New York Joe's Onions...

Dreams do happen....New York Joe's Onions,  or N.Y.J.O. in its shorter term, is by far one of the best onion style relishes I have ever tasted. This "hot-dog" onion sauce, as Joe Cachia the owner of the company calls it, comes in two recipes, the Original, and the Mild. Joe is a retired school teacher from Brooklyn who's home-made onion sauce became so popular with family and friends, that in 2010 he decided to take the leap from a home-based cook to a commercial hot-dog topping entrepreneur after moving to the sunny Florida Keys.

Now first let me tell you that I am not from Brooklyn New York as Joe originally is, so plain old ketchup and onions sat just fine with me being the country girl that I am. That is until last week when I tried Joe's onion sauces on grilled hot dogs, and Italian sausages over the holiday....Wow! I definitely will look at eating my hot dogs and sausages in a whole different way now.

The Original sauce on the dogs and burgers was quite a hit, and the Italian sausage on a bun smothered with the Mild onion sauce topped with some grilled green peppers was definitely something to write home about. Makes me a little jealous that I was not brought up in Brooklyn :-)

 My husband could not get enough of this sauce, and I actually had to remind him to share with our guests. It is now his favorite topping for everything from steak, to chicken, and fish.. All kidding aside, this product really grabs not only your attention, but your taste buds as well.

Even people like Woopie Goldburg, and Guy Fieri, have raved about these sauces. In 2012 Joe's Mild sauce won a Silver Scovia Award. I had no idea what this Award was so I looked it up on the Internet...Seems it is a Award given to fiery foods and barbecue sauces found to be the best. I agree that this onion sauce wholeheartedly deserves such a award.

The nice thing about Joe's sauces is you can buy in bulk as they have a shelf life of 2 years. This sauce would be great on sizzling fajitas, as well as a great breakfast scramble, the possibilities are endless. The list could go on....and on...I know my husband and I are big fans!

Thanks Joe for a great product, and for continuing our education in this area....

Till next time....Have a great gluten free day.
Sharon




 

Crystal Noodle Soup...

It's another overcast day here in Ohio today....where has all the sunshine gone? Days like today remind me of Fall, except for the site of the lush green foliage I can see out my front living room window. I was just recently diagnosed with having a very low Vitamin D level, and gloomy days like today sure don't help.

I sat around for awhile wondering what could boost my mood...BESIDES chocolate :-) If it is going to be gloomy out I needed  to think about what I could make to lift my spirits for lunch. Mmmmm...
I have always loved a good bowl of soup and a sandwich on a dreary day, so today would be perfect.

Last week I had received three different varieties of soup from Crystal Noodle to sample and review. Since I have a special love for onions I decided to try their Caramelized Onion soup. I enjoy making home made soup on a cold Winter day, but being we are in the middle of summer with just one of those completely gloomy days looming overhead and no place to go, I decided to try something quick and easy.

I had some cooked bacon leftover from yesterdays breakfast so I threw it on some gluten free rye with a slice of cheese, and made a bacon-grilled cheese sandwich. Then I threw some water in the microwave to boil to add to the soup cup. While the soup steeped I finished the grilled sandwich and then sat down to a very tasty lunch.

The Caramelized Onion soup is as delicious as any onion soup you will find in a restaurant, minus the bread and cheese of course, but never the less very delicious. I enjoyed the taste of the onions with the texture of the mung bean noodles. These noodles are a clear thin noodle made from the mung bean, and are flourless, making them gluten-free, and always non-fried. The cup makes a 1.09 oz serving of soup and was quite filling  with only 110 calories. It did not disappoint! I am anxious to try their other varieties as well.

Although the Sodium percentage was slightly higher that the regular canned onion soups I currently stock in my cupboard, I would definitely add this to my grocery list in the future. The fact that these soups are gluten-free, have no added MSG, 0 Trans fat, are great for Vegetarians, and ready in three minutes make them great time savers. Not to mention it was great tasting as well, as all the fresh ingredients are freeze dried to preserve the taste.

You all know how I love to experiment....I believe by adding just a touch of cornstarch as a thickening agent that this could make a wonderful glaze for pot roast.....Mmmmm...

Well until next post, have a great gluten-free day, and check out Crystal Noodles site where you can purchase the soups. You'll be glad you did...

Sharon