Quinoa Baked Onion Rings

Something magical happens when you batter onion rings in quinoa. With this healthy alternative to regular onion rings, you’ll find extra crunch and more protein.
Prep Time: 8 hours or soak onions in batter overnight.
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions, cut into 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) round slices
34 oz / 1 L buttermilk (or 34 oz / 1 L whole milk + 59 ml / 4 tbsp vinegar, sat at room temperature for about 5 minutes
4 egg whites
85 g / 2/3 cup whole wheat or all purpose flour
125 g / 3/4 cup ground cornmeal
130 g / 3/4 cup toasted quinoa (quinoa toasted dry in a pan until fragrant)
60 g / 1 cup panko bread crumbs
5 g / 3/4 tsp salt
1 g / 1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 g / 1/2 tsp paprika
59 ml / 1/4 cup Crystal margarine, melted

Directions

Place sliced onion rings into a large dish and pour buttermilk overtop until submerged. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit for eight hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites. Set aside.
In a large shallow dish, mix the flour, cornmeal, quinoa, bread crumbs, and seasonings together until combined.

Remove each ring from the buttermilk and place on a paper towel. Dip in egg whites, one by one.
Immediately submerge in the bread crumb mixture, mixing around to coat the onion well. If the bread crumbs won’t adhere, dip in egg whites and try again.
Lay each breaded ring on the baking sheets in a single layer. Drizzle entire sheet of onion rings with melted Crystal margarine to encourage browning and extra flavour.

Bake each batch for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and using tongs, flip each ring. Bake for 15 more minutes or until they reach your desired level of brownness.