Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Baked Onion Rings - All the Goodness, None of the Guilt

I made Baked Onion Rings last night, and they were really yummy!! Much better than I expected. I got the recipe from Everyday Food Light and made a few adjustments.

With a new year, many of us are trying to eat better. These are a great item to feel like you are indulging without frying and grease.

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a food processor (or blender) combine 1 1/2 cups cornflakes and 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs (plain or Italian). Transfer to a bowl.

3. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl: 1 egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used milk with a dash of vinegar in it, since I didn't have buttermilk. I never buy buttermilk. I just add the vinegar to regular milk), 1/4 flour and seasonings (salt, pepper and then whatever you like: cayenne, grill spice, creole seasoning. I used grill spice to compliment the grilled chicken sausages I was making).

4. Slice 1 medium onion (preferably Vidalia or brown) - discard inner small rings (I put them in my freezer bag that I put veggie scraps in to make veggie broth).

5. Dredge onion slices in egg mixture first (letting excess drip off), then dredge in cornflake mixture.

6. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Once all of the rings are on the cookie sheet - spray them with cooking spray, both sides. This helps them stay crispy.

7. Cook for about 15 minutes (eyeball it), flipping them in the middle.

Enjoy!!

The book said they have 241 cals per serving, 9 g of fat, 7 g of protein, 33 carbs, and 2.4 fiber --

The recipe I posted should have less fat and calories because I used cooking spray rather than the 2 tablespoons of olive oil that was suggested.

By using the cooking spray, I estimate it drops to about: 180 cals per serving and 3-4 g of fat, a big improvement.

Also, if you used an egg substitute and fat-free milk, you could make them even lower in calories and fat without missing much.

Wish I had a picture, but we ate them way too fast to get a photo.

Most onion rings are around 300 g per serving (at least) with 16 g of fat. Same with a small order of fries typically - and how many of us ever eats a small order of fries? So, skip the fries and make onion rings at home.