Hello my lovely gorgeous friends. Yesterday I had some good fun with a bunch of onions. yellow and red ones ;) Though they made my eyes tear, I enjoyed cooking up this lovely dish for my hubby and me.

I love onions and add them to so many dishes, yet when I read this week's theme I didn't know where to start. Onions are used in most of my dishes but are never the rock stars.... after a few hours of thinking and looking at some onions I came up with this onion dish.

Thanks, @progressivechef for another amazing round. Your challenge is pushing me to get better at fancy vegan cooking and plating.

What was cooking?

---

1. Not-So-Classic French Onion Soup with Vegan Mozzarella Toast
2. Red Onion Zucchini Balsamic Tartlets
3. Indian-Style Crispy Onion Bhajis
4. Pumpkin Rosemary and Onion Crackers
5. Vegan Caramelized Cashew Onion Dip

The recipes and pics

---

1. Not-So-Classic French Onion Soup with Vegan Mozzarella Toast

---

Classic French onion soup is a soup rich in flavor coming from the beef stock and cheese. To get the salty dark color and flavor beef bouillon gives to the traditional French soup, II used a combo of veggie stock, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Also, I was able to get my vegan cheese making skills to a new level… this mozzarella was so creamy. Sticky and super yum!

Ingredients

---

For the Soup

---

4 large onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups veggie stock
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari or to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dried thyme, sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the vegan mozzarella toast

---

2/3 cup water
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sea salt
French baguette, thickly sliced

FYI: keep some of the cheese for the tartlets (see recipe below)

Directions

---

To make the Soup

---

1. Preheat oven to 220C or 425F.
2. In a dutch oven or other large oven-safe pot, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, covered for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Transfer the Dutch oven to the oven and the lid slightly ajar. Cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When ready, remove the pot from the oven and return it to the stove.
4. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping at the bottom and sides of the pan to release all of the flavorful onion bits.
5. Simmer for another 5 minutes on medium-low to cook off the alcohol. Then add the water, soy sauce or tamari, balsamic vinegar, thyme, minced garlic, black pepper, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for another 40 to 45 minutes.

To make the vegan mozzarella

---

1. Soak cashew overnight or if you forgot, 45 minutes in hot water works too. Drain before use.
2. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture is completely smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan or pot and heat over medium heat. Whisk continuously for 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick, elastic, and cheesy. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Add to slices of baguette and grill under the broiler of the oven until browned.
5. Ladle soup into a bowl and tip cheesy baguette into the soup.

2. Red Onion Zucchini Balsamic Tartlets

---

Enjoyed these little crunchy tartlets. To try something different I used vegan spring roll sheets instead of puff pastry and they turned out so crisp, beautiful and yum. Def going to use spring roll sheets more often from now!

Ingredients (makes 4 tartlets)

---

1.5 cup red onion, chopped
½ cup grated zucchini
1 clove of garlic, minced
¼ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp paprika powder
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1-1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-1.5 tsp maple syrup
Vegan mozzarella cheese to top (recipe see soup)

Directions

---

1. Preheat oven to 200C or 390F. Grease a 6-hole mini muffin pan with coconut oil. I used a non-stick silicone muffin tray.
2. Place two vegan spring roll sheets on top of each other and fold. Cut into 2 squares. Repeat with 2 other sheets to make 4 squares. Add them to the muffin pan. Set aside in the fridge.
3. Heat cooking oil over high heat. Add chopped red onions and sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally.
4. Add garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine.Then slowly pour in balsamic vinegar while stirring. When incorporated, stir in the maple syrup and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are tender and browned. Then turn off the heat and stir in the grated zucchini.
5. Spoon onion-zucchini mixture into pastry shells to fill them to the top. Ladle a bit if the vegan mozzarella cheese on top.
6. Bake until pastry and cheese turns golden.

3. Indian-Style Crispy Onion Bhajis

Bhajjis or bajjis, are a spicy Indian snack similar to a fritter. There are tons of variations to this dish so I made mine with onion slices.

Ingredients

---

1 white onions, sliced
About 1/3 cup flour (50 grams)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Chilli paste to taste
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3-5 tbsp water
Coconut oil for frying

Directions

---

1. Mix all ingredients except the onion slices in a bowl to make the batter.
2. Add the onions slices to the batter and stir to coat with the batter. Use your hands to make it easier to coat.
3. Heat coconut oil in a large wok over medium heat.
4. Carefully drop tablespoons of the onion batter into the hot oil. Fry for about a minute on each side and then flip and bake other side until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Serve when still hot and crisp!

4. Pumpkin Rosemary and Onion Crackers

---

Ingredients

---

½ cup flour
¼ tsp baking powder
⅓ tsp sea salt
Lots of black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp onion powder
½ cup mashed pumpkin (boiled or roasted). I boiled mine because there was so much going on in the oven.

Directions

---

1. Boil or roast pumpkin and mash really well.
2. Mix the baking powder, herbs, and flour. Add pumpkin puree and olive oil and knead until the dough comes together and form a big ball. Add a little more flour if too wet.
3. Flatten the ball with your hands and a rolling pin on a floured parchment or silicone mat as thin as possible.
4. Make cuts with a knife to form squares or diamonds.
5. Bake in a preheated oven of 190C or 370F for 20-25 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

5. Vegan Caramelized Cashew Onion Dip

---

Ingredients

---

2 onions, sliced
1-2 tsp raw palm sugar
½-1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ cup raw cashews, soaked
¼ cup water
Lime juice to taste
Mustard to taste
Sea salt and pepper

Directions

---

1. Soak cashews overnight or if you forgot, 45 minutes in hot water works too. Drain before use.
2. In a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pot, saute sliced onion in cooking oil over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add raw palm sugar and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and continue cooking for another 30-40 minutes or until the onions are soft and caramelized. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Keep a little of the onions to the side as a topping.
5. Combine cashews, water, mustard, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until a smooth paste. Then tip in the caramelized onions and pulse a few times to incorporate

Plating of the dish

---

I hope you enjoyed my onion dish. Thanks for stopping by and until next time ღ ღ ღ

---

---

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL!
PICTURE(s) TAKEN WITH NIKON D5600

---

LET'S CONNECT!

Website - Facebook - Google+ - Twitter - Pinterest - YouTube

---

FYI: For more yummy recipes, download my FREE recipe eBook "Amy's Home Kitchen" HERE!