Air-fried Onion Rings

While most recipes I make in an air-fryer come out great, one I've kind of had trouble with is onion rings. One of the best ways I've found to air-fry vegetables involves using potato starch. Unfortunately, potato starch has a very high glycemic index and this blog is diabetic-friendly so I can't use that. I decided to try the following steps, spray with avocado oil to make the onions sticky, dip in coconut flour, dip in kefir, dip in seasoned ground pork rinds. I was pretty impressed with the results. Due to the carbs in onions, these don't quite qualify as keto, but they do qualify as low carb. I used a dipping sauce that uses Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise to keep the calories down. I was quite pleased with the results overall. Kefir is an ingredient I always have in my kitchen since it can be used as a substitute for sour cream, yogurt, and buttermilk, since it kind of tastes like a mix of all three. It tastes sort of like a sour, drinkable yogurt. If you don't have kefir, buttermilk can be used instead.

Ingredients:

Onion Rings:

• 9 sliced rings of a medium onion
• 2 tbsp (14g) coconut flour(I used Viva Naturals Organic Coconut Flour)
• 1/3 cup (60g) kefir(or buttermilk)(I used Kalona Supernatural Grass-fed Kefir)
• 1/2 cup (24g) ground pork rinds(I used the brand Pork Panko)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Smoky Sriracha Dipping Sauce:

• 2 tbsp (30g) Greek yogurt(I used Simple Truth Organic Non-fat Greek Yogurt from Kroger)
• 1 tbsp (15g) kefir(or buttermilk)(I used Kalona Supernatural Grass-fed Kefir)
• 1/2 tsp Sriracha
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp 100% lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried wild ramps (or chives)
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Prepare the Breading: In one bowl, add coconut flour. In a second bowl, add kefir(or buttermilk). In a third bowl, mix pork panko, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

• Bread the Onion Rings:: Dip each onion ring in coconut flour, coating evenly. Dip into kefir. Coat in pork panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

• Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil. Air fry for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

• Make the Sauce: In a bowl, mix Greek yogurt, kefir(or buttermilk), Sriracha, smoked paprika, lemon juice, garlic, dried ramps, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Thin out with more kefir if necessary. Serve with the onion rings.