Caramelized Onions.

These caramelized onions can be used to turn everything they adorn into gastronomic wonder. They are low calories flavor bombs to replace high-fat mayonnaise and spread for burgers, sandwiches, omelettes, or grilled meat.

Ingredients:

• 2 red onions, diced or sliced
• 1 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of salt
• black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat up olive oil or butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook and stir every few minutes until all onions turn from translucent to light brown. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes. 
3. Add the vinegar and black pepper. Stir to mix evenly. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Serve on sandwiches or meat. Keep the rest in containers or jars with tight lid. Refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Notes:

• Make a bigger batch to save the time. They can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
• Cook slowly on medium-low heat will give you the best results and flavor. If you are pressed for time,  you can raise the heat to medium and cook for shorter time. 

Pickled Onions.

The sweet and sour vinegar based solution can take off the harsh and raw edge of onions and replace it with a lovely spicy bite. Use it in burgers, sandwiches, tacos, wraps, you name it.

Ingredients:

• One clean jar with tight lid
• 2 red onions
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Slice onions thinly and break up into thin rings.
2. Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Heat up until it begins to simmer. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Place the onions in a sealable jar and pour the brine over the onions.
4. The onions can be used immediately after 20 minutes of soaking. 
5. Keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Note:

• Can use shallots and make pickled shallots.

Roasted Garlic.

If you have never considered garlic as another condiment, you should try this.

While raw garlic can be assertive, harsh and pungent, overcooked garlic can be acrid, bitter and off-putting. Roasted garlic slowly mellows its flavor and brings out the sweetness in garlic with a creamy texture. It becomes an inviting savory candy that can be used to spread on bread, fold into salad dressings and many side dishes, such as mashed potatoes.

You will need heads of garlic and olive oil.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Separate the garlic cloves and peel them. Place them in the center of a baking tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Fold the foil and wrap up to make a pouch that encloses the garlic.
3. Place the tin foil pouch on a baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the garlic is soft and creamy like warm butter.
4. Transfer to a jar or container with air-tight lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
5. Use it on bread with Parmesan cheese. Use it to punch up dressings or sauces.

Pickled Jalapenos!

They are lighter on the sodium, they taste better and they only take minutes to prep. Once you start adding these to dips, eggs, sandwiches, and salads, you will be hooked.

Most of the heat of a chile is in the seed deposits (the white pith around the seeds) near the stem, and the ribs that hold the seeds. If you like the heat, you can cut all the way up to the stem. Otherwise, stop slicing about halfway through if you like it mild. Keep the other half for other cooking preparations in the freezer or refrigerator.

Ingredients: 

• 5 or 6 jalapenos, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Directions: 

1. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to simmer. Then turn the heat off and set it aside for 5 minutes to cool off.
2. Place the jalapeno slices in a clean, sterilized, sealable jar. Pour the cooked brine over the peppers. 
3. You can use them immediately after 20 minutes of curing and soaking.
4. Keep them in the air-tight jar and in the refrigerator, for up to 10 days.

Note:

• Capsaicin is a chemical compound found in varying amounts in chili peppers. When it comes in contact with your skin or mucous membranes it produces a burning sensation. The amount of capsaicin in a specific species of pepper is measured using the Scoville scale, which chemist Wilbur Scoville developed in 1912 to measure how much a pepper capsaicin oil extract needed to be diluted until its heat is just barely detectable. Pure capsaicin measures 16,000,000 on the Scoville scale.

My Hummus!

This Middle-Eastern nutritious side dish, made of pureed chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), Tahini, garlic, and olive oil is becoming more and more popular. Use it for pita bread/chips, vegetable crudités, on your toasts to add a punch. Better yet, try it on our homemade muffins and this dynamite duo have the complete set of essential amino acids we need.

Ingredients: 

• 1 can of 16 oz chickpeas, rinsed and drained or cook your own beans
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of Tahini sesame paste
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• Juice of one lemon
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put the chickpeas, Tahini, garlic, cumin and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse a few times and with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly until all is incorporated into a smooth paste. 
2. Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Notes:

• Tahini is a sesame seeds paste that tastes like peanut butter. If you can't find it, substitute it with peanut butter.
• Sprinkle chopped scallions, chives or flat parsley to garnish if desired.
• Beans and wheat complement each other to complete the set of essential amino acids that human body requires. That is a good reason to love peanut butter on bread (smiley).

Pepperonata - Italian Fried Peppers!

This spicy, tangy and sweet bell pepper trifecta is beloved by Italians because it adds pop to pretty much anything it touches, including but not limited to pastas, salads, sandwiches and soups. It is wonderful with grilled chicken and roasted meat.

Use one each of red, yellow, and orange peppers but don't use green peppers as the dish is meant to showcase the natural sweetness in its red, yellow and orange counterparts.

Ingredients (yield 3 cups): 

• 3 bell peppers from each of red, yellow and orange ideally, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs of oregano or basil, optional

Directions:

1. Heat up the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 min to infuse the oil. Add the sliced bell peppers and toss.  Cook until they are softened and slightly blistered.
2. Add pepper flakes, oregano or basil, vinegar and cook for a minute. season with salt and pepper. 
3. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Notes:

• Add sliced onion and diced tomatoes, fresh or canned, if you like.
• In order to blister and toast the bell peppers, the pan and oil has to be screaming hot. This is a high heat saute cooking method.

My Guacamole!

To me, guacamole is at its best with a few fresh ingredients that are in season. The basic essentials are garlic, jalapeno, lemon or lime and avocado. You can adjust and add more on top of that.

Ingredients (yield 2 cups): 

• 2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 tablespoons minced jalapeno
• juice of one lemon or lime
• pinch of cayenne
• kosher salt to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Smash the garlic against the cutting board with the side of a knife and remove the skin. Add a pinch of salt to the garlic and mince finely. Use the side of the knife to grind the paste finer into a paste, using the salt to act as an abrasive. (or use a pestle and mortar for the job). 
2. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the onion, jalapeno, and avocado. Mash up the avocado but remain slightly chunky.
3. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt and cayenne to taste.

Notes:

• Add freshly diced tomatoes or red bell peppers.
• Use it as filling to make Devil's Eggs.
• Use it with baked wonton wraps for appetizers.
• Use it for Bruschettas.
• Use it in quesadillas, wraps and sandwiches.

My Classic Pesto Sauce.

Store-bought pesto sauce can never taste as good as a homemade batch and it only takes 3 minutes to make it if you have a food processor.

Use it on pastas, sandwiches, or in soups and salad dressings.

Add enough oil so there is a thin layer of oil float on top of the sauce to keep it fresh and green, before you retire them to the refrigerator. The oil will keep the basil from oxidizing and darkening.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons pin nuts or walnuts
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put everything except the oil in a food processor and pulse until the basil is chopped.
2. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all is incorporated to a pasty consistency.
3. Enjoy.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce!

Teri-yaki (照り焼き) is a Japanese cooking process of grilling (yaki, 焼き) and glazing the meat with a soy based sauce to make it shiny and glistening (teri, 照り) .

The basic Japanese teriyaki sauce ratio is 2:1:1 -- 2 parts of soy sauce, 1 part of mirin and 1 part of sake -- when used in cooking process as a glaze or a flavoring sauce. When making it as a dipping sauce, use equal part (1-1-1) of soy sauce, mirin, sake; then add and adjust the sugar to your taste.

Remember, any sauce you are making, don't over-flavor it so it can stay general-purposed and useful in many preparations. You can always adjust and add more but you can not take out what is already in there.

The store-bought American version of teriyaki sauce is leaning toward the sweet end of the spectrum, if that is what you are familiar with. I suggest you use the basic proportions and adjust the sugar level. Don't over sweeten it. If you have one of those bottles, try adding more soy sauce and sake to it next time.

Ingredients:
Basic for cooking: 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of mirin or replaced with 2 tablespoons of rice wine and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sake or rice wine
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, adjust to your taste

Basic for dipping sauce:

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of mirin or replaced with 2 tablespoons of rice wine and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sake or rice wine
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, adjust to your taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch 
• 1 tablespoon water to mix with cornstarch

To punch it up:

• 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly minced garlic or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Replace sugar with maple syrup or honey
• Optional, add a touch of pineapple juice or vinegar

Directions:

1. To cook with it: Mix up and add it to stew browned fish or meat or brush on skewed meat.
2. To make dipping sauce: Mix up and bring to boil. Turn heat low and simmer until it thickens.

Notes:

• If you don't have mirin, for each 1 tablespoon of mirin, replace it with 1 tablespoon of sake or cooking wine and 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.
• To make it even better, you can use maple syrup or honey to replace sugar.
• Store-bought sauces use refined sugar while using honey or brown sugar will make the sauce taste rounder, balanced with a molasses note.

Homemade Butter! No Kidding!

You wonder who would bother to make their own butter. Well, it tastes better if you ask me. Also it is annoying to buy the whole block if all you need is just a little to go with your homemade white muffin or homemade whole-grain muffin. Or maybe you want to see if I am kidding you.

By the way, if you make your own Crème fraiche, you will have that heavy cream sitting around. Here is another way to use it besides whipping it up with sugar.

Ingredients:

• Very cold heavy cream (about 36-40% butterfat)
• A small, clean and sterilized jar

Directions:

1. Pour the cold heavy cream into the sterilized jar to about half way full.
2. Shake it like a mad man for 20 minutes. This can be done very quickly in a food processor as well.
3. The milk fat will solidify into a lump and separate from the whey.
4. Drain out the whey and keep the butter frozen or refrigerated. 

Notes:

• It is much easier and faster to do this in a food processor but, hey, this special recipe is for our uncluttered, simple life members.
• By the way, you can do this trick to impress someone, I hope.
• You can add herbs and spices into the heavy cream and shake out a flavored butter. 
• You can keep the leftover whey for baking recipes that call for buttermilk.

Homemade Mustard!

Ingredients (yield 1 cup about 250g):

• 1/3 cup (55g) mustard seeds
• 1/3 cup (80ml) white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) dry white wine (or water)
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar or turbinado sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• big pinch of cayenne
• 2-4 tablespoons warm water, if necessary
• optional: 1-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the horseradish, in a stainless-steel bowl. Cover, and let stand for 2-3 days.
2. Put the ingredients in a blender and whiz until as smooth as possible. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water if the mustard is too thick. Blend in the horseradish, if using.

To store: The mustard will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated, although it’s best if used within one month.