Vegetable Sticks

Vegetable sticks, or vegetable “sticks”, are a healthy and colorful side dish or appetizer, perfect to enjoy with various sauces. Here I offer you a simple recipe that you can personalize with your favorite vegetables.

Ingredients

• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchini
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 cucumber
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper (optional)
• Lemon (optional)

Preparation

1. Thoroughly wash all the vegetables under running water.
2. Peel the carrots and the cucumber if you prefer a softer texture.
3. Cut the carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, and cucumber into sticks, trying to keep them similar in thickness and length for even cooking. Aim for sticks that are about 7-10 cm in length and 1 cm in thickness.
4. If desired, you can season the vegetables with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a touch of black pepper or a few drops of lemon to enhance the flavor.
5. Serve the raw vegetable sticks on a beautiful serving plate with assorted dips such as hummus, tzatziki, guacamole, or a simple yogurt sauce.

Remember that vegetable sticks can also be roasted or grilled for a warm variation. Just arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, season with oil, salt, and spices to taste, and bake at 200 °C for about 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until they are golden and crispy at the edges.

Fun Fact

Vegetable sticks are also known by the French term “crudités”, which specifically means raw vegetables cut in a way that makes them easy to eat, often accompanied by sauces. The trick to an excellent plate of vegetable sticks is the freshness of the ingredients, so choose seasonal and possibly organic vegetables for an optimal result.