the love of my salad life

it’s been warming up here and i’ve been craving more salads and spring foods.  and nothing tops my salad quite so pretty as these pickled onions!  i add a beet to make them pink (and always regret not making a second batch of just beets, they’re so good and gone within a day!)

if right now you’re picturing a farmhouse and labor intensive pickling process involving boiling jars and sterilization, than you my friend are getting pickling confused with her high maintenance cousin- canning. pickling doesn’t require sterilization or any special tools.  so it’s basically the fastest, easiest way to feel like you’re on top chef with ingredients you likely already have in your cupboard!  {recipe after the jump}

INGREDIENTS

1 large white onion

1 small beet

1 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (i use this brand)

1 1/3 cup water

9 tablespoons sucanat (you can sub regular sugar, to taste, if preferred)

1 teaspoon sea salt

PREPARATION

– peel beet and slice into thin rounds

– slice onion into thin rings

– in a small sauce pan heat the apple cider vinegar, water, sucanat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  add sea salt and let sit for a few minutes until cooled

– fill a 32 oz canning jar with onions and add beet slices to the top

– cover vegetables in pickling liquids and stir to mix the beet coloring throughout the jar

– let sit for 24 hours before serving (they get even better over time but i can barely wait!)

– serve on sandwiches, salads, in wraps (remember this?), on top of burgers, with brown rice, and any other tasty way you can dream up.  or eat them straight out of the jar like i do!

– enjoy!