Did you know that onions are extremely good for you?  Besides giving many dishes flavor and natural sweetness, onions have a host of highly beneficial properties, including

• Fiber - Most of the fiber in onions is water soluble.  This lowers your bad cholestrol and helps keep your good/bad cholestrol ratios up! 
• Inulin - This is a special fiber found in garlic and onions.  For those of you looking to improve your gut flora and immune system,  inulin fiber is like a super food for the good gut bacteria.
• Chromium - While all high fiber foods help regulate blood glucose levels,  onions are also rich in chromium.  Chromium further helps in stabilizing blood glucose levels, which is fantastic for anyone with diabetes or is pre-diabetic.
• Quercetin - A powerful phytonutrient that helps in preventing and fighting cancer.  It's also been studied for its anti-inflammatory properties, which can be useful for those of you suffering from joint pain.
  

Since discovering this, I have been adding onions to my stir fries, omelettes and stews with abandon.   I bet you will never think of French Onion Soup in the same way again.  Here's a recipe for you to try out.  And if you'd like to know which onion varieties have the best health giving properties,  I've included a link at the end of the recipe. 

PREPARATION

A) Caramelizing the onions
Peel skin, cut in 1/2 and slice thinly.
Tip: it is easier to brown the onions evenly by cooking them up in two batches.
In a large non-stick frying pan, place half the amount of sliced onions. 
Add 1 table spoons of olive oil.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Stir fry over low heat till onions are evenly browned (about 15 minutes).

B) Making the soup
Transfer browned onions to a large non-stick soup pot with 8 cups of boiling water.
Cook the remaining onions in the frying pan and when brown, add to the soup pot.
Simmer onions and water in the soup pot under low heat. 
Add herbs and balsamic vinegar.  
Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and reserve the rest.
Optional ingredients - If using these, add them now.
Simmer slowly for another 30 minutes.
Taste --- the caramelized onions can make this soup incredibly sweet. 
Balance out the flavors with extra salt or vinegar or lemon juice as needed. 
Aim for a thick, rich consistency but add extra water if needed.
Simmer for another 30 minutes

C) Serving
Transfer 1 cup of onions with broth to heatproof bowls. 
Fill nearly to the brim.
Place bowls in an oven tray
Top with crusty bread, and cover with shredded cheese.
Heat bowls in an oven for 10 minutes, ideally under a grill so that the cheese melts over the bread and broth.
Serve with extra black pepper.

D) Adaptations
Replace the beef stock cubes with bone-both for further gut healing, soothing benefits.

#cookingwithonions #frenchonionsoup #preventingcancer #preventingdiabetes #improvinggutflora #improvingimmunesystem #comfortfood #comfortingsoups #highfiberrecipe #cookingwithlove #managingcholesterol #HDL #LDL #watersolublefiber #inulin #quercetin #phytonutrientrichfood #wonderfood #superfood #preventingheartdisease #eatingtoheal #beingwell #eatingwell #healingfoods #nourishingfoods #traditionalfoods #paleorecipes #eatingwithflavors #chromium #regulatingbloodglucose #diabeticfood #prediabetes #prediabetic #insulin #glucoseuptake #antiinflammation #preventinginflammation #managingathritis #immunesystemboost

Most people who've eaten at my home know that I love to add fresh herbs and spices to the dishes. While they might seem like they are there for color and texture, I often add as many herbs and spices for their curative properties.  I am also usually pretty careful about the quality of the oils I use too.   This soup is filled with just a few of my favorite things:  lemongrass,  tumeric, corriander, onions and coconut.   These come packed with heaps of anti-inflamatory, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial benefits.  It's also gluten and dairy free! 

This recipe was inspired years back from a wonderful trip to the Datai, in Langkawi Malaysia, where I had the pleasure of ordering something quite similar for dinner at the restaurant one evening

A) Prepare Ingredients
Onion - chop roughly into squares
Lemongrass - cut off long stalks,  and set aside.  Cut hearts into rough rings.  
Coriander root - clean and chop. 
Tumeric - if using fresh tumeric, remove skin and grate roughly into shreds. 
Sweetcorn - remove husk.  Roughly cut off kernels for 5 ears of corn using a knife.  For last ear of corn, removely more gently and neatly -- reserve separately. 
Water - boil and set aside. 

B) Cook Soup
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over low heat.  
Brown onions slowly to release sweetness.  
Raise heat.  Add lemongrass hearts, coriander root and continue to cook. 
Add corn kernels and heat through.
Add boiling water and lemon grass stalks.  
Turn up heat till soup is on a rolling boil. 
Then, turn down heat and simmer till sweet corn is cooked through. 
Remove from heat.  Discard long lemong grass stalks. 
Put soup through a blender or food processor and pulse till smooth. 
Take a colander or fine sieve and strain the soup through.  
Discard what is retained in the colander (note:  I often run 1/2 cup of water through this to remove the remaining "flavor) and add to the soup. 
Return the soup to the pot.  Add the reserved corn kernels and reheat.   
Add salt and pepper to taste. 

​C) Finishing Oil
Heat a little water and blanch the corriander leaves and roots.
Quickly remove and place in cold water to retain color. 
Roughly chop and add to the olive oil.  
Pulse thoroughly using a hand-held blender. 
Set aside. 

D) Assemble and Serve
Fine a nice soup bowl or plate.  
Fill with soup.  Add a drizzle of the finishing oil.   

​Serving notes: 
It's quite a rich soup.  I often like to serve this in a little tea cup and let my guests decide if they would like a second helping. 

If you are not dairy intolerant, you can replace the olive oil with a little butter.  If you like it less rich, feel free to replace 1 cup of coconut milk with regular milk or low-fat milk. 

#glutenfree #diaryfree #homerecipes #dinnerpartyrecipe #tumericbenefits #coconutbenefits #lemongrassrecipe #asianfusionrecipes #antioxidantrich #antiinflammatory #cookingwithflavor