Onion

(Allium cepa)

Originally, these beautiful round bulbs were brought to North America by Christopher Columbus.

Today, onions continue to give us wonderful flavor and fabulous nutritional benefits.

Do you think Columbus brought over onions this big?

The picture above is of my youngest daughter, Amanda, holding her spectacular find while we visited Detroit's Eastern Market this last weekend.

She was so proud of her gargantuan find, that she carried it around like it was the Olympic torch!  

People just kept walking by and exclaiming “Wow, now that’s a big onion!”

Technically, she’s holding what is known as a super colossal yellow onion. For more information, see The National Onion Association - Seasons, Colors, Flavors, & Sizes of Onion link in resource section below.

the Berkley University of California wellness area has a "types of onions" list. It includes: Bermuda, Boiling, Cipolline, Pearl, Red (globe), Spanish, Sweet, White, and Yellow (globe).

No matter which onion you choose, they are versatile and loaded with health benefits.

People eat onions raw, grilled, pickled, baked, fried, steamed, stuffed, caramelized, roasted, broiled, sautéed, creamed and, pretty much anyway possible.

Onions are found added to numerous sweet and savory dishes, sandwiches, soups, salads and, much more. 

Let's be honest, who doesn't love the crispy fried onions on the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving!

Layers of Reasons to Eat Fabulous Onions!

Question: What do you get when you cross a potato with an Onion?

Answer: A potato with watery eyes!!

Joke source: http://www.k12.wa.us/ChildNutrition/programs/FFVP/pubdocs/Jokes.pdf

Now that you've worked your way through the layers of health benefits you can find in onions, use some of the resources below to enjoy some today. 

Resources:

Babble – The Best Onion Recipes: 14 Ways To Use A Bag Of Onions!: https://www.babble.com/best-recipes/the-best-onion-recipes-25-ways-to-use-a-bag-of-onions/

CookingLight – Cooking with Onions: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/cooking-with-onions

Epicurious – Pickled Red Onions: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pickled-red-onions-51196620

Food & Nutrition Magazine – Caramelized Onions without the Tears: https://foodandnutrition.org/january-february-2014/caramelized-onions-without-tears/

Food & Style – Balsamic-Roasted Red Onions: https://foodandstyle.com/balsamic-roasted-red-onions/

Food Network – Veggie Stuffed Onions by Sandra Lee: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/veggie-stuffed-onions-recipe-1946398

The National Onion Association – Onion Recipes in many categories: https://www.onions-usa.org/recipes

The National Onion Association – Seasons, Colors, Flavors, & Sizes of Onion: https://www.onions-usa.org/all-about-onions/colors-flavor-availability-and-sizes-of-onions

The World’s Healthiest Foods – 5 Spice Onion Soup: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=79