Applebee's Mozzarella Sticks Low-Fat/Low-Calorie

By Todd Wilbur, Top Secret Recipes for the Dr. Oz Show. Cooking time includes freezing time. Todd noted "I originally created this recipe for an appearance on The Dr. Oz Show in a segment about healthier clone versions of popular restaurant appetizers. But with two other recipes to demo the segment was too fat and this one got cut, so this is the only place this original Top Secret Recipe can be seen. This formula duplicates the taste of Applebee’s Mozzarella Sticks but the fat and calories are cut significantly by baking the sticks rather than using the traditional frying method. Prepare these ahead of time since the sticks have to sit for at least 2 hours in your freezer before you bake them."

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 cheese sticks

Ingredients

• 2  eggs, beaten
• 1  cup milk
• 1  cup whole wheat flour
• 1  cup  plain breadcrumbs
• 1  teaspoon  italian seasoning, crushed
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12  mozzarella string cheese
•  vegetable oil cooking spray
•  marinara sauce (For Dipping)

Directions

1. Combine the milk and eggs in one shallow bowl. Add the flour to another shallow bowl, then combine the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning (crushed it with your fingers a bit in a little bowl before adding), garlic powder, salt and pepper in another shallow bowl.
2. Working one at a time, dip each cheese stick into the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour. Dip the cheese stick back into the egg/milk and then into the seasoned bread crumbs until well-coated. Arrange all of the breaded sticks on a large plate and then place the sticks into the freezer for 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
4. After the cheese sticks have chilled, spray a sheet pan with oil cooking spray. Place all of the sticks onto the pan and then spray them with more oil.
5. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until light brown. If they start to melt, take them out. Serve with warm marinara sauce on the side.