Forget deep-frying these tomatoes
By Elaine Magee
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For the next three weeks I'll be running a summer "sides" series of recipe makeovers. Here's the first one.
Q. One of my favorite summer sides dishes is fried green tomatoes. Is there a way to make these so they aren't so high in fat and calories?
A. We can make "crispy on the outside and moist on the inside" fried green tomatoes by pan-frying them in a nonstick frying pan in a small amount of canola oil. It really works! First we coat the tomato slices in flour then dip them in a mixture of higher omega-3 egg and fat-free half and half and lastly a mixture of cornmeal and breadcrumbs.
Instead of deep-frying the breaded slices, we are controlling the amount of oil absorbed by the tomato slices by browning them in a small amount of canola oil using a nonstick pan and some canola cooking spray for the tops. We save at least 100 calories and 15 grams of fat per serving making them this way.
Original recipe contained 305 calories and 21 g fat per serving.
LIGHT FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
Slice tomatoes 1/3-inch thick. Discard the ends.
In small-sized bowl, whisk together the egg, egg substitute, and fat-free half-and-half. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Combine the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in another shallow bowl. Slice by slice, dip a tomato slice into flour and coat well. Then dip the tomato slice into the egg mixture and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture to completely coat. Repeat with remaining tomatoes.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom evenly with 2 teaspoons canola oil. When the oil is nice and hot, place half of the tomatoes into the frying pan and coat the tops with canola cooking spray. When the undersides are browned (about 3 minutes), flip and cook the other side until browned (about 3 minutes more).
Remove browned tomatoes to serving plate and repeat step No. 3 with the remaining canola oil and tomatoes.
Makes 2 servings.
