Gluten Free/Dairy Free (Eggs & Milk Free) Onion Rings

The hardest part about going not only dairy free, but gluten free as well is the loss of those beloved comfort foods. Well, at least it is for me. I mean, technically I can still eat all those great foods (even as a diabetic), but that is hardly fair to the boys as they sit there watching me salivate over my goodies. So, of course I try to eat as they do.

One of the hardest things for them to give up though was onion rings. I seriously don't see the big whoop though because I am seriously not a fan of onions. To be honest, I've only just started to cook with them in the last few years of my 30-some years of life. Yes, I am that picky! Anyway, I stumbled on this one recipe that just didn't quite work for us after a while. No matter what I did, each time I made them, each batch was worse and worse. Naturally, I tweaked it until we came out with probably the most delicious onions rings I've ever tasted - though to be fair, I've obviously never tasted an onion ring before now. That being said, I swear these guys are so gosh darned good, even I could sit down and eat nothing but, onion rings!

Apologies for not so great photo, I'd just found out that my youngest had erased my entire memory card and did not pay attention to lighting or settings....love how they figure those things out! 

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Onion Rings
1 cp of All Purpose GF flour*
1/2 - 1 tsp onion powder
1/2 - 1 tsp chili seasoning**
1/2 - 3/4 tsp hamburger seasoning
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp of ground pepper
1 onion, sliced into rings (or however you like)
1 cp of water

* I've had to do what I think is about 1 1/4 cps of flour most the time. If your batter is a little too runny, slowly add more flour.
** I use Root Cellar's Garden homemade chili seasoning for this.


Super easy directions:
Heat your oil while you get your ingredients together and mixed. Slice your rings.
Add all ingredients in a bowl. (I mix the dry all together before adding the water.) Let it sit for a few minutes.

Drop your rings into the batter. Using tongs, move around and dredge the rings in the batter until nicely coated. That's it! Just CAREFULLY place your rings, one at a time, into the oil. Yes, it's tempting to drop several in at once but, then they literally stick together. Do it one at a time, as good old AB (Alton Brown) always says, "Your patience will be rewarded".

Remove to a paper towel lined plate or a cooling wrack over the top of a cookie sheet, whatever you've got to do, will work. I used paper towels, because I was just too rushed to do another set of dishes. Ok, ok, you can call it lazy, today I'm not offended by that. I'm channeling my inner Garfield. :)

If you so need, sprinkle a little salt on them while they're fresh out of the oil and let cool.

I promise you, when you're done, you will thoroughly enjoy the rewards of a job well done. I'm not joking when I say that I seriously couldn't stop nibbling when I perfected this recipe! Did I mention that I seriously abhor onions?! It wasn't just me either, my mother, Mr. Blue Collar and even my stepson couldn't keep their hands out of the finished batch. I think I only managed to save half a batch to my freezer for future use. They are so tasty!

Alright, I promise, no more forcing my new found love of onions on you. If you try this, I hope that you enjoy it!

P.S. This batter for these onion rings is loved so much, my oldest son even asks me to make his fish sticks with it!

How my family has an allergy safe holiday!

I know, I've been absent a while now but, homemade gifts for an extended family, which includes friends, of almost 30 people and then a few special neighbors, can take some time. Oh and did I mention the presents that need wrapping, the baking that has invaded the kitchen?!

Well, this time of the year there is family coming in from all over. I make treats for every cousin, daughter, nephew, great aunt, etc. Which can prove difficult if you've got relatives with allergies or intolerances in the family. How do you bake without an egg? Or milk? You become a label expert, you learn substitutions and if you're smart, you start looking for your "go to gals" who have tried and adapted almost any recipe you can think of. From breakfast to deserts, you can alter any recipe and these ladies I'm about to tell you about have. Thank god because I'd be there for ages if I had to do it myself! :)

I discovered the first lady when my second child was born, also intolerant of milk and soy protein. I wanted real food and this time knew exactly what I was looking for. MSPI Momma has saved my sanity more times than I can count! I recently found her blog again and was still just as pleased as ever to find some great recipes to try out! She has wonderful things like this Chocolate Candy Cane Cake,

Lasagna or Applesauce Icebox Cake. If you have an intolerant child or children, like I do in my case, you need to peruse through her posts, she has some great recipes.


The second lady I've come to respect is The Food Allergy Momma. She has some great recipes like Warm Dairy, Egg and Nut Free pancakes which I've used since I first found it and my son loves it! We add chocolate chips to it, or his favorite, applejuice and cinnamon to make apple cinnamon pancakes. I actually mix the dry ingredients together and then store them in an air tight jar on the counter. So, it's ready to go and we just add the oil, water, apple juice and cinnamon. Another couple great recipes from her are Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Sugar Cookies or Dairy, egg and nut free chocolate crinkle cookies.

I haven't made the crinkle cookies yet but, they look delicious and you know I've got to!

These are just two of the fabulous ladies out there that do recipes like this. With a little bit of digging, you can make this a safe holiday for everyone. Happy Holidays!