Grease, be gone!

If you're like me, you love onion rings, but you feel guilty eating them because they have been soaked in fat. Well, my lovely friend Carolyn has come to our rescue. I think someone else came to her rescue, but we'll just give Carolyn the credit. Good friends are like that. :) The onion rings you see above are baked. No guilt required!

My husband doesn't usually like onion rings because of their greasiness, so he said these were probably the best he's ever tasted. Being the sicko that I am, I don't mind the grease, so I did notice the slight lack of richness in the baked version. But hey, they were still way good. They are definitely worth making again and again. Dip them in fry sauce, if you know what's good for you.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/2 c. cornflakes
1/2 c. plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk*
1/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2-inch slices and separated into rings
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cornflakes and breadcrumbs until fine crumbs form, then transfer to a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, and cayenne, then season with salt and pepper.

Dip onion rings in egg mixture and dredge in cornflake mixture; place on a large plate. Pour oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and heat 2 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly with oil. Arrange onion rings on sheet. Bake, turning once, until onion rings are golden brown, about 16 minutes. Season with salt.

*To make your own buttermilk, mix 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice with enough milk to make 1/2 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Fry sauce:

Here is the quick version. Or try the copycat Winger's Creamy Amazing Sauce recipe for something special.

Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Ketchup
Barbecue sauce

Add ketchup to mayonnaise, until you reach your desired taste. Add just a dot of barbecue sauce.