Creamed Onions with a Whole Wheat Bread Crumb Topping

If you’re still planning your vegan Christmas side dishes, put this Spork Foods recipe on your menu. Creamy dairy-free onions baked with a crunchy whole wheat topping may just steal the show at your holiday table.
If you’re still planning your vegan Christmas side dishes, put this Spork Foods recipe on your menu. Creamy dairy-free onions baked with a crunchy whole wheat topping may just steal the show at your holiday table.

Who is Spork Foods?

Spork Foods is a Los Angeles-based gourmet vegan food company owned and operated by sisters Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. They offer live cooking classes at Spork Foods in West Hollywood, online vegan cooking classes at www.sporkonline.com, one-on-one in-home healthy pantry makeovers, and recipe development/trainings for chefs, food companies and colleges. Their cookbook, Spork-Fed: Super Fun and Flavorful Vegan Recipes from the Sisters of Spork Foods(St Lynns, October 2011), is currently on the shelves, with a foreword by fellow fans and sisters, Emily and Zooey Deschanel.

Creamed Onions with a Whole Wheat Bread Crumb Topping

Serves 4 to 6
Bread crumb ingredients:

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• 2 slices whole wheat bread, roughly chopped

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• 2 teaspoons neutral tasting high-heat oil

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• 1?2 teaspoon garlic powder

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• 1?4 teaspoon sea salt

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• 1?2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

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• 1?2 teaspoon dried oregano

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• 1 teaspoon agave nectar

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• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Creamed onion ingredients:

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• Water for boiling, salted

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• 1 pound fresh pearl onions

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• 3 tablespoons non-dairy butter

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• 3 tablespoons spelt flour

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• 1 cup soymilk creamer

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• 1?2 teaspoon sea salt

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• 1?4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

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• 1?4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

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• 1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar

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• 1 teaspoon brown rice syrup

Directions:

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

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2. For the bread crumbs: Place bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, oregano, agave and lemon juice. Toss to coat and bake for about 7-9 minutes or until crisp. Pulse bread mixture in a food processor until bread crumb consistency is reached, and set aside.

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3. For the creamed onions: Bring a large (6-quart) pot of salted water to a boil. Add pearl onions in their skin and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Drain onions and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. To peel, slice both ends off and squeeze onion out of skin, discarding outer layers. Set onions aside.

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4. In a medium (4-quart) pot, combine butter and flour. Whisk over medium heat, making a roux. Add creamer, sea salt, black pepper, nutmeg, vinegar and brown rice syrup.  Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick and creamy.

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5. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish and add onions. Coat with sauce mixture and top with bread crumb topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until mixture bubbles in the center.

More tasty vegan holiday recipes!