Get to Know Onions
Key to success: Chill onions before slicing to prevent teary eyes. Onions contain sulfur compounds that are released when you cut into them.
Why is the onion a superstar food? All members of the onion family provide some heart protection. The juice in onions can help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase your HDL (good cholesterol).
Onions are also packed with polyphenols, a group of antioxidants found in plant foods. Antioxidants can help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals (like air pollution, cigarette smoke and ultraviolet rays from the sun). This cell damage can lead to certain types of cancer. Onions have more polyphenols than garlic, tomatoes, carrots and red peppers. Plus, early research hints that onions and other members of the allium family, like garlic, may help protect against osteoarthritis.
- Store in a basket in a cool, dark place (not your refrigerator) where air can circulate around them. Store green onions in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Once you cut an onion, wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- POWER TIP! To caramelize onions, slice and slowly sauté them over low heat in olive oil until they turn golden brown. Caramelized onions are a great addition to other vegetables like green beans, or a tasty topping for burgers, chicken breasts or pork chops.
Your Onion Primer
| Yellow onions (cooking onions) | stronger flavor; stands up to heavy cooking |
Vidalia onions
(sweet onions) | milder flavor; tasty in salads or other light summer dishes |
| Red onions | crisp and mild flavor; work well for grilling
|
| Shallots | sweet, mild flavor; shaped more like a garlic clove than an onion; use them in recipes to substitute for garlic (the flavor will be milder than garlic) |
| Pearl onions | very small: usually around 1 inch in diameter; mild taste; can be white, yellow or red; commonly pickled or added to dishes whole |
| Cipollini onions | small, flat and sweet; good for roasting or caramelizing (see Power Tip!) |
Green onions
(or scallions) | less intense flavor; can be chopped and used as a garnish on rice or casseroles or to add a light onion flavor to salads |
Onion Dip
- Sauté over low heat 2 cups diced yellow onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Mix together 2 cups nonfat, plain Greek-style yogurt, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Stir in the cooled onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Amount per serving (Serves 10):
Calories: 70
Fat: 3.5g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 3mg
Carbohydrates: 7g
| Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 1g
Protein: 3g
Sodium: 65mg
Potassium: 168mg
|
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