Coconut Pecan-Crusted Zucchini Chips With A Spicy Avocado Marinara Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Marinara Dipping Sauce:
1 avocado, halved and pitted
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Louisiana(R))
1 cup tomato sauce
Zucchini chips:
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 tablespoon Italian dressing
1 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz(R))
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 zucchini, very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Preparation

Combine avocado, red bell pepper, and hot sauce in a blender; blend to a semi-chunky consistency.
Pour avocado mixture into a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dipping sauce reaches desired consistency. Cook until thickened and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.
Whisk egg whites, buttermilk, and Italian dressing together in a bowl.
Combine crackers, pecans, coconut, paprika, chili powder, coriander, black pepper, dried onion, salt, cumin, and garlic powder in a food processor; pulse into fine crumbs. Pour into a shallow bowl.
Dip zucchini slices in the egg mixture; coat each side with cracker mixture.
Heat grapeseed oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook breaded zucchini slices in batches until golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with the tomato dipping sauce alongside.