Oven Baked Onion Rings

I love onion rings and have been waiting to make the baked onion rings in the June issue of EDF ever since my copy came in the mail. And then a few weeks ago, one of the blogs that I read, The Bitten Word, made them and said they were fantastic! And then I got back from LA and realized that the CEimB recipe of the week was none other than Ellie's version of baked onion rings!

The two recipes are surprisingly similar. So I made a combination of the two...I mostly followed Ellie's version, using all of the same ingredients, minus the cayenne, and I halved the recipe (oh, and I added an egg white to the buttermilk mixture for a little extra binding power).

The part that I borrowed from Martha's version was the baking method. Her recipe calls for first heating the oil on the baking sheet, and then minutes later adding the onion rings (so the rings start to cook/crisp as soon as they hit the pan). Ellie says to use cooking spray...I used regular canola oil (I didn't have cooking spray) to coat the pan which needless to say added a few more calories...oh well!

Also like Martha, I baked them for 8 minutes per side for a total of 16 minutes (Ellie doesn't call for flipping them half-way through the baking time, but I think it's important for both sides to crisp on the hot pan).

I used the Kettle Brand of baked chips, and if you can find them it's totally worth it (both for this recipe and everyday snacking). They are made with whole sliced potatoes (not ground-up reformed chips, like Baked Lays). Don't get me wrong, I eat Baked Lays, but these are so much better!

If you like onion rings, give these a try. You will not be disappointed!

Oven Baked Onion Rings

• Per serving (following Ellie's version) - 205 calories, 3.5 g fat (0 g saturated), 40 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein (exchanges: 1/2 fat, 2 1/2 starches, 1/2 vegetable; WW points: 4)
• Notes - Grind the chips up very fine...if you don't, they will start to clump and not stick to the onion; I would add an egg white to the buttermilk mixture to help the crust stick; I also think heating the pan first is a good idea too...would this work with cooking spray? not sure...it might burn?!?; definitely use a sweet onion (like Vidalia)...the sweetness contrasts well with the salty chip coating; I baked at 450 for 16 minutes...turning the rings after 8 minutes
• My thoughts - These are great! As an onion ring lover, I assure you that they are worth it! But eat them right away or they will start to lose their crispiness (and get cold).

Meet Biscotti

My sister (and roommate now that I'm back in Louisiana) is living in NYC this summer doing a fashion internship with Mint. I decided that I needed a temporary roommate...meet Biscotti, aka Scotti, my new kitty (that's Frances, one of my little "sisters", holding the kitty).






He is so cute and very playful! I am enjoying his company (and so is Frances...Scotti has spent quite a bit of time in her baby carriage!).

All of the recipes are from a new cookbook that I bought earlier this year and love. "The Food You Crave" is the title and it's written by Ellie Krieger. As I've mentioned before, she is a dietitian/chef for the Food Network. All of her recipes on the Food Network website have the nutrition information posted. Go to the website and search for "ellie" (which I've done here) and it will show you all of her recipes. You can order the book on Amazon (if you buy it used its only about $16).

Of the following recipes, I've made and love the Thai Beef Salad. If you do nothing else, make the dressing...it is so good!

I've also been told by other TWL participants that the Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach, the Portobello Lasagna Rollups, and the Broccoli with Toasted Garlic are delish.

When I first sent these recipes for TWL it was Super Bowl time, so I included 2 dip recipes and one for chili (being "triple bean" its very high in fiber - 9 grams, 36% of your Daily Value). The Baba Ghanoush is a great dip...starch free and so good (its made with eggplant which when roasted gets really creamy).

Grilled Thai Beef Salad -

• Per serving - 345 calories, 18.5 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 12 g carbohydrates, 33 g protein, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 3.5 fat, 2 vegetables, 4 protein)
• Notes - I buy fresh ginger, cut off what I need, and store the rest in the freezer in a Ziploc bag…it will keep forever; you could (and should) add more veggies to this salad…shredded carrots, diced red bell pepper, snow peas...

Three Bean and Beef Chili -

• Per serving - 295 calories, 8 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 35 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 10 g fiber (exchanges: 1.5 fat, 1 vegetable, 2 protein, 2 starch)
• Notes - Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapenos and you can find them canned in adobo sauce (which is made from dried chiles, herbs, and vinegar) on the Mexican food isle...they are optional and I don't really like them and would probably leave them out; chop left-over chipotles and freeze them in small Ziploc bags with about 2 tablespoons in each bag

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach -

• Per serving - 353 calories, 6 g fat (0.9 g saturated), 42 g carbohydrates, 34 g protein, 8 g fiber (exchanges: 1 fat, 2 vegetable, 1.5 starch, 4 protein)
• Notes - This recipe is great for a FAST week night dinner...less than 15 minutes! Look for whole wheat couscous by the rice that comes in clear plastic containers or by the boxed rice mixes (click here for some pictures/brands)

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream -

• Per serving (2 tacos) - 420 calories, 17 g fat (2 g saturated),41 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 3.5 fat, 2 starch, 3 protein)
• Notes - Buy pre-shredded, bagged cabbage to save time and if you don’t want to make the chipotle cream, substitute store bought salsa

Portobello Lasagna Rollups -

• Per serving (one roll...not 2 like the link recommends) - 229 calories, 9 g fat (3.2 g saturated),28 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 6 g fiber (exchanges: 2 fat, 1 vegetable, 1 starch, 1 protein)
• Notes - Complete the meal and serve with Broccoli with Toasted Garlic (see recipe below)

Pork Au Poivre -

• Per serving - 235 calories, 10 g fat (3 g saturated), 2 g carbohydrates, 30 g protein, 0 g fiber (exchanges: 2 fat, 4 protein)
• Notes - Don’t overcook the pork…it easily will become tough and dry if you do; complete the meal and serve with a baked potato and steamed green beans; just so you know, poivre, pronounced PWAHV-r, is French for pepper

Broccoli with Toasted Garlic -

• Per serving - 73 calories, 4 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 8 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 3 g fiber
  (exchanges: 1 fat, 1.5 vegetable)

Babaganoush -

• Per serving (1/3 cup) - 75 calories, 4 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 9 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g protein, 4 g fiber (exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 fat)
• Notes - Tahini is ground sesame seed paste common in Middle Eastern cooking and can be found on the ethnic foods isle in most grocery stores...you could substitute olive oil or unsweetened peanut butter in a pinch; serve with vegetables sticks/slices (red bell pepper, celery, cucumber), baked tortilla chips, or whole wheat pita bread

Five Layer Mexican Dip -

• Per serving (1/2 cup) - 140 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated), 15 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 1.5 fat, 0.5 protein)
• Notes - The jalapeno and chipotle are optional; each serving has 5 grams of fiber!

Here are some interesting links:

Whole Grains - why you need them, where to get them, and how not to be fooled when shopping

Oatmeal - if you are inspired after reading the previous article, this is a new oatmeal to try...a little less processed than most Quaker instant varieties

Have a great week!

Welcome Home with a Win!

I am back in Louisiana (finally!...the movers were 2 days late - don't use All Distance Movers!) and I just finished watching LSU beat Rice in the bottom of the 9th inning, facing elimination, at the College World Series...needless to say I'm in a great mood!

Growing up, my mom would fix spaghetti and meatballs (or sometimes spaghetti and chicken) for dinner at least once every two weeks. I loved her version even though her pasta sauce was one she "doctored up" from a can. She used Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce, which is what I also used when I was cooking for myself in college. However, within the last year I happened to glance at the ingredient list and wasn't happy with what I saw:

"tomato puree (water, tomato paste), water, less than 2% of: high fructose corn syrup, salt, corn syrup, soybean oil, dehydrated onions, sugar, carrot fiber, spices (including soy lecithin), citric acid, natural flavor"

There is some form of sugar listed 3 times!

Then I looked around the pasta isle at the grocery store and found more of the same...added sugar in most spaghetti sauces (note, however, that even sauces with no added sugar will have some grams of sugar listed on the label due to the natural sugars in the tomatoes).

Most of the sauces also have added fat (soybean oil in Hunt's case), very few additional veggies (do dehydrated onions and carrot fiber count as a vegetable?), and some unusual ingredients that I don't have in my kitchen (soy lecithin, high fructose corn syrup [HFCS], citric acid).

Take a little time next time you are shopping for pasta sauce and read the ingredient list. Lookout for added fats and sugars. The fat doesn't bother me so much as long as there isn't too much (5 grams or less per serving) and its a healthy oil (such as olive oil). If there is sugar listed, it should be near the end of the list (preferably real sugar and not HFCS) and no more than 5 - 6 grams per 1/2 cup serving.

The store brands of jarred marinara/pasta sauce that I found and approved of (less/no added sugar, only olive oil, and only "expected" ingredients) are:

Mario Cisaro Pasta Sauces
Rao's Homemade Marinara (2 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Mom's All Natural Pasta Sauce (4 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Muir Glenn Organic Pasta Sauces (4 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
365 Organic Pasta Sauces (its the brand from Whole Foods, 3 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Alessi All Natural Pasta Sauce (4 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Amy's Organic Pasta Sauce (5 - 6 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)...they also have a reduced sodium variety

I'm sure there are more! Leave a comment if you use a sauce that would fit these criteria!

Now I usually make my own sauce...its so easy and if you make extra you can freeze it and have it for another dinner. But I do keep a "good" jar in my refrigerator for emergencies! I love making roasted vegetables or spaghetti squash topped with marinara as a side dish, so it helps to keep a jar on hand.

Here is a recipe for an Easy Tomato Sauce or a Quick Marinara from Ellie Krieger (the dietitian on the Food Network).

Bon Appetit!