Dig up an onion, dip and dredge—healthy homemade onion rings

We thought this would be funner than fun—homemade onion rings prepared from the onions out of our own garden.

The inimitable cook Paula Deen helped with this endeavor—through her recipes featured in a recent edition of Prevention magazine. Deen has been “lightening up” because of her well-publicized  diabetes diagnosis, so many of her food preparations are makeovers—healthier ways to stir up classic (and often fat-laden) Southern meals.

In this one she took the onion ring to new heights, as far as I’m concerned. These are baked in the oven after being coated with a seasoned mix of flour and bread crumbs.

I liked these better than the heart-hampering ones you might get at the local greasy spoon. And the freshness of slicing up a just-picked onion from our own onion rows—priceless!

Crispy Creole Onion Rings

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 large egg whites (I used 1/2 cup egg substitute)

2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 large sweet onions, slice and separated into 1/2-inch-thick rings

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. In a small bowl whisk together flour and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning. In another small bowl lightly beat egg whites. In a third small bowl combine panko and remaining 1 teaspoon seasoning. Dredge onion rings in flour mixture. Gently shake off excess. Dip in egg; let excess drip off. Dredge in panko mixture to coat; place on prepared pans. Coat onion rings lightly with cooking spray. Bake 6 minutes. Turn onion rings and bake until they are lightly browned for 4 to 6 minutes longer. Serve immediately.