Oven-Baked Onion Rings {RECIPE}

It's only occurred to me recently that all the fried foods I love can be oven-baked. Like, there's this whole healthy twist that your fryers don't want you to know: not everything has to be deep-fried in fat. Instead, there is this option to use your oven. The results aren't always perfect, but I'll take the imperfections and healthiness over fatty unhealthiness any day!

So I've done this with Sweet Potato Fries as well as Pickle Chips. Sometimes I make these as an after-dinner snack, and it hits the spot!  The last time I was oven-baking Pickle Chips, I realized I could probably make Onion Rings in the oven as well. I knew they wouldn't be AS crispy as the ones in the fast food chains, but I figured they'd be just as tasty.

And. I. Was. RIGHT.

Last night, as an Election Night snack, I threw some things together and I really liked the outcome. The taste was reminiscent of onion rings a la Burger King. Yum Yum!


The process is easy enough - I've laid it out in the recipe below:

• 1 medium onion, chopped and separated into 1/4-inch thick rings
• 1-2 cups of skim milk
• 1/2 cup of Fat Free Sour Cream
• 1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix (I made my own)
• 1-2 cups of Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs

1) Place the onion rings in a large bowl and pour enough skim milk in to cover. Cover and refrigerator for at least 1 hour (I had them in the fridge for about 2).

2) Make a breading station in this order: 

bowl of ranch dressing mix ---> bowl of sour cream --> bowl of Panko.

3) One by one, take the onion rings from the milk, dredge them in the ranch dressing, then sour cream, then Panko, making sure to completely cover the ring with as much Panko as possible for best results.

4) Place on a baking sheet covered in tin foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

5) Broil on high for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through.  Keep an eye on the rings. If they begin to darken quickly, flip them.  Yours may be done on the early side, depending on your oven. The better breaded they are, the more they will crisp up.

6) ENJOY!


The dredging part can be messy, but embrace it. The end result is worth it. I suggest serving with ketchup or a horseradish sauce. Nom nom!

I'd really love to hear how these turn out for you - so please stop by and leave a comment telling me all about it!

Simple Supper: Annie's Eats Baked Southwestern Eggrolls

Ah!  When is the last time I shared a recipe? 


Like, forever ago.


Anyway, in the past few weeks (months?) since I've posted a recipe, I've come across quite a few good ones (and even managed to create some of my own).  The recipe I wanted to share with you today I found on Pinterest. 


Pinterest. The Breakfast of Champions.


Are you obsessed with it yet? I could pin crap all day. Literally.


So I stumbled across the most tantalizing picture of Southwestern Eggrolls, repinned it because it looks AH.MAH.ZING. And then I followed the pin to the actual website, Annie's Eats.  I love Annie's blog. And her food. And her pictures. 


And then. AND THEN. I took a looksie over the recipe.  Can I tell you my heart skipped a beat to find that: 


1) These eggrolls were BAKED not FRIED. Can we say healthy?


2) These eggrolls were meatless. Can we say healthy?


Annie is my new official hero. Especially because they taste even better than you think they will, and we've been eating them roughly once a week for the past several weeks. AND THEY JUST KEEP GETTING TASTIER.


::swoon::

Simple Supper

Baked Southwestern Eggrolls

(linked from Annie's Eats)

2 cups of frozen corn, thawed

1 10oz pkg of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 15oz can of black beans, drained

1 4oz can of chopped green chiles

4 green onions, chopped

2 cups of shredded cheese (Annie recommends a Mexican blend. I use low-fat Cheddar)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I don't add this, incase Little Chica wants to try some)

1 pkg eggroll wrappers (I like the Nasoya brand)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet (or cover with parchment paper).

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the eggroll wrappers.

Take an eggroll wrapper, and place it on the counter in front of you so it looks like a diamond (one of the points facing down toward you). Place 2-4 TBS of the filling in the center (Annie says 1/4 cup, but if you want to spread it further, you can use a little less).  Bring the bottom tip of the egg roll up and over the filling and roll slightly.  Then bring in the 2 side tips into the center and continue rolling.  When you get to the top tip, dip your finger in water and brush the edge/tip.  Bring the moistened tip over the top and seal.  Repeat with the rest of the filling and wrappers. 

Place on greased cookie sheet, seam side down.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-17 minutes (until lightly brown), turning once.

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These are SO STINKING GOOD.  

Serve With: Salsa and sour cream, although I wouldn't hold it against you if you threw in some guacamole.  

Fun Add In: One time, I made southwestern chicken for dinner.  The next night, I shredded the leftovers and added them to the filling of these eggrolls. The outcome was stupendous.

Where to Find Eggroll Wrappers: I had a heck of a time finding eggroll wrappers. To save yourself the time, go directly to the customer service counter and ask where they are. Not all grocery stores have them. They are most likely in the produce section, with the tofu.

Important Tip: Make sure to incorporate all the ingredients in the filling.  One time I added the black beans at the end and didn't stir well - and the eggrolls tasted more beany than I would have liked.  So make sure everything gets seasoned!

And if you haven't already, check out Annie's Eats.  It may just change your life.

Lentil-Edamame Stew {RECIPE}

Happy Monday!

I came across this recipe in Cooking Light magazine a few months go, and gave it a try this summer. We had bought a bag of dried lentils this Spring, as we heard they were good for you.  When I saw this recipe called for lentils, I thought it would be a neat one to try.  The flavors are somewhat Moroccan, and really serve to spice up a mundane dinner schedule.  I love that it is filling and with the lentils and protein-packed edamame, it's super good for you! It also comes together quickly, with little prep, which is a plus on a busy weeknight!

This would be the perfect dish to whip up for these cool, Autumn nights. I recommend serving this with Naan bread, warmed in the oven.  

~~~~~

Simple Supper Monday

Lentil-Edamame Stew

(from Cooking Light magazine)

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion (1 medium), diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground cloves

• 1. Place lentils in a large saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above lentils. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, and set aside.
• 2. Place edamame in a small saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above edamame. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until edamame are tender. Remove from heat; drain well.
• 3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and tomatoes to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring often. Stir in lentils, edamame, juice, and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often.

~~~~~~

Sometimes I don't have fresh herbs on hand, so I have made this and skipped the fresh parsley and mint (using just a bit of dried parsley).  It tasted just as good - but if you can get the fresh mint, I highly recommend it!

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try: so feel free to email me your best Simple Supper recipes!

moderndaydonnareed [at] gmail [dot] com

Have a good week!

WW points:  

If you do smaller servings [3/4 or 1 cup - roughly 6 servings], this is 2 OLD points, 2 NEW points!

If you do larger [1-1.5 cups - roughly 4 servings], this is 3 OLD points, 4 NEW points!

Meatless Meals, Vol 3: Roasted Vegetables

As Hubby and I continue to adventure into the realms of...Meatlessness...I've come across some recipes and tricks that make the quest easier. And to be honest, it hasn't been that hard. Originally, we aimed to have 1 or 2 Meatless Meals a week. I believe that we are doing more like 4-6 Meatless Meals a week without even thinking about it. The recipe I will post below has made a huge impact on cutting out meat (again - not that we don't [or won't] eat meat. We are just trying to be conscious about eating less). I've been preparing these roasted veggies each week, and it lasts us the whole 7 days. Hubby and I eat them, off and on, for lunch. I've been finding that I can use them in our dinner, sometimes even substituting the roasted veggies for meat.

Roasting vegetables brings out a beautiful flavor that one might not know was possible. The vegetables become tender and flavorful, and quite a joy to eat. It is an easy process, and worth the effort, since it lasts the whole week. Since I've been roasting veggies (and finding new ways to use them in meals and recipes), I am also cutting back on the amount of money I am spending on meat (veggies come out to be less than chicken and beef, surprisingly. Ha). So it's a DOUBLE SCORE.

With this as a terrific base recipe, I will be referring/linking back to this page in upcoming Meatless Meal posts. So this is only the BEGINNING!

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Meatless Meals

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

Whatever vegetables you enjoy. Some great vegetables for roasting are:

Sweet Potatoes

White Potatoes

Onions

Broccoli

Asparagus

Zucchini (Green Squash)

Butternut Squash

Yellow Squash

Red Peppers

Green Peppers

Cauliflower

Tomatoes

I've been using the following combination with great results. 1 each of:

Zucchini

Red Pepper

Green Pepper

Sweet Potato

Onion (sometimes 2 if they are on the smaller side)

Small head of Broccoli

pound/bunch of Asparagus

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 450º

Wash and cut up all of the vegetables (peeling the potato is about the only necessary prep work apart from cutting. I seed and discard the center of the peppers). If you like larger chunks, cut them larger. I cut up the veggies into dime-sized bits. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Pour in 1-2 TBS of Olive Oil. Toss the vegetables, being sure that all of the veggies are coated with the oil. If the Olive Oil is not coating well, add another TBS.

Spray a baking sheet (the kind with sides, not the flat cookie sheets) with cooking spray (I use the Olive Oil kind). Spread the veggies onto the sheet (I find that with the combination listed above, I need to split it between 2 sheets), being careful that all of the vegetables are touching the sheet (and not piled on top of each other - this will hurt the roasting process). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano (about 1/2 tsp of each, but if you are adventurous, add more. And if you like different spices, experiment!)

Place in oven, and bake/roast for 25-30 minutes. Stir once or twice during the baking. Take out when the veggies are sizzling and browned.

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I can't begin to describe how amazing the vegetables smell as they are roasting. Delicious. These keep well in an air-tight container, refrigerated, for a week. I will share with you some recipes I've created using the Roasted Vegetables. But, for an easy fix, these go well on a plain pizza or rolled in a tortilla with some cheese (I like cheddar, along with some dill pickle slices. Hubby likes them with Goat/Feta Cheese sprinkled on). Heck, they taste great all by themselves as well!

Have a great Meatless Meal? I'd love to try it! Send them my way:

moderndaydonnareed@gmail.com