O is for Onions: Oven Roasted Onion Rings (Jennifer)

Hello readers!

Raise your hand if you are watching the Grammys right now!! Me, me, me! Wow, what an interesting show. So far, my favorite performance has been by The Civil Wars, all 60-seconds of it. : ) Favorite dress/frock is a tie between the second dress Adele wore (tea-length, polka dots) and Carrie Underwood's glittery black and gold number. Beautiful! I think she looks like Barbie. : )

Anyhoo, this week's ingredient was onion. Oh, the onion. Most often playing a supporting role, onions can be found in foods of every variety and culture, from chili and hamburgers to Italian and Indian foods. But the onion deserves to play a starring role every now and then, and it definitely does so in this dish!

Low Fat Baked Onion Rings

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Taste

Ingredients

1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 in. rings

2 1/4 cups lowfat buttermilk

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs

salt to taste

olive oil baking spray

Directions

Places slices of onion in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and let them soak for 1-2 hours refrigerated. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Combine panko, bread crumbs and corn flakes and place half of the crumbs in a large dish, season with salt. Save the second half to add to the first half in the event the first half becomes clumpy. This should help the mixture stick better to the onions.

Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well. Place rings onto two cookies sheets. Lightly spray with olive oil. Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Review:

I really wanted these to work....and they almost did, but I would be telling a half-truth if I said they were amazing. That's because they kind of were, but they kind of...weren't. Here's where I think I went wrong: I didn't add much salt at all to the crumb mixture and I probably should have because that's what gives the onion ring it's signature taste and flavor. I also didn't use corn flakes because I didn't have them. Instead, I upped the panko crumbs and the Italian breadcrumbs in equal amounts to compensate. I think the cornflakes would have added more crunch, and possible more flavor. Overall, I'd like to give these another try because I think they could be excellent. It was more likely "operator error" on my part that they didn't blow me over, especially because I love onion rings (especially with ketchup!!). Next time, I might add more salt and maybe some onion powder or garlic powder to the crumb mixture. If you give it a try, let me know what you think and if you added any additional spices!

Jessica's secret ingredient is PEANUT BUTTER!