motd Friday Oct 7 - Vinegar

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OIL & ...

Friday, 07 October 2011

Okay, I know you know what the next word

is, don't you? Well, it's vinegar,

of course! I used to love watching my father as he

prepared his delicious homemade salad dressing.

He'd whisk together the oil and vinegar then add his

old special blend of spices. Actually, the dressing

was my favorite part of any salad. Sometimes I

wanted to tell my father to just hold the lettuce

and tomatoes and bring me a bowl of salad dressing!

LOL.

Today, we're going to focus on vinegar.

Now we're not focusing only on salad dressings

today. (I'll bet you make a pretty fabulous oil

& vinegar salad dressing yourself!) Today,

we're going to focus mainly on vinegar.

Back when I was much younger, (and gullible), I went

on a diet of actually drinking vinegar.

See, I read it in some magazine and believed what

the article claimed: that vinegar actually burned

calories. (Did you ever hear that one?)

Well, I fell for it and, I'm telling you, I was

drinking five glasses of vinegar a day. (Mmmm,

right?) Yep, I thought I'd be skinny in no time.

But, besides torturing my taste buds, I discovered

that the whole vinegar calorie-burning thing was

nothing more than an old wive's tale. (Another

tough lesson learned.) I now know that nothing

burns calories besides moving

these bodies of ours.

There's an endless selection of vinegars to

choose from in many supermarkets.

There weren't a whole lot of vinegars to choose from

when I was growing up. But today, there's an

endless selection of vinegars to choose from in many

supermarkets. When my dad made those fabulous salad

dressings of his, he used red wine vinegar. It had

a very pleasant taste...but I wouldn't suggest

drinking it by the glass. LOL.

There's also rice vinegar. But you have to watch it

with this one because not all rice vinegars are

created equal. There are special rice vinegars for

salads and they contain no sodium. Other varieties

of rice vinegar, used for cooking, contain lots of sodium so

you have to be careful when using them.

There's champagne vinegar and, as its name implies,

actually contains champagne. There's also sherry

vinegar and, yes, it does contain some sherry.

(Hey, don't get any ideas about drinking these two!

LOL.)

The most popular gourmet vinegar these days

is balsamic vinegar.

The most popular gourmet vinegar these days is

balsamic vinegar. When you visit one of the upscale

gourmet stores, you'll often find balsamic vinegar

in these fancy little petite bottles and it can be veryexpensive.

But the balsamic vinegars you find in most

supermarkets are just fine.

Not only do I use balsamic vinegar in my salads but

I also cook with it. A couple of days ago, I

sauteed some zucchini, squash and snow peas. I

added the balsamic vinegar and let my veggies simmer

until the vinegar reduced by about half. That

reduction allows the vinegar to get a little thicker

and it makes a great sauce for many kinds of

vegetables.

Another type of vinegar you'll find in gourmet

stores include fresh herbs in them. Inside the

bottle sits a whole stem of rosemary, thyme or

oregano, for instance. And I'm telling you, the

marriage of flavor between the vinegar and herbs is

simply delicious.

Tonight, I'm having sliced cucumbers

marinated in rice vinegar.

Be adventurous in the kitchen with your salad and

vegetable dishes. Tonight, I'm having sliced

cucumbers that have been marinated in rice vinegar.

You've got to try it, so simple and so good!

And oh yeah, I almost forgot a very important

point. Vinegars add all of the great taste without

adding...any calories! Now how's

aboutthat for

a win-win taste sensation!

Love,