Are There Healthy Fried Foods?
Do you love fried food as much as I do? Let’s take fried chicken for example. The crunchy, seasoned breading on the outside…the juicy meat on the inside, the greasy fingers. It can all be so satisfying. What a comfort food.
I confess that eating fried foods is one of my guilty little pleasures. But, now that I have successfuly lost my weight and surpassed my weight loss goal, eating fried foods isn’t an activity that I can indulge in very frequently at all.
That’s why I’m so excited to share that we can both enjoy that fried food taste and not gain an ounce; probably lose weight. This can all be done by simply changing the process with which we “fry.”
The process is called “un-frying”. You may have heard it called oven frying. I learned it from Rosie Daley’s cook book In the Kitchen with Rosie. Rosie Daley is Oprah Winfrey’s cook and she specializes in low-fat, low-sugar, low-salt, yet full of flavor cooking.
Un-frying allows you to enjoy the taste of fried food, while also benefitting from only 1/3 of the calories and 1/6 of the fat (on average) of the traditional version.
Here is the recipe for Un-fried Catfish
Light Vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
4 tsp blackening seasoning
Four 4-oz. catfish fillets
1/2 tsp paprika
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the vegetable oil over the baking sheet 3 times to coat. Put the cornmeal, thyme, and basil on a large plate and mix well.
Sprinkle 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp lemon pepper, and 1 tsp blackening seasoning on each of the catfish fillets. Coat the fillets throroughly with the cornmeal mixture and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Dust each fillet with 1/8 tsp of the paprika. Coat the catfish lightly with the cooking spray.
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 5 minutes more, until the crust is golden and the fish flakes easily.
The texture and flavor of the catfish was far better than pan frying. I couldn’t believe it, but then I tried the recipe for Un-fried chicken and I was convinced. Un-frying is the way to go! I can enjoy the taste of fried foods without all the calories or fat. I will never go back to pan frying agian. I Promise!
Note: This is such an easy and flavorful recipe that I left out the blackening seasoning (didnt’ have it) and it was still VERY tasteful. Also, you can use any fish–I used tilapia another time (tilapia is a thinner fish, so adjust your cook time).
Don’t forget, to spray your pan first and the top of the fish and the key is to place your food tray on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Bon Appetite!
Tags: "In the Kitchen with Rosie", Are There Healthy Fried Foods, comfort food, fried food, healthy fried food, oven frying, Rosie Daley, un-fry, un-frying, unfried recipe, unfry, unfrying
