Zucchini Chips -- The Simplest Way to Honor What Grows from the Ground

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 4 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

I drove to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner. The drive takes forty minutes if the traffic behaves. It never behaves. But I make the drive because the table at Mama's house is non-negotiable, and Sunday dinner is the thread that holds this family together.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made kolokithopita — savory Greek pumpkin pie with feta and dill in phyllo. What pumpkin should be when it grows up. I served it with bread and olive oil — always too much olive oil, because in this family there is no such thing as too much. We ate and the conversation was easy and the evening was warm.

Sophia told me this week that she is proud of me. I was not expecting it. We were in the car, driving to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner, and she said Mom, I am proud of you. I said for what. She said for everything. For the bakery. For the houses. For making dinner every night even when you are tired. I gripped the steering wheel and blinked and said thank you, koritsi mou. She said do not cry. I did not cry. Much.

The kolokithopita came together the way it always does — with more olive oil than anyone would call reasonable and hands that know the phyllo without needing to think. But it’s the zucchini itself I keep coming back to: humble, honest, unpretentious. These zucchini chips carry that same spirit — crisp at the edges, simple at heart, the kind of thing Baba would have eaten standing at the counter without saying a word, and that silence would have told you everything. If you have a Sunday dinner of your own to prepare, start here.

Zucchini Chips

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or Italian seasoning)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Prep the zucchini. Slice zucchini into even 1/4-inch rounds. Pat the slices dry thoroughly with paper towels — removing excess moisture is the key to crispiness.
3. Season. In a large bowl, toss zucchini rounds with olive oil until evenly coated. Sprinkle with garlic powder, dill, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Toss again to coat.
4. Arrange on pans. Spread slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets, making sure no slices overlap. Sprinkle cheese evenly over each round.
5. Bake. Bake for 22–25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are golden and the chips are crisp. Watch closely in the final few minutes — they go from golden to overdone quickly.
6. Cool and serve. Let chips rest on the pan for 5 minutes before serving. They will crisp further as they cool. Serve immediately alongside bread and good olive oil.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 95 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg