Friday, July 29, 2011

Healthy Onion Rings


Here's a favorite recipe of mine that will satisfy any onion lover, yes, onion lover.  This is a healthy version of onion rings.  There's NO oil and NO frying.  NO kidding.

One large yellow onion, cut into wide rounds
1/2 cup egg beaters
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice the onion into think rounds and separate into circles.  Spray large glass baking dish with Pam spray.  

Pour egg beaters into wide dish.  Pour breadcrumbs into a separate wide dish.  Set up an 'assembly line' in following order: separated onion rings, next is egg beaters, next is breadcrumbs, and finally, is the glass baking dish.  Dip each onion ring into the egg beaters first and then into the breadcrumbs; make sure that each is fully coated.  Place in glass baking dish.

When all have been dipped and coated and are placed in baking dish in even layer, place in oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and serve warm.  Ketchup makes a nice compliment!  Enjoy with no guilt!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Homemade Donut-muffins

It's been entirely too long since my last blog (and a lot of chicken breast and cucumbers while training for a fitness competition), but I'm back.  And, I've been asked to bake for a bake sale at work tomorrow.  Since coworkers are bringing donuts in, I thought that I'd stay 'in theme' and created these Donut-muffins.  Pretty simple.  I hope that you like them and that they sell like 'hot-cakes' tomorrow.  Have fun making your own favorite flavors for the icing!


From top, clockwise: Cherry glazed, maple glazed, white chocolate and milk chocolate glazed.

Donut-muffins

Muffins:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups milk
1 egg
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix cracker crumbs, sugar and baking powder in large bowl. With electric mixer, blend in milk, egg and honey until well combined.

Spoon batter into mini muffin cups, filling almost completely (this will yield tall and rounded tops).

Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand five minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool completely before icing.

Makes 5 and a half dozen mini muffins


Icing:
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 of cherry liquid (or other desired flavor.  For maple, I used 1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup.  For milk chocolate, I melted 1 cup Hershey's milk chocolate chips.  For the vanilla, I melted 4 ounces vanilla almond bark.  You may need to add more/less for desired consistency).

Blend powdered sugar and desired flavoring until desired consistency is attained.  For easy icing, dip and twirl each mini donut-muffin into icing and then set upright on wax paper until dry.  Serve when completely dried.

Here I've sampled the maple glazed....mmm!