Monday 18 April 2011

No more tears

I recently reintroduced the humble onion into my cookery, having avoided it for sometime due to problems digesting them. I still find I can't eat onions raw, but once cooked the cellulose fibre is partially broken down making them easier to digest.

The onion is often undervalued as a vegetable but it counts towards you five (eight!) a day just like any other veg and for good reason. Onions are rich in quercetin, a powerful anti-inflammatory, so good for hay fever, allergies and other inflammatory conditions. They are also good for anyone concerned with heart health as they are thought to thin blood and lower LDL cholesterol and also have antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties so a good idea to eat if you are feeling under the weather.

They're also a pretty great addition, taste wise, in any cooked dishes (see last weeks paprika salmon recipe http://nutritionistinthecity.blogspot.com/2011/04/something-fishy.html). This evening I enjoyed them with squash as a veggie side dish (see recipe below).


However the one thing I haven't ever enjoyed about cooking with onions is the tears when I chop them. I'm not sure if I'm particularly susceptible but chopping an onion gets my eyes streaming terribly leading to amusing/unattractive red eyes and mascara smudges - that is until I came across this tip for chopping onions. My mum also suffers a lot when chopping onions so this is a tip for her and any other onion cryers out there!

How to chop an onion without crying

Before you start chopping rinse both the knife and onion under the tap (and don't dry) and then chop ... no more tears!


Squash 'N' Onions recipe from The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Butternut Squash

1 medium White Onion (feel free to add more)

1/2 tbsp Spices, Oregano Leaves

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/8 tsp Sea Salt

1. heat oil in sauce pot

2. cut onion in half and slice

3. sautee onion until transparent

4. add oregano, sea salt, butternut squash and 1/2 cup of water

5. cover and simmer for 30 minutes

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