Two of my best shortcuts for flavor!

I was shopping with a client today at Whole Foods and this is one of the short cuts that is a must if you want to be able to do some quick healthy dishes, dressings, salads and more with high flavor content. I love using shallots or green onions in a raw dish or salad, or even a dressing because they are a lighter flavor and don't give you that "oh gross I had raw onions for lunch" aftertaste! In fact, when I do salads with red onion, I often will saute them first because I don't want that strong of a bite, and instead it makes them sweeter.

These containers are both great because you get the fresh whole foods without having to peel either of them. This saves so much time, and it's not like you have to buy too much at once.

Here are a few ideas on how to use these to boost flavor:

• Wrap the garlic cloves in foil and roast them in the oven alone or with other veggies
• Grate the garlic over the top of a veggie blend you are cooking on the stovetop
• Grate the garlic and mix with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, fresh lemon zest and lemon juice and use to marinate some chicken or fish
• Finely chop both and throw in a crockpot with chicken, fish or even just veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli, peppers and add vegetable broth for a vegetable soup
• Make a dressing in a glass container with diced shallots, 2-3 tsp olive oil, champagne vinegar, fresh orange zest and juice from an orange
• Mix the sliced shallots into a stir-fry

I used both of these the other day when I cooked up some cauliflower. All I did was spray my pan with olive oil and heat to medium heat. Spritzed my cauliflower itself and tossed in the pan. Next I sprinkled himalayan sea salt over it. I let the cauliflower start browning for about 5 minutes and then I chopped up the garlic and shallots and added those in since they cook quickly. I let those cook down for about a minute or two and then added enough water to cover the bottom of my pan and a little more so that the cauliflower would steam. I covered with the pan's lid for another few minutes until cooked through and it was completely flavorful and yummy!
 

One more great thing about these healthy swaps: they both cost about $2.50 each! You can't beat that! Let me know if you use any healthy short cuts in the comments below!