The Caramelized Effect

I love finding ways to add flavor to dishes without tons of added fats, oils, and sugars. Behold: The Caramelized Onion.

I adore caramelized onions; they are my go-to for adding big flavor with little added calories or fat. I top mashed potatoes with them (good-bye butter), I use it on salads (what dressing?), to add flavor to burgers (so-long ketchup), mix them in my meatloaf, and as a base for sandwiches, pizzas, and tarts (yep, I said tarts). Here are some of my FAVORITE recipes with these delish little bulbs.

Now when most of you think of caramelized onions, you think, sugar and oil. But luckily for us, nature made the onion so perfect, all that flavor is already in it without adding a bunch of junk. All you need is some patience.

Classic Caramelized Onions: 21-Day Fix style

Prep Time: 5 min. Cook Time: 15-20 min

21-Day Fix Guide: 1 Green, 2- teaspoons

Ingredients:

-Med to large onion (sweet, yellow, or cooking variety)

2-Teaspoons EVOO or cooking spray, splurge on the EVOO trust me

Salt and pepper to taste

Water as needed.

Chop the onion in half and then into long vertical stripes, we don’t want to dice for these. Then place a pan with the EVOO on med heat. When the oil just starts to let off a light blue smoke, the pan is ready for the onions. You should hear a sizzle, but if not, that’s okay, just keep on eye on the onions for when they start to go translucent. Add salt and pepper. Now, leave them alone. The trick is to let them cook down, so no need to constantly stir. When one side starts to gently brown, flip them over. Now comes the water and patience part. Increase the heat to med/high and add just enough water to coat the bottom of the pan. It will sizzle and bubble and your kitchen should start to smell HEAVENLY. Add a lid to speed up process, but if you don’t have one, again, it’s okay. Check the onions and when water is gone, add more, usually about 5 minutes. Eventually the onions will go from white, to yellow, to a deep, rich brown. That’s what we are going for! When the onions reach the desired brown, that’s it, we are done! I love taking these warm and putting them right on a salad. I use the cook time for the onions to prep the rest of my meal. YUM!

Pro-Tip: Make a warm asparagus, caramelized onion salad by adding fresh asparagus to the same pan as the onions half way through cooking. The asparagus will steam/sautee with the onions, absorbing all the great flavors! They finish cooking at the same time, add to fresh greens and top with 21-day fix Balsamic dressing and goat or blue cheese crumbles.

Onion-Tomato Jam

Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 30 min

21-Day Fix Guide: 1- Green, 2- teaspoons

Ingredients:

Carmelized Onion recipe from above, Doubled.

2-Teaspoons Kosher salt

2 – Cloves garlic, minced

10- roma tomatoes cored, chopped and seeded. (You can use grape or cherry as well)

½- cup molasses or pure maple syrup (I personally like the syrup)

1/4- cup honey (if you like things less sweet, halve the honey)

½ - cup apple cider vinegar

½- teaspoon allspice

½- teaspoon ground cinnamon

½- teaspoon chipotle powder (I have substituted this with chipotle hot sauce (frank’s) with great results)

After onions are done, stir in the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook additional 10 min. Add remaining ingredients, bring mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stirring consistently, cook until the tomatoes breakdown and the jam becomes thick, about 20 minutes. (Half time if you halved the recipe).

This jam is SO good. I use it to top burgers, in grilled cheese, on tarts/pizza/pita. A little goes a LONG way, that’s what it doesn’t count for as many containers. I put the rest in mason jars and place in refrigerator, keeps for 2 weeks.