Onions: A global benefit to health

Last week in our To Your Health section, we ran a story about the health benefits of eating onions but we forgot to print the recipes that went with the article. Here they are, along with a bit of useful info, too. Freezing onions If you like cooking with fresh onions, but frequently toss an unused portion, try freezing it! The following method works for fully mature onions: 1.Wash, peel and chop raw, fully mature onions into about 1/2” pieces. There is no need to blanch onions. 2.Bag and freeze in freezer bags for best quality and odor protection. Package — flat — in freezer bags (see picture) to hasten freezing and make it easier to break off sections as needed. Express out the air and place bags on cookie sheets or metal pans until onions are frozen. Then, restack bags to take up less room. 3.Use in cooked products, such as soups and stews, ground meat mixtures, casseroles, etc. For most dishes, frozen onions may be used with little or no thawing. (Will keep 3-6 months.) Potato Kale Soup 1/2 pound Italian sausage 1 pounds onion 6 pounds potatoes cut in small cubes 2 cups chicken boullion 2 cups kale, chopped (or spinich) 2 cups milk Salt and pepper to taste Fry onion and sausage until sausage is cooked. Add boullion and potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are done. Add kale and milk. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Oven-Roasted Squash (4 servings) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2-3 tablespoons lemon pepper 1 tablespoon dried rosemary 1 lb small red potatoes, scrubbed and diced 1 1/4 lbs squash; zuchinni, small pattypan, summer and/or crookneck (use a combination if possible), in 1-inch cubes 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks Put oil, lemon pepper, rosemary (crush first) and potatoes into plastic bag. Shake well to coat. Add squash to bag; shake again to coat. Spread vegetables on shallow baking pan. Roast at 400 degrees 30 minutes. Increase temperature to 450 degrees, stir vegetables and continue roasting until brown — about 20 minutes.