Egg Free, Dairy Free Hush Puppies

I found this recipe on the side of a bag of cornmeal last night.  It looked easy enough to modify, so I made these up in an effort to tempt my picky eater's taste buds.  He took one look, said "NO!" and turned his back on me.  *cough* brat! *cough*   I thought they turned out a little blah and may add extra sugar or maybe some creole seasoning next time.  Hubster thought they were perfect but he also ate them covered in ketchup, so I'm declaring his opinion null and void on this one....everything tastes good with ketchup!  However, we apparently liked them well enough that there were only two left.

Let me know if you give these a try and any ideas you have on recipe modifications!

Hush Puppies

• 1 1/4 c Corn Meal
• 1/4 c White Flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 c chopped onion (I had frozen chopped onion in the freezer - worked fine - no thawing!)
• 1 egg  (substituted in a little over 1 TBSP of melted shortening)
• 1/4 c water
• 1/2 c buttermilk (substituted in 1/2 c. soy milk soured with 1/2 TBSP white vinegar)

Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.  (I eyeballed it - about a half inch deep in a skillet over medium to med-high heat)

Combine dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl. Blend well. Add onions, egg, water, and buttermilk. Stir just until moistened. Let dough sit for 5 minutes before using. (it's going to be almost kinda dry looking, barely moist - I was skeptical but it really works for a good texture)

Drop by rounded teaspoons (I shaped mine into little 1-1/2" patties since I was working with shallow oil) into hot oil and fry until dark golden brown (approximately 1 1/2 - 2 minutes), turning once. Drain on paper towel.