Published: February 3, 2017 | Updated: May 9, 2019
These gluten-free mozzarella cheese sticks are an absolute crowd pleaser. Their secret weapon? Omega 3s. Adding milled flaxseed to the crunchy outer crust is a “stealth health” cooking technique.Use this coating and baking technique on any of your favorites for that fried crunch texture without the gluten or the frying oil. Try it with chicken, onion rings, pickles — you name it!
Makes 16 sticks
30 brown rice crackers
1/3 cup milled flaxseed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon chili pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
4 sticks part-skim mozzarella string cheese, cut in two lengthwise and then halved (to make 16 sticks total)
Olive oil cooking spray
Optional: Marinara sauce for dipping
Put crackers into a large zip-close bag. Using a rolling pin, crush the crackers into crumbs. Add the flaxseed, oregano, chili pepper, salt and pepper, then shake to combine. Put the flour into a large zip-close bag, add the cheese sticks and shake to coat completely.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and garlic. Dip one flour-coated stick at a time in the egg mixture first, then the crumb mixture, back into the egg mixture, followed by the crumb mixture. Place on a cooking spray-coated baking sheet.
Freeze for 15 minutes or until needed.
Heat oven to 475F. Transfer the frozen sticks onto a new coated baking sheet and fully coat the top of the cheese sticks with the cooking spray. Bake until slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Serve immediately with marinara sauce (optional).
64 calories, 3.3 g fat, 1.1 g saturated fat, 16.6 mg cholesterol, 122 mg sodium, 4.9 g carbohydrates, 1.1 g fiber, 4.7 g protein
Recipe provided by Erin Wiedmar, clinical nutritionist, N Good Health