A Pickle Post

Apparently I've become a pickle fanatic.  I don't normally mind the occasional gherkin snack, but my life has been consumed with pickles lately.  Okay, maybe not consumed... but definitely filled with way more pickles than usual!

As a result of this new-found obsession, I have two recipes to share.  The first is a recipe for oven "fried" pickles.  I'm that girl in line for fried Oreos, pickles, candybars, you name it at the fair.  Being a dietitian though, I like to take a shot at making my guilty pleasures a little healthier.  While baked pickles will never beat the good ol' deep fried kind, these are pretty darn good for as many calories (and fat, cholesterol, etc.) as you're saving.

Oven "Fried" Pickles (Adopted and adapted from www.skinnytaste.com):


Ingredients:
32 oz jar sliced hamburger pickles, drained
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper (divided)
1/3 cup dried parsley flakes (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup, but I thought it seemed a bit much)
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
1 large egg + 1 egg white
non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Place a large baking sheet in the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, spread the pickle slices onto a double layer of paper towels to drain.  
 
3. Mix the bread crumbs, cornmeal, flour, paprika, 1/4 tsp chipotle chili pepper, parsley flakes, and salt in a shallow dish.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, egg white, and remaining 1/4 tsp chipotle chili pepper until combined.  
          
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and coat with the non-stick spray.
5. Take each pickle slice and dip it into the egg mixture... then into the breadcrumb mixture.  Press the dry mix down to make sure it really sticks.  Drop the breaded pickles onto the baking sheet as you go.
6. Once all the pickles are lined up and ready to bake, give them a good layer of non-stick spray on top (make sure each one gets coated).  Stick them in the oven for 8 minutes, flip the pickles, and put back into the oven for an additional 8 minutes.
7. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dip, and give yourself a pat on the back for choosing these over the deep-fried kind!

The next recipe is actually for the pickles themselves.  I'm so intimidated by pickling and canning, but these refrigerator pickles are perfect for chickens like me.  I got the recipe from this blog, but I added a lot of measurements that weren't included.  These pickles are super crisp and refreshing- with a bit of  spicy kick.  I'd like to rave about these things for the next 5 paragraphs, but I won't.  Instead, I'll just tell you they're amaaaazing, and once you make these, you'll never go back to Vlasic.

Refrigerator Pickles (Adopted and adapted from ACountryFarmhouse.blogspot.com):

Ingredients:

4 medium cucumbers
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt
1 T sugar
1 T pickling spice
6 garlic cloves
a good handful of dill (1 package of the store-bought stuff)
1 jar (mine was just over quart-size... if you use a bigger one, you'll want to double this recipe)

Directions:

1. Add the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a medium pot.  Heat to boiling, then let cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, drop the pickling spice, garlic, and dill into the jar.  Slice the cucumber lengthwise, and drop the spears into the jar with the rest of the goodies.  
3. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar (once it's cool).  Stick the jar in the fridge and wait patiently  (good luck) for 48 hours while your cucumbers soak up all that pickly goodness.