Balsamic Vinegar – To Dress up Fruits and Vegetables

. . .  for elegant dining during the holidays or any other time of year! Whether you want to lose a few pounds, prevent or reverse diabetes, protect your bones, reduce blood pressure and heart disease risk, or boost your immunity and fight cancer, balsamic vinegar can help. But what you’ll love our balsamic for during this holiday season (or at any time of year) is its rich, complex taste that complements just about any fruit or vegetable. Here are just a few of the many ways balsamic can turn ordinary fruits and vegetables into something extraordinary and memorable: *Spoon balsamic vinegar over baked pears, or fresh strawberries or peaches. *Add to steamed vegetables in place of butter and salt. *Combine tomato wedges with strawberries, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. *Blanch spinach, drain and shock in ice water. Squeeze dry, chop and toss with toasted pine nuts, raisins, olive oil and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. Add capers if you like. An especially winning combination is Beyond Health Balsamic Vinegar and Beyond Health Olive Oil. Both are made the traditional way, preserving maximum taste and health benefits. Here’s a recipe for basic vinaigrette along with some of its many uses: Basic Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients: ½ cup Beyond Health Olive Oil 3 tablespoons Beyond Health Balsamic Vinegar Selina Celtic Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional) 1 large shallot (about 1 ounce), peeled and cut into chunks Combine all ingredients but the shallot in a blender or VitaMix and blend until a creamy emulsion forms. Taste and add more vinegar a teaspoon at a time until the balance tastes right. Add the shallot. Pulse a few times to mince the shallot into the dressing. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve. Best made fresh, but it will keep a few days in the refrigerator. To use again, bring it back to room temperature and whisk. *Use the Basic Vinaigrette as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables. *Slice fennel and crisp apple to about the same thickness and combine. Dress with Basic Vinaigrette and chopped parsley. *Combine mushroom caps and thinly sliced red onions with olive oil and broil until tender and brown. Toss with chopped fresh parsley or basil (or both) and Basic Vinaigrette. Serve with escarole, arugula or watercress. For those who care about the quality of their cooking, perhaps a few words about Beyond Health's Balsamic Vinegar are in order. Balsamic vinegar adds a special flavor to foods, but most of the balsamic vinegar on the market is fake. It's made of cheap vinegar adulterated with caramelized sugar. Real balsamic vinegar, such as Beyond Health's, is made from Trebbiano grapes that have not been fermented like conventional vinegar. Instead, it is made from freshly pressed grape juice that has been concentrated by simmering for hours until it is a syrup. The syrup is then aged for years in a succession of barrels made from at least five different kinds of wood, with each barrel smaller than the last, as evaporation concentrates the liquid. Real balsamic is like our real olive oil -- it tastes good. HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND BON APPETIT!