Apple cider vinegar is such a versatile and wonderful ingredient for so many dishes — and it has many health benefits. Here are some quick and easy ways to incorporate apple cider vinegar into your cooking – Enjoy!
#1 Easy Salad Dressings
It’s amazing how easy it is to whip up a quick, delicious, and nutritious recipe using apple cider vinegar in salad dressings. You can literally take some simple spices like dried oregano or pepper, plus a pinch of salt, and stir or whisk it up; and voila you have a delicious salad dressing. If you prefer something a bit sweeter, try mixing in some maple syrup to add that extra dimension. One of our favorite salad dressings uses a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of maple syrup and ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar. Put it all together and whiz it up in a blender and you have a wonderful salad dressing that takes minutes to prepare.
#2 Quick Hot Sauce
If you love hot sauce, you’ll love making it yourself at home using apple cider vinegar with this easy recipe. Pour a cup of apple cider vinegar into a blender, add a few cloves of raw garlic, add some cut hot peppers and add salt. Blend on high until creamy and you are ready to go with your own hot sauce! For those who want to tone down the spice factor, we recommend cooking all of the ingredients after blending by bringing it all to a boil in a saucepan and then letting the sauce cool before serving or bottling. Cooking your hot sauce makes it a bit less spicy and blends the flavours together — but you don’t need to if you like it raw! Have fun experimenting.
#3 Asian Stir Fry Sauce
We love the taste of Asian sauces on stir fry and on top of the bowls we make. It’s so easy with apple cider vinegar too! In a blender, add one or two raw garlic cloves to your taste, some fresh cut and peeled ginger (fingertip size or to taste), tamari or soya sauce, a bit of hot sauce or raw chili pepper, some whole dates (without the pits) and apple cider vinegar, then just blend it all up! One tip: let your ingredients cook first and then add in your Asian Stir Fry Sauce at the end — otherwise the flavour profile of the garlic changes and it can be a little bit bitter. Cook everything with the sauce until it cooks down and food is ready.
#4 Veggies in a Jar
It doesn’t get any simpler than this. Take a jar or mason jar and add some fresh veggies like green beans, chopped carrots, onions, hot peppers, celery, cucumbers or whatever your fancy! Once your jar is full of veggies, you can add cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, a mix and match of any fresh or dried herbs that suits your taste buds, and you are done! You can put the jar in a fridge for later, or just serve the veggies after letting them sit in a jar for a little while. The longer the veggies sit, the more flavour they absorb. And such great flavours! Oh yeah, we love doing up hot pepper, garlic, carrots, and green beans with some fresh oregano, black pepper grounds, and salt. The veggies last a long time in the fridge with the apple cider vinegar too, so no need to worry about anything going bad. This is a great way to prepare some foods ahead of time to have as a side dish with your meals.
Note: I didn’t give many measurements because I think it slows down the recipes and takes out the fun factor. Plus, these recipes are about experimenting and enjoying your food your way — and not just following a recipe.
-- Max Brennan