Baked Southwest Onion Rings are a lightened up version of a classic appetizer! Onions are coated in whole wheat flour, eggs, Panko bread crumbs and a mix of southwest spices and baked instead of fried for a healthy side dish.

Baked Southwest Onion Rings

Name: Baked Southwest Onion Rings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large yellow onion; 1/3 c. whole wheat flour; 2 tsp. chili powder; 1/2 tsp. garlic powder; 1 tsp. cumin; ; 1 egg + 2 Tbsp. water; ; 3/4 c. Panko break crumbs; 1 tsp. chili powder; 1/2 tsp. garlic powder; 1/2 tsp. cumin; ; non-stick olive oil spray

My hopes and dreams of my football team making the Superbowl this year are officially shot dead. The only shred of a bright spot to last Sunday was the good food we enjoyed. On the menu for game day, were these Pepperoni Chicken Fingers, Baked Bleu Cheese and of course these amazing Baked Southwest Onion Rings!

Last weekend the Minnesota Vikings suffered a heart breaking defeat to the Seattle Seahawks. We literally had the game wrapped up in the final seconds just needing a chip shot field goal from 27 yards…and our kicker missed it! HE MISSED IT!!! The announcer said that 97% of 27 yard field goals in the NFL are made. Lucky us, we got to be part of the 3% in a crucial playoff moment. Needless to say there was lots of yelling and cursing in our household following that game…

If you follow the Vikings, you know this isn’t he first time we have suffered such a devastating loss in the last minutes of a playoff game before. Gary Anderson. That is all that needs to be said really. I was only 13 years old at the time, but I remember the gut-wrenching missed field goal that lost us the NFC title like it was yesterday.

If you are one of the few lucky fans cheering for a team still in the playoffs or you are just a football junkie and watch every game regardless, these Baked Southwest Onion Rings are the perfect addition to your game-day menu. They are lightened up with whole-wheat flour and spiced up with chili powder, garlic and cumin for a delicious and light appetizer everyone will love. A coating of Panko bread crumbs finish them off with a nice and crunchy texture.

I love watching my team play, but I wouldn’t consider myself an NFL junkie that watches every game. I will probably turn the playoff games on while I am busy working away in the kitchen or on my computer, but I won’t get too excited about seeing any of them. The only thing I do have left to look forward to is the Green Bay Packers loosing. 😉

The Super Bowl will also be enjoyed with great food, friends and hopefully funny commercials and entertaining half-time performances. No matter why you are at a Super Bowl party, the food is obviously the star of the show. So whip up something delicious and enjoy the game!