Tag: red onion

Beer-Rye Crackers and Pickled Red Onion Hummus Plate

Homemade beer-rye crackers are super simple to make, with just four ingredients. They have an earthy-sweet flavor that goes great with pickled vegetables, like the red onions I enjoy on my favorite hummus.

I created this recipe for Sabra. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen.

I’m the kind of person who’s ready for dinner at 5 on the dot. It doesn’t matter what time I eat lunch or if I have an afternoon snack – when 5 o’clock rolls around, my stomach starts growling. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really mesh with real life, especially since a lot of nights I don’t even leave work until closer to 6. By the time I get home, I’m full-on hangry.

In the past, I’d use my ravenous hunger as an excuse to have dinner delivered – I’d literally be too hungry to cook – but this year we’ve been trying to cook at home more. I’ve found that having a hearty, easy-to-grab snack as soon as I get home has made a world of difference.

I try to plan something with an exciting flavor profile but that’s super simple to make, like these beer-rye crackers with pickled red onion hummus. That way, we can eat and relax for a few minutes while I get my head on straight and decompress from my day. It’s a nice break in the middle of our otherwise hectic evenings. By the time our “unofficial meal” is over, I’m ready to cook dinner at a more leisurely pace. I’ve actually started to enjoy cooking on weeknights more, since I’m not doing it under so much pressure.

Our snack usually consists of a crispy component and some sort of a thick dip. Jicama sticks with guacamole, tortilla chips with fresh salsa, and pita or crackers with hummus are a few of my favorites.

One of the things I love about Sabra hummus is that there are a ton of different flavors available, so I never get bored. But it’s also really fun to use classic hummus as a blank slate for your own toppings!

This combo of pickled red onions (I always have them in my fridge – see my recipe here), corn, thinly shaved fennel, dill, and lemon oil was inspired by the one I created on my trip to the Sabra headquarters last summer, and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s delicious with pita chips, but it’s even better with homemade beer-rye crackers! The earthy crackers have a slight sweetness to them from the beer, and they pair really well with the acidic onions and crisp fennel. Plus, they’re super simple to make and keep well in an airtight container or zip-top bag, so you can make a big batch that will last all week long.

Having a hearty snack later in the afternoon is such a simple idea, but it’s amazing what a difference it’s made for me. I definitely recommend giving it a try if you don’t already.

Beer-Rye Crackers and Pickled Red Onion Hummus Plate

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Lauren Keating

½ cup hoppy beer, preferable ale
1¾ cups dark rye flour
1 teaspoon butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Heat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until all of the flour is incorporated and a thick, tacky dough forms.
Divide the dough into 16 small balls, about the size of a large marble. Flatten each ball between your palms, then press into a thin round disk about ⅛-inch thick. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Prick the discs all over with the tines of a fork.
Bake 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove form the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag.

3.4.3177

Summer Melon Salad

Melons are cheap right now so here’s a good way to take advantage of the season. I cubed up several different varieties for this salad, added some thinly sliced red onion, crumbled feta cheese, lime zest, lime juice, and a few mint leaves. I like to add some finely minced jalapeno, too.

You can lay it out checkerboard style, or pile it all in a salad bowl. I’ve even seen this kind of salad built up like a Rubik’s Cube!

To cut melon into cubes most efficiently, the best way is to lop off a little from the top and bottom, and then cut the rind off by slicing straight down each side, like the photos below. Then slice the entire melon into whatever width you want your cubes to be. Then you can easily slice up your cubes.

I used watermelon, honeydew, and orange honeydew, but there are lots of varieties of melons out there, especially at farmers markets, so experiment and find your favorites.

When you mix the sweet melon with the sharp bite of onion, feta, and lime, it becomes an incredibly refreshing and interesting salad. This sweet and savory combination has roots in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, and sometimes you’ll see it with black olives, tomatoes, or avocado. It’s healthy and super low calorie.

Summer Melon Salad
at least 3 different kinds of melon: I used seedless watermelon, honeydew, and orange honeydew, cut in bite sized cubes
juice and zest of lime
feta cheese crumbles
thinly sliced red onion
finely minced jalapeno pepper (optional)
fresh mint leaves
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Shortly before you want to serve the salad, toss your melon cubes in a bowl, or arrange them on individual plates in a checkerboard fashion. Top them with thin slices of red onion, lime zest, and feta crumbles. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then squeeze lime juice over all.

One year ago today—

Summer Melamine Dishes

Pumpkin Ale Battered Onion Rings

I made these on a whim. Sometimes there’s no better explanation for a recipe than that, so I’m not going to try to flesh it out for the sake of a chatty post. I had a ginormous red onion, and I had a bottle of Pumpkin Ale. They got together. End of story.

It’s not necessary to use a red onion, I just happened to have one. And you don’t necessarily need pumpkin ale, either, you can substitute any beer you have around. I’ll admit, though, that I like the subtle spice notes in a good pumpkin ale. A couple of rounds of pumpkin ale and a big plate piled high with these onion rings and you have yourself an instant fall themed party.

Pumpkin Ale Battered Onion Rings

What You Will Need

Vegetable oil for frying
1 large or 2 medium red or yellow onions
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp onion salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 12 oz bottle pumpkin ale
2 tsp hot sauce

Instructions

Pour the oil into a large pot to a depth of 3 or 4 inches. Heat over medium heat until it reaches 350F.
Peel the onion and slice it into 1/2 inch slices. Carefully separate the rings.
In a large bowl whisk the flour, onion salt, and lots of pepper. Stir in the beer until you have a thick batter, much like waffle batter. Stir in the hot sauce.
Working in batches, dip the rings in the batter and then shake off the excess before dropping them into the hot oil. Do a few at a time so you don’t crowd them or they will stick to each other. If your oil is at the proper temperature, they should fry to golden in a couple of minutes. Flip once or twice during the cooking process.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve right away or, if necessary, heat leftovers in a 350F oven for a few minutes. Set a rack over a baking sheet and lay the onions on it so they will re-crisp.

Notes

Add a little more flour if your batter seems to thin, or a little water if it seems too thick.

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http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/09/pumpkin-ale-battered-onion-rings.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

One thing, don’t expect these rings to be picture perfect…they are definitely a little disheveled, and that’s part of their charm. I’m always wary of perfectly formed onion rings There should be globs of fried batter sticking out in random directions, cracks where the onion shows through, and lots of lumpy, messy bits.

Enjoy the weekend!