Cinnamon Onion Flowers with Maple Roasted Walnuts [vegan, gluten-free]
These roasted onion flowers are unique and fun. The cinnamon spice and maple-roasted nuts make a delicious savory treat. You and everyone you serve are going to adore this recipe.
Servings: 4 onion flowers
Ingredients
- Onions:
- 4 small onions (see note)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Olive oil
- Walnuts:
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- The onions:
- Trim the root end of each onion so they stand flat with the root intact. Slice about ¼ inch from the tops. Peel the onions.
- Cut each onion in half but not all the way through—leave ½-inch uncut at the root end. Cut again to make 4 sections and then twice more so you end up with 8 wedges of onion that are still intact at the root end.
- Pre-heat grill to medium-high temperature. (see note)
- Mix the vinegar, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and cayenne.
- Tear 4 pieces of aluminum foil at least 12-inches wide. Rub the foil pieces with olive oil; place an onion on each piece.
- Spoon the vinegar mixture over the onions. Wrap the foil up over the onions.
- Grill the onions 45 to 60 minutes, until they are soft and have opened up. When the onions are almost done, pull the foil away to help char the edges.
- While the onions cook, roast the walnuts:
- Put the walnuts, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and cayenne in a skillet.
- Cook the nuts on medium-high flame, stirring almost constantly, for about 5 minutes. When the syrup has crystalized and the nuts are slightly browned, remove from the pan. They will crisp as they cool. Chop the nuts coarsely.
- Serve the onions over steamed quinoa, sprinkled with maple-roasted walnuts.
Notes
- I used sweet onions. When I make these next I am going to try regular yellow onions—I missed the onion taste.
- For the photos I used larger onions—next time I will choose the smallest onions in the bin.
- Instead of on the grill, roast onions in a covered pan at 400° F. in the oven.
- I roasted both walnuts and pecans to compare. Maple roasted walnuts won the test—the slight bitterness in the skins proved to be a nice balance for the sweet, salty and spice.