Walla Walla Sweet Onion Rings

1 large Walla Walla Sweet onion, sliced into 1/4" rings

1 1/4 cups flour* (gluten free option below)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg or 2 Tbsp. flax seed gel
1 cup almond milk (or alternative)
3/4 cup flax seeds, ground
Olive oil

Slice onion into rings and set aside. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together egg (or flax seed gel) and almond milk. Grind flax seeds and place in a third bowl.

Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture to coat. Set aside. Then dip into egg/milk batter to coat. Then place on a wire rack to drain until batter stops dripping. Spread the ground flax seeds in a low dish or pie pan. Place the onion rings, one at a time, into the crumbs. Coat well. 

Deep fry in olive oil, turning half way through (2 - 3 minutes). Remove and place on paper towels to blot. Season with additional salt if desired.

Gluten-free option: use your favorite gluten-free flour blend or soy flour or gar/fava bean flour. I used Bob's Red Mill Hearty Whole Grain Bread mix and the flavors were fantastic! The ingredients in the bread mix were buckwheat, garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, cornstarch, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, fava bean flour, molasses, caraway seeds, teff, potato flour, and onion powder. 

I used a skillet with about 1/4" of olive oil on the bottom and quick fried them, turning half way through. If you'd like a lower fat option, they can be baked in the oven instead. 

The caraway and sesame seeds added interesting flavor! 

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (Veganaise, mustard, tomato paste, tomato chili paste).