Thursday "Tip"... Onions

 

 http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1390/onion-cooking.asp

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/onion.html 

    I remember growing up and my mother would make an onion sandwich with mayonnaise and sugar sprinkled on top! Onions is one of those stables to keep on hand in your kitchen, so today I thought I would offer some tips on onions.

~ Never wash them before you store them in a cool, dark, dry and ventilated place. I have mine in a bin in the bottom of my pantry.

~ You can freeze them by cutting them up in slices, diced in large or small pieces or even puree them. They are great this way for soups, gravy, chili etc.

~ To bring out the sweetness in a raw onion, put it in the refrigarator about an hour before you need it. If your in a hurry or forgot just drop in some ice water for 10-15 min, then dry off and use.

~ Love caramelized onions? You can freeze those too. Just make up a batch or make extra , let them cool, freeze in individual portions and when ready to use saute quickly while still frozen. If you let them thaw they will just be soggy.

Thursday " Tip "... Seasoning

     I had mentioned in an earlier post on January 7, 2015 http://whole-food-living.blogspot.com/2015/01/wednesday-word-essentials.html about four essential spices to have in your pantry. Another good tip is making your own spice mixes. The ones in the store usually start with salt as the main ingredient, as well as added preservatives. So by making some of your own you can control the amounts and freshness.
      Seasoning salt is a fun one to mix up and put together. You can put on your french fries, sprinkle on your cooked vegetables and chicken, your popcorn and basically anything you would sprinkle salt on. Many considerate this an "all purpose" salt.

Homemade Season Salt

2 Tablespoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Paprika

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric

1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Other variations to add in:

celery seed

curry powder

dried thyme

dried oregano

dried mustard

cumin

Mix all ingredients and store in container.

*Note- you could put more of each spice to double the batch and leave the salt as is or leave out altogether.

It's your seasoning mix, tweak it to fit your taste, but most of all, have fun doing it!

Thursday 3 "Tips" to cut down on sugar...

Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's the feeling "sugar" brings to mind.

Sugar is not our enemy, and in moderation it can be our friend. Take a moment to read the ingredient labels on some of the food sitting on your pantry shelves, cabinets and in your refrigerator. Look beyond the obvious bag of cookies or can of soda, and check out the salad dressing, ketchup, peanut butter, yogurt, crackers, lunch meat, pickles, non dairy milk, creamer, cereal, bread, even gum, just to name a few. There is sugar everywhere (even in your medicines) and under many names besides the spelling, S-U-G-A-R.

To help bring awareness to how much sugar may be lurking in your food, here is just some of the other names that sugar can be found on your ingredients labels:

*high fructose corn syrup

*sucrose,

*glucose

*fructose

*lactose

*maltose

*dextrose

*honey

*corn syrup

*invert sugar

*invert sugar syrup

*molasses

*brown sugar

*evaporated cane juice

*dehydrated fruit juice

*corn sweetener

*fruit juice concentrate

*malt syrup

*raw sugar

*turbinado sugar

*sorghum syrup

*refiner's syrup

*beet syrup

*glucose syrup

*barbado's sugar

*muscovado sugar

*beet sugar

*carob syrup

*table sugar

*malt

*buttered sugar

*maple syrup

*rice syrup

*agave nectar or syrup

*powdered sugar

*corn syrup solids

*organic raw sugar

*golden sugar

*date sugar

*castor sugar

*golden sugar

*raisin sugar

*d-mannose

*sorbose

*galactose

*xylitol

*sorbitol

Don't let this list leave you discouraged, it's about bring awareness to the food we eat. So the next time you go to the grocery store try these 3 tips to help you start to cut down on some of the sugar consumed without even knowing it.

One

Read the label on that product your about to put in your cart to feed yourself and your family. Look to see if there is a another product comparable in price, that has less sugar with a similar serving size. 

Example -  if the product label reads 8 gram of sugar for 1/2 cup serving size

look for:

                  4 gram of sugar for 1/2 cup serving size

* or look for a label that may read " no sugar added" 

Two

When making a recipe that calls for sugar put less of the sugar then it requires. I do this all the time and I have rarely ever noticed a difference. And general speaking it doesn't usual effect the texture of consistency of the recipe.

Three

Start doing half and half with your food or drink.

Example - mix 1 pack of instant oatmeal (with 12 gram sugar) with 1 no sugar pack of instant oatmeal.

or

                 mix a bowl of yogurt (with 19 gram sugar) with a bowl of no or low sugar yogurt.

You will find over time that your palette will adjust to the taste of less sugar and you will wonder how you even use to eat so much.

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and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!