Oven-Baked Onion Rings

Crunchy, delicious and oil-free. We made these onion rings were with the largest red onions we could find and are they are absolutely scrumptious. All the goodness without the grease.  An added plus, the batter stays on these onions! (unlike restaurant onion rings where, after one bight, you are left with no onion and a whole lot of breading). The breading process, like any, can get quite messy, but the end result is worth it. Best served fresh, these tasty morsels won't last long.

They look crunchy, don't they? Makes most restaurant onion rings look tiny in comparison.

Ingredients

1 large red onion

5/8 cup or 1/2 cup + 2 whole wheat flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup cold unsweetened soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider

2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

Tried to take the picture of my set up before my hands got too battered. I'm no the cleanest cook in the kitchen :)

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slice red onion into 3/4" slices, reserve large and medium rings, saving smaller segments for later use.
In a shallow dish or bowl combine flour, cornstarch and liquids and mix well, removing all clumps.
In another bowl, mix coating ingredients: breadcrumbs, yeast, salt and garlic powder.
With a fork, coat onion ring in batter, coating evenly, and let excess drip off.
Transfer to bowl with coating and coat completely.
Place onion ring on prepared baking sheet and repeat.
Bake for 18 minutes, flipping after 9 minutes. Check doneness before removing (I suggest nibbling on one).
Best served immediately.

Want an easy dipping sauce? I mixed about 1/4 cup vegan mayo with a tsp wasabi, a tsp ketchup, 2 tsp Dijon mustard,1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Chilled it for 10 minutes to let the garlic powder work its magic. Delicious.

Enjoy guys!