Homemade Baked Onion Rings with Spicy Siracha Mayo

It's Saturday night in Chicago!  I love the weekends because Bri and I get to spend time together and try new restaurants/events around this awesome city.  This weekend we went to a new place near us called Gideon Welles.  It was pretty awesome!  They have a HUGE drink selection and their menu has a ton of diverse and yummy options.  We went with our friend Max and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal.  Bri said that he had the "best" mac and cheese of his life! (That is really saying something since he is a vegetarian and typically ends up with mac and cheese or something similar for his dinner option).  I loved my mediterranean wrap and Max had a great brisket sandwich.  We will definitely be heading back soon!

Today, I had to go to Springfield for a class that I am taking and present on a lesson that I will teach.  Springfield is about 3.5 hours away and this class lasted 3 hours.  So, this means I traveled for 7 hours just for a 3 hour class...This is not exactly how I would plan spending my Saturday.  However, Bri was a total trooper.  He decided to go with me because there is a sandwich shop in Springfield that he likes.  Yep, he drove 7 hours for a sandwich!  I had never been to this place, but I figured it must be excellent if he is willing to this out of his way for it.  The place is called Head West Sub Stop and instead of normal bread, they make all their subs on sweet bread.  If you're ever traveling through the great capitol of Illinois, you should def make this a stop! 

Along with all of our fun restaurant traveling, we have been cooking a lot as well.  Between Wisconsin going to the NCAA championship, baseball coming back, and the Blackhawks in the playoffs, we have been watching a lot of sports.  This means, that I have been craving a lot of sport related foods.  And, that is how these Baked Onion Rings with Spicy Siracha Mayo came about.  

Baked Onion Rings with Spicy Siracha Mayo

Ingredients:

1 onion, cut in half to pull the rings apart

2 cups low fat buttermilk

2 egg whites

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or regular)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Siracha Mayo (stir siracha into mayo)

Directions:

1. Place onion rings into a dish with edges.  Pour buttermilk over the rings and sprinkle the cayenne over the top.  Cover with saran wrap and let rest.  I was advised to let this sit for a long time, but I didn't have the time and they came out pretty good.  The longer you let the onions sit the better.  

2. Beat egg whites in a medium bowl.  

3. Mix the flour, cornmeal, and breadcrumbs in a separate bowl with the salt, pepper, and paprika.

4. Heat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  

5. Take the buttermilk soaked onion rings and dip them into the egg whites and then the breadcrumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes before flipping the rings and baking for another 15 minutes.  

7.  Stir siracha into mayo for your dip.  Add more siracha for a spicier dip.

Enjoy :)