As you roam the produce aisle or farm stand looking for fresh, healthy and quick ways to include more produce into your meals -- stop and smell the onions! Not only do onions provide flavor and texture to dishes, they also provide health-promoting phytochemicials as well as nutrients. Another bonus: a 1/4-cup serving of chopped raw onions has just 15 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates.
The domestic spring/summer fresh onion crop is available to retailers March through August. These onions' thin, light-colored skins distinguish them from the storage variety, which have thick, dark-colored, multiple layers of skin (and are available August through April). The spring/summer fresh onion crop is available in yellow, red and white.
Spring/summer fresh onions are crisp and have a mild flavor. Some varieties are referred to as sweet onions. Being higher in water content than the storage varieties, the fresh delicate taste makes them the ideal choice for salads, salsas or any lightly cooked or grilled dish.
This blooming onion recipe can be baked or grilled and is a quick and healthy alternative to the battered, fried version served in restaurants.
Herbed Onion Bloom
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Yield: Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (3 - 3 1/2 inches wide)
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parsley or paprika (optional)
Directions
- Cut about 1/2-inch off top of onion; peel onion. Cut onion into 12 to 16 vertical wedges, leaving root base intact. Set bloomed onion on 14 x 10-inch foil piece. Top onion with butter, thyme or oregano, rosemary and salt and pepper, to taste. Wrap foil around seasoned bloom and pinch edges together tightly.
- To bake: Place wrapped onion upright in baking pan. Bake at 425F 30 minutes, or until tender and cooked but "petals" still have body and stand upright. If desired, sprinkle with minced parsley or paprika. Baked wrapped onion may be held in warm location for up to 1 hour before serving.
- To grill: Place wrapped onion on rack over medium heat in barbeque grill and grill 25 to 35 minutes or until juicy and tender.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 75g
Total Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrates: 10g
Sodium: 5mg
NOA
