There’s No Reason to Cry Over Onions
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Turns out that onions are nothing to cry over – these flavor packed vegetables are packed with nutrients. Onions are super healthy, and excellent sources of the antioxidant quercetin. Quercetin is a powerhouse and works best when consumed in natural form, as in onions.
Quercetin is useful for;
- Prevention of allergies
- Reversing heart disease, quercetin aids in the prevention of plaque build up on arterial walls
- Eases swelling or joint stiffness or arthritis
- Lowers your risk of all cancers and inhibits tumor growth
- Lowers risk of lung cancer in smokers
- Prevents heart disease
- Improves prostate health
- Reduces the severity of bladder infections.
Who knew, right?? I picked up some beautiful red onions at the Farmers Market this week and thought I would share some of the many ways you can feature onions in your summer recipes!
Simple Sautéed Pepper and Onions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 bell peppers, sliced
- 3 cups sliced sweet onions
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Heat oil in a large straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add peppers, onions and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown, 18 to 21 minutes.
Serves 12. Each serving contains Calories 42, Fat 2 g., Fiber 1 g., Carbohydrates 5 g., Protein 1 g., Sodium 164 mg.
Kale and Red Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red onion, sliced, quartered and sliced thin
- 5 ounces chopped kale
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
- Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a wok or large non-stick pan until just beginning to soften.
- Add kale, red pepper, salt, pepper, a little more oil, and cook until starting to wilt – 3 to 4 minutes stirring often.
- Add water, stir and allow to steam slightly. When water has evaporated, add crushed garlic and cook until very fragrant – about a minute.
Steamed Broccoli with Garlic and Red Onion
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sliced fresh garlic
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 14 ounces broccoli florets
- 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
- Combine ¾ cup water, butter, and garlic in a large skillet over high heat; bring to a boil.
- Add onion and broccoli to pan; cover and simmer 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.
- Sprinkle evenly with salt.
Serves 4. Each serving contains Calories 62, Fat 3.3 g, Protein 3 g, Carbohydrate 7 g, Fiber 3 g, Cholesterol 8 mg, Sodium 208 mg.
Roasted Red Onions with Butter, Honey and Balsamic Vinegar
(Adapted from a Tyler Florence Recipe.)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup honey
- ½ bunch fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 red onions, halved
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the butter, vinegar, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly.
- Place the onions, cut sides up, in a single layer on a baking pan. Drizzle the butter-vinegar mixture over and roast until soft and slightly caramelized, about 45 minutes.
Serves 6.
Red Onion Marmalade
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Directions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions and sugar in hot oil until onions start to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
- Stir red wine and balsamic vinegar into onion mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes more.
- Season with salt.
Serves 8. Each serving contains Calories 111, Fat 4.9g. Carbohydrates 11.7 g., Protein 0.5 mg., Cholesterol 4 mg., Sodium 15 mg
Six-Onion Soup with Parmesan Crouton
Ingredients
Soup
- Cream of Chicken Soup
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 8 cups halved and thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only
- 2½ cups thinly sliced shallots
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 16 cups halved and thinly sliced sweet onions
- 8 cups halved and thinly sliced red onions
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- ⅔ cup cognac or dry sherry
- 10 cups low-sodium beef broth
Parmesan Crouton
- 12 slices whole-grain baguette (½ inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
To prepare soup:
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add shallots, scallions and garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sweet onions, red onions, salt, pepper and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil; stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are reduced by half and very juicy, about 45 minutes.
- Add parsley and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is deeply browned, 35 to 45 minutes more.
- Increase heat to high and add cognac (or sherry). Cook, scraping up any browned bits, for 1 minute. Add broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
To prepare croutons:
- Just before serving, position a rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler on low. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush one side with oil. Broil until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Turn the slices over and top each with a generous 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Broil until the cheese is melted, 4 to 6 minutes more.
- Serve the soup topped with croutons.
Serves 12. Each serving contains Calories 366, Fat 13 g, Protein 12 g, Carbohydrate 51 g, Fiber 8 g, Cholesterol 6 mg, Sodium 667 mg.
Red Onion Soup (vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 red onions
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- 4 tbsp. walnuts
- 2 tsp. pesto
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dried herbs such as oregano or parsley
Directions
- Cut the garlic into small pieces and add it to the pot. Cut the onions into thin rings and throw them in a pot. Add half the olive oil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
- When the onions are transparent add the lemon juice and vegetable broth.
- Add some dried herbs if you have them and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes
- In the meanwhile cut the bread into cubes. Then add them into a pan with the rest of the olive oil. Also add the walnuts to the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes until the bread cubes are nicely toasted.
- Add the soup into a bowl and add the croutons, walnuts and pesto.