“Bega-Crumbs”
(Rutabega Breadcrumbs)

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We all know breadcrumbs are DELICIOUS!  There’s no denying the salty, crunchy goodness makes any treat better.  However, they’re tough to digest and typically not on a healthy eater food list.

With that said, sometimes you just get a hankering for Fried Eggplant, or “Chicken Cutlet” as my husband calls it.

I’ve been trying to figure out how I can enjoy these treats without the diet sabotage or stomach ache for some time now.  I considered using dehydrated potatoes, like potato flakes, to coat my treats.  But then, potatoes are not the best choice as they are quite starchy.  So I thought I’d give rutabega a try.

Honestly, it doesn’t taste exactly like traditional breadcrumbs, but it’s darn good.  They are a little time consuming to make. (About an hour).  Not quite as convenient as opening a box of the crumbled goodness, but it’s worth it.

I actually got to sit down with my husband and have “what he was having”.  It’s a miracle.  I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to be able to sit and eat a “sinful” and “decadent” meal and have NO GUILT at all!  I ate 2 pieces of chicken cutlet, a nice portion of celery root (instead of mashed potatoes) and kale. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to enjoy a meal that looked like that.  I LOVED it!  And I wasn’t weighed down after eating like I would usually be after a meal like that.  I felt full, but able to run around if I wanted to.  That’s always a good thing.  It’s never fun to have to lay down because you ate poorly. I hope this recipe helps you start to enjoy meals you may have been missing.

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Ingredients:

1 Rutabega, peeled and quartered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place rutabaga in food processor and process until you have a rice like consistency.  Spread the new “rice” onto an ungreased baking sheet in a THIN, even layer and place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and scrape off any browned bits into your “crumb collection” bowl.  Stir around the remaining crumbs on the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.  Repeat the scrape and stir and return to the oven for 2 more 10 minute sessions (for a total of 40 minutes).   At 40 minutes, add salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and dried parsley to the crumbs (to taste) and stir around. Return to the oven for about 5 more minutes.  The total cook time is about 45 minutes.

*I add the spices at the end to make it taste like the “Italian style” breadcrumbs I grew up eating, but you could easily omit the spices for plain “bega-crumbs”, or add your own mix.

Let me know how it goes and what you think!

If you want the “chicken cutlet” recipe.  Please follow this link.

As I mentioned, it pairs well with celery root puree and sautéed kale 😉 .

You can prepare the kale the same way I do broccoli rabe here.

 Pictured below: Chicken cutlet I made with bega-crumbs.

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Pictured above: The darker crumb collection, and the FINAL BATCH of lighter crumbs. Lighter are better for frying with.

 

5 from 1 reviews
RutabegaBreadCrumbs
 
Sherri:
Cuisine: Italian American
Serves: 2 cups
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
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Ingredients
  • 1 Rutabega, peeled and quartered
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Place rutabaga in food processor and process until you have a rice like consistency.
  3. Spread the new “rice” onto an ungreased baking sheet in a THIN, even layer and place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and scrape off any browned bits into your “crumb collection” bowl. Stir around the remaining crumbs on the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
  5. Repeat the scrape and stir and return to the oven for 2 more 10 minute sessions (for a total of 40 minutes).
  6. At 40 minutes, add salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and dried parsley to the crumbs (to taste) and stir around. Return to the oven for about 5 more minutes. The total cook time is about 45 minutes.
  7. *I add the spices at the end to make it taste like the “Italian style” breadcrumbs I grew up eating, but you could easily omit the spices for plain “bega-crumbs”