Balsamic Vinegar ideas

The only time I ever have balsamic vinegar is with oil on an onion and tomato salad...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberries-with-balsamic-vinegar/

I have a dish that I made up that everyone seems to love. No real name for it but it has become known among my friends as mediterranean pasta dish. I don't know the exact calorie count but it is very low in calories and easy to figure out. I cook to taste so I don't have exact measurements when I make it feeds 4 people

2 chicken breast
Whole wheat spiral pasta (enough for 4 people)
1 bag of spinach
Handful of sun dried tomatoes (as much or as little as you would like)
1/3 cup feta
Table spoon minced garlic
olive oil
Balsamic

Steam or boil the chicken
Saute the spinach in with about 3 table spoons of olive oil add minced garlic when spinach is tender (careful not to burn the garlic)
Boil the whole wheat pasta to desired tenderness

Chop up sun dried tomatoes and add the feta into large bowl
Cut up chicken into bite size pieces and add to feta and tomatoes.
Drizzle balsamic over mixture stir so chicken soaks in vinegar.

Add spinach and garlic to mixture then pasta and stir.

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The Delicious Dietitian Signature Marinade: 1/4 cup White Muscadine Wine Vinegar, 2 tbsp. Southern Spice blend, and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Mix all ingredients, place desired meat into a plastic bag and cover with marinade. refrigerate for 45-an hour, cook meat as desired. Enjoy!

I use balsamic on soooo many things. It's delicious.

Here's a glazed eggplant dish I did recently:

http://happygoodtime.com/2012/01/10/grilled-eggplant-steaks-with-spicy-hoisin-and-balsamic-glaze/

If eggplant's not your thing, the sauce tastes excellent on chicken and broccoli as well

I also love balsamic and now I'm dreaming of a caprese salad (tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper). Can't wait for summer and its ripe, homegrown tomatoes! I refuse to eat tasteless, pathetic, winter tomatoes.

I also love a balsamic reduction on grilled peaches.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/balsamic-roasted-red-potatoes/


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-breasts-with-balsamic-vinegar-and-garlic/ For this one, it says to rinse the mushrooms. Mushrooms absorb water, so I would just take a wet paper towel and wipe them off really well that way. :bigsmile:


http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/27820/balsamic+steak+with+warm+semi+dried+tomato+and+garlic+crouton+salad



***Recipe: Balsamic Tomato Salad
2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 oz. crumbled gorgonzola
Balsamic vinegar
Virgin olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper

Arrange tomato slices on a small platter. Sprinkle with chopped onion, basil, and gorgonzola.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add freshly ground salt and pepper according to taste. --Cruets.com


****Recipe: Herb and Tomato Bruschetta w/Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 lb plum tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
6 thick slices of crusty bread, toasted

Mix tomatoes, herbs and liquids in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Hold at room temperature.

Spoon tomato mix onto toast and serve. --balsamic.com


***Recipe: Balsamic-Caramel Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water, plus more for brushing
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream

Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep the cream warm.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. As the sugar mixture begins to bubble, watch for crystals developing on the inside of the pan just above the liquid. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush the inside of the pan right above the crystals so the water drips down and dissolves the crystals back into the liquid. When the sugar begins to brown, occasionally move the pan to swirl the liquid gently and cook it evenly.

Continue to cook until the mixture is dark golden brown. The total cooking time will be 8 to 9 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Very carefully add the hot cream to the sugar mixture a few tablespoons at a time. Stir the sauce and cook for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix well. Pour into a heatproof bowl. You should have about 1 1/4 cups of sauce.

Serve on top of vanilla ice cream. --foodnetwork.com



***Recipe: Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries
1/2 packet unflavored gelatin powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated lemon zest, for serving

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to dissolve.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of the cream, the yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds.

Heat the remaining 3/4 cup of cream and the 1/3 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, add the softened gelatin to the hot cream and stir to dissolve.

Pour the hot cream-gelatin mixture into the cold cream-yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Pour into 4 (6 to 8-ounce) ramekins or custard cups and refrigerate uncovered until cold. When the panna cottas are thoroughly chilled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Combine the strawberries, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and pepper 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Set aside at room temperature.

To serve, run a small knife around each dessert in the ramkein and dip the bottom of each ramekin quickly in a bowl of hot tap water. Invert each ramekin onto a dessert plate and surround the panna cotta with strawberries. Dust lightly with freshly grated lemon zest and serve. --foodnetwork.com



Hope this gets you started! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Great ideas thanks for sharing!! I acquired some a few months back & have mostly used it on salads but it is great on any oven roasted vegetable too! I will definitely try out one of these...

make your own healthy salad dressing? basic balsamic vinaigrette would be 1/4 C. balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. PURE maple syrup, salt and pepper, and 1/4 C. olive oil. Whisk together all the ingredients except the oil, then slowly stream in the oil while whisking constantly. That will make 1/2 a cup of dressing and last for at least 3-4 salads. Should keep in the fridge for a week.

Feel free to sub honey or agave for the maple syrup, it works well too. Also, if you have a bit of onion or garlic leftover, chop it finely and add to the dressing.

you can also make a balsamic vinegar reduction. just put a good amount in a saucepan, heat to boiling stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or so (you might have to play with the time before you get it just right) then let it cool. it will thicken to a syrup consistency and will be so sweet you'll be amazed. it's great as a dressing, a glaze or a dip for veggies! so delicious!

Love this on fish or chicken too!

i put it on my salads with some herbs and olive oil...it's delicious. and a bit addicting. also i like to steam or roast veggies with some.

+1

Other tips, use it for a bread dip, 1 part olive oil, 1.5 parts balsamic.

Add a few tablespoons to your tomato sauce while cooking for both sweetness and richness.

Experiment with marinades: lemon juice, garlic, balsamic and a bit of olive oil is great for chicken or beef. I am sure veggies will work great too.

I also like to add it too beans! Bean soup or cooked lentils or black beans.

Yummy :bigsmile: