Tag Archives: onion

Pickled Red Onions

7 Mar

Onions are the cornerstone of my cooking… I rarely cook without onions. But my onion of choice is mostly the yellow onion. Red onions, on the other hand, are not part of my usual grocery shopping list. They’re more like a treat.

However, I love to add red onions to my salads… very thinly sliced red onions are perfect to give that little something to a huge plate of greens. But I have noticed not everyone is a fan of onions in salads like I am. The times I have tried to add red onions to the salad course at the Yoga Center, I have been received with resistance. They’re too pungent… they’re too strong… my breath will stink afterwards… are some of the critiques I have received.

So I’ve had to become creative when delivering my onion news to those non-believers… How about a pickled onion?? The flavor of onion, but mellowed out to satisfy the skeptics.

Here’s how I do them…

 

PICKLED RED ONIONS

1 red onion, sliced as thin as possible
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs warm filtered water
1 tsp salt
  1. Place the sliced onions in a bowl with a cover.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients. Toss to coat.
  3. Allow the onions to soften in the vinegar/salt mixture.

Now you can certainly enhance this basic pickle technique. I have added lime juice instead of vinegar. I have added fresh parsley and sometimes even a clove of garlic. You could add some pepper too…

The basic premise is that by marinating the onions in vinegar and a little bit of water, the onions will soften and the flavor will soften as well, making them the perfect addition to your salad.

Tags: , , , ,

Criollo Tomato Sauce

8 Jul

This is the perfect sauce to dress a batch of soy albóndigas…

Unlike regular meatballs, these soy albóndigas are delicate and do not fare well when cooked nestled in the sauce. That’s why the sauce works best when prepared separately and spooned over right when you’re about to eat them. If not, they tend to crumble in the sauce and lose their wonderful round albóndigas shape.

CRIOLLO TOMATO SAUCE

2 cups of crushed or chopped tomatoes
1 medium sized onion, sliced thinly
1 large garlic clove, chopped
½ vegetable bouillon cube
½ tsp dried oregano or Garlic and Herb seasoning
About ¼ cup of apple cider or balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil
  1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add some olive oil and the sliced onions and cook them to get them softened, not to get any color at all.
  2. When the onions have softened a bit, add the vegetable cube, garlic clove and season with salt and pepper. Work the cube in the bottom of the pan to make it dissolve into the onions and garlic.
  3. Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes or whichever version you’re using… mix all well and season again with salt and pepper, the oregano or the garlic and herbs seasoning. Add the vinegar and cook the sauce covered for about 10-15 minutes.

This sauce is great with soy albóndigas, but you can also just pour it over whole grain rice or over boiled potatoes…

Tags: , , , ,

BBQ Roasted Potatoes

27 Jan

Who says you need to have BBQ only in the summertime???

Where I live it is summer weather year-round so I really do not discriminate when I should or shouldn’t eat something slathered with BBQ sauce.

When I get a craving to eat BBQ sauce, like I used to when I used to eat ribs at Tony Roma’s…  I go to this recipe.

 

BBQ ROASTED POTATOES

2 large red-skinned potatoes, cut up roughly into 1” pieces
2 veggie hot dogs or tofu dogs, sliced on a bias
1 medium yellow onion, cut up into wedges
3 tbs of your favorite BBQ sauce, organic preferable
A drizzle of Olive Oil
Garlic Salt to taste

 

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F
  2. In a medium bowl toss together all the ingredients.  Make sure all the potatoes, onions and pieces of hot dog are coated with the BBQ and seasonings.  Transfer to a baking sheet and line everything up in one layer.
  3. Roast in oven for about 40-45 minutes.  I move things around about halfway thru cooking to make sure everything gets golden brown on all sides.

 

Serve alongside some garlic toasts…  or next to a refreshing crispy salad to cool off the heat from the BBQ sauce.

Tags: , ,

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

29 Sep

I have used and re-purposed this salsa recipe into so many dishes that I think it deserves its own Recipe Post.

I think I first learned this recipe from Tyler Florence… but he used jalapeños also in his mix.  Being the wimp that I am in the spiciness department I do not use them.  But feel free to add as much or as little as you want according to your heat tolerance.   I saw Marcela Valladolid make a version of this same recipe but with Serrano peppers… even more spicy.  It’s up to you which version you prefer…

 

ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400degrees F.
  2.  On a baking tray, place tomatillos, onion and garlic.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices from the bottom of the tray to a food processor.  Add the lemon juice and pulse the mixture until well combined, but still chunky.
  6. If for your purposes the sauce is too chunky… just add a bit of water and pulse to loosen it.

 

I’ve used this recipe originally with my Cheesy Rice Burritos, in my Mexican Lasagna and more recently in my Broccoli Rice Burritos.  I will certainly also try it in a Chilaquiles recipe like the one Marcela Valladolid used hers in…  Yum.

Tags: , ,

HashBrown Spinach Casserole

25 Jan

I already shared this version of a hash brown casserole with you guys… but this version really came about as a clean-out my fridge recipe.  I was tired of seeing the bag of hash brown potatoes in the freezer, a small container of French Onion Dip, the spinach, the shredded cheeses. 

I challenged myself to cook with stuff that was already “opened” – no need to open a new package of anything to save in the fridge.

 

HASHBROWN SPINACH CASSEROLE

1 lbs (about 1/3 a bag) of frozen hash brown potatoes, somewhat thawed
About 1 cup of frozen cut-leaf spinach, somewhat defrosted too
4oz of French Onion Dip – you can use one from the store or make it yourself
2 tbs plain yogurt
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend – Asiago, Mozzarella, provolone, etc.
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste

 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Mix together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
  3. Place the mixture in an oven-proof dish bake in oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potato is fully cooked and the top is golden brown.

 

No need to salt this dish in my opinion… the times I used additional salt, even a little, it turned out salty.  The dip and the cheeses will provide plenty saltiness to the dish.

Try this with my Watercress Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing… super yummy.

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →