Simple Onion Soup heartwarming on summery as well as cold days

While I'm on the subject of onions (after yesterday's post about the homemade onion rings), I’ll go on and tell you about this wonderful onion soup I made from—guess what?—onions from my garden again.

Hubby and I have a terrific memory of dining on French Onion Soup during a winter picnic shortly after we were married. One Saturday, B.K. (before kids), we decided to chunk the usual weekend household chores and instead stuff a blanket in the car and head off on a winter outdoor outing. We found a picnic spot about 90 minutes from our home and enjoyed some heartwarming soup on a cold day.

In the (many) years since, French Onion Soup has always evoked a special recollection. When I saw this recipe for a similar dish, I decided the time had arrived to walk down memory lane (and use up those beautiful onions the Good Lord helped us grow).

Simple is the correct word for this terrific menu item. Brown the onions in butter, add broth (I subbed chicken broth for the beef), and pour over toasted whole-wheat bread, with cheese sprinkled on.

Our warming outdoor temps right now definitely do not bespeak of winter, but the enjoyment of this Simple Onion Soup certainly can span the seasons.

Simple Onion Soup

1 tablespoon margarine

3 cups yellow onion, thinly sliced

6 cups lower-sodium beef broth (I used chicken broth)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

6 pieces, whole-wheat bread, toasted and cut into strips

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat margarine. Add onions; sauté until onions are caramelized (light golden brown). Stir in broth and pepper. Bring to a boil; simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the soup to an oven-safe dish. Place bread in the soup. Top with cheese; broil until the cheese is melted. Makes 6 1-cup servings. (Recipe source: Chickasaw Nutrition Services)

Dig up an onion, dip and dredge—healthy homemade onion rings

We thought this would be funner than fun—homemade onion rings prepared from the onions out of our own garden.

The inimitable cook Paula Deen helped with this endeavor—through her recipes featured in a recent edition of Prevention magazine. Deen has been “lightening up” because of her well-publicized  diabetes diagnosis, so many of her food preparations are makeovers—healthier ways to stir up classic (and often fat-laden) Southern meals.

In this one she took the onion ring to new heights, as far as I’m concerned. These are baked in the oven after being coated with a seasoned mix of flour and bread crumbs.

I liked these better than the heart-hampering ones you might get at the local greasy spoon. And the freshness of slicing up a just-picked onion from our own onion rows—priceless!

Crispy Creole Onion Rings

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 large egg whites (I used 1/2 cup egg substitute)

2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 large sweet onions, slice and separated into 1/2-inch-thick rings

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. In a small bowl whisk together flour and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning. In another small bowl lightly beat egg whites. In a third small bowl combine panko and remaining 1 teaspoon seasoning. Dredge onion rings in flour mixture. Gently shake off excess. Dip in egg; let excess drip off. Dredge in panko mixture to coat; place on prepared pans. Coat onion rings lightly with cooking spray. Bake 6 minutes. Turn onion rings and bake until they are lightly browned for 4 to 6 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

The onions of summer get a fitting farewell as they become part of a warm potato salad recipe

Pulling the last--the very last--onion from the onion bin to use with a recipe prompted a walk down memory lane.

Our onion supply that had amply filled the basket on the porch had endured since late winter, when Hubby bent down in the bleak, empty expanse of dirt out back--a space that soon would become so prolific with this year's garden yield.

In his annual ritual he had visited Roach Feed & Seed and brought onion sets, put them out in bare ground under a gray, early February sky, and dreamed of weeks ahead when he'd be surrounded by green and growing things.

Some wonderful onions did emerge from that February planting. And of course the onions were followed by the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, zucchini, okra, and cabbage that we've enjoyed all summer. That's in addition to the plums, peaches, and pears that have been part of this year's harvest.

But now the onion basket was down to the dregs. The recipe in which they got chopped up and used--Heidelberg German Potato Salad--represented a tasty, ceremonial goodbye to the onions that have helped spice up salads, vegetables, and casseroles for the past six months. Thank you, onions!

Thankfully that's not the end of the garden for the year, however. As fall beckons bushy green pepper plants are ready to give their abundant birth. At least half a dozen cantaloupe are peeking through the leaves on the ground. We're spotting four big watermelons that soon will be bringing us a late-summer delight. And the ubiquitous okra--the hotter things get, the more it produces. All these still will be around a while. Then we have the fall garden to which we can look forward. Hubby has his fall tomatoes already in. And what will become of his recent planting of pumpkin seeds? Our Halloween jack-o-lantern? Time will tell.

Heidelberg German Potato Salad brings a different twist to a potato-salad recipe. Served warm with an apple-cider vinegar/bacon-drippings dressing, it is a delicious side dish to a summer meal. Years ago I pulled it from the pages of a Family Circle magazine and stuffed it in my summer-recipe file. For my last rose of summer--the last onion in this year's onion bin--it represented a fitting farewell.

Heidelberg German Potato Salad

5 pounds redskin potatoes

2 cups water

2 beef bouillon cubes (we use reduced-sodium cubes)

1/2 pound bacon, diced (we use turkey bacon)

1 sweet onion, diced

1/2 cup vegetable oil (we use olive oil)

1/3 cup apple-cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar (we use sugar substitute)

3/4 teaspoon salt (we use salt substitute)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place potatoes (unpeeled) in a large pot and cover with cold water. Salt lightly. Bring to a boil and continue to boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and cool slightly. Peel while still warm. Slice and place in a large bowl. While potatoes are cooking, bring 2 cups water to a boil; stir in bouillon cubes until dissolved. Set aside. In a large skillet cook bacon until it is crisp. Break bacon into bite-sized pieces. Spoon bacon and 1 tablespoon bacon grease over potatoes. Add bouillon, onion, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix gently. Serve warm. Actually takes even better after a night in the fridge, then warmed up or served cold.