Oven Fried Onion Rings and Other Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour all purpose, gluten free or low carb as desired
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or hot paprika
- 1 cup buttermilk thickened with 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup of any type of milk can be soured with 1 tablespoon vinegar, I used cream and omitted the flour
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs divided
- 1 large onion sliced into 1/2" thick rings with the rings separated
- 1/2 inch thick slices of eggplant and butternut squash
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and prepare one or two baking sheets with cooking spray
- Put the flour into a bag and season with salt, pepper and cayenne.
- Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and pour half the panko crumbs onto a plate.
- Set the baking sheet within easy reach.
- Working in batches, shake the onions or other veg with the flour, shake off the excess before dipping into the buttermilk batter then coating with bread crumbs. Arrange on the baking sheet.
- Dividing the bread crumbs into two portions helps prevent them from clumping up as you work. Add more as needed.
- When the tray is full spray the tops with more cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes or until the coating is brown and crispy and the veggies have softened. Check after 10 minutes and turn the veggies and the tray as necessary for even cooking.
- Serve with your favorite sauces. We liked the sriracha mayo with the butternut squash and the BBQ sauce with the onion rings. The eggplant was great with the teriyaki.
- To make the sriracha mayo mix a teaspoon or so into a half cup of mayo. Add more if you like it hotter.
- Leftovers, if you have any, can be reheated/recrisped in the oven.
Notes
This is the type of recipe that can be mixed and matched to suit a particular eating style. If you're dairy-free use coconut milk or soy milk and curdle it with vinegar as a buttermilk substitute. If you're gluten free or low carb use an appropriate flour and breading, etc. The key to getting good results with this recipe is to have a hot oven so the vegetables will be crisp/tender by the time the bread crumbs have browned.