that has kept me going for the past six years. In all of those years, we have actually lived together for a little over two months. The rest have been spent with a minimum of five hundred miles between us. There must be something wrong with me I often think. That, or I just really love this man.

But, a girl's got to eat and there's no better way to distract yourself from your emotions than to mix up some food. And a day like yesterday needed something substantial. Something that's going to put a smile on my face and remind me of the simpler things in life, like fries, well fries and ketchup. But not your typical potato fries; I needed some green, so zucchini fries it is.


Zucchini Fries (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

serves 2 as a side dish

2 zucchini, cut into "fries"
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
just under 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (I pulsed Kinnikinick Brown Bread in a food processor)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I use Salt-Free)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Season breadcrumbs with Italian herbs and place on a large plate. Pour olive oil on a cookie sheet and coat zucchini "fries" in olive oil. Coat each piece of zucchini with breadcrumb mixture and place back on cookie sheet. Once they are all coated put in oven and bake for fifteen minutes. Serve with ketchup if you'd like.