This was soooooo good... crispy, flavorful, delicious!

In the old days, I'd dig right in and enjoy even fried foods - chicken... fish. No guilt, no shame. I just loved the textures and the crispiness of it all. Then came concepts like nutritionally sound choices. I thought it was "goodbye forever to fried crispiness."

Crispy fish! So delicious and healthful!

This entirely new way to coat healthy foods is so amazing! You'll think you're back in the good ol' days, yet it's as healthful as the foods it's crisping up.

This is how it's done:

Start with breadcrumbs that you make yourself in the food processor, using a high fiber, low fat and low carb bread. I'm blessed with an amazing pita bread that's available locally (Soloman's - no sugar, high in fiber, low carb.). It's as good as any pita out there, but it breaks down to just 2.5 gm Fat, no Trans Fat, Carbs 12 (once you subtract the whopping 10g dietary Fiber) and... get this... 14g Protein! This makes killer bread crumbs!

Once the bread is finely crumbed, for each slice or pita pocket, drizzle 1/2 teaspoon mono fat oil into the processor and continue to run until blended in. (I like Smart Balance Omega Plus Oil.) Then toast the crumbs in a skillet on medium heat until crisp and lightly browned.

In a separate bowl, combine egg whites (about 4 for 1 lb. chicken or fish) with 2 Tbsp. water, 1 heaping Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1/8 teasp. cayenne pepper, 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder, and 2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves. Whisk together till blended. It won't blend perfectly.

Dry off the chicken or fish and coat with the egg white mixture, then the prepared bread crumbs.

Put a wire rack on a baking sheet and place the coated chicken or fish on the rack. This keeps the bread crumbs crispy while your chicken or fish cooks.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 12-14 minutes or until the fish flakes... 15-18 minutes for chicken or until the chicken is browned and firm.

Done!

This recipe is really nice to have in your healthful cooking repertoire. I hope you try it and let me know what you think.

(Note: The basis of this recipe came from an America's Test Kitchen cookbook, I just "tweaked" it a bit to lighten it up even more!)