I enjoy food…buying food, prepping food, cooking food, eating food (not cleaning up so much though!)!!  And, I subscribe to the “everything in moderation” theory of eating, as long as you combine that with exercise…I love to walk.  So, not everything I blog about will be the healthiest versions of a recipe.  However, one of the reasons I love using a variety of herbs and spices in cooking is that you can get intense flavors from your food without having to add fats and carbohydrates that can land the recipe in the “unhealthy food” category.  I was given the idea for this recipe a couple of weeks ago at work, and experimented with varying amount of spices to produce a tasty breading for a healthy version of onion rings.

Two things make these onion rings healthy: the bran-based breading and the fact that they are baked, not fried.

You will need:
2 C bran cereal
1 tsp whole rainbow peppercorns
1 T course ground garlic with parsley
2 eggs (whites only)
1 large Vidalia Sweet onion

Peel the onion and slice in 1/2 in wide slices.  Separate the slices and place in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use them.  Put the bran cereal, peppercorns and garlic in a spice mill or food processor and grind until a fine powder.  Pour into a bowl.  Put the two egg whites in another bowl.

Dry the onion slices.  Dip each slice in the egg whites and then place in the bran breading and toss until covered.  Tap gently on the edge of the bowl and then place on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Spray the breaded slices lightly with the cooking spray, and place in an oven that has preheated to 375 degrees.

Bake for 20-30 minutes depending upon the thickness of the slices, turning once half way through.

The onion rings will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside…and very flavorful.  You won’t miss the grease!  Now you can enjoy onion rings that are healthy and simple to make without having to bring out the fryer.  Yummy! So we are clear though, I will still, on occasion, have the strong desire to dip onions in a beer batter and fry them in a pot of hot grease!! I’ll just have to walk a little further that day! Enjoy!!