Oh my stars, Pickled Red Onions, I love you. Jump on my food.

Quick and Easy Pickled Red Onions:

You will need:

1 good sized red onion, sliced into super-thin, longish strips

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1 head of garlic - use as many cloves as you like, from 3 to the whole head.  Peel, crush, and chop the garlic.

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper (optional)

crushed red pepper (optional)

In a medium saucepan, pour in the vinegar and water.  Add the salt and sugar, black pepper, red pepper, bay leaf, and garlic.  On medium-high heat, stir the mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Add the onion slices and toss everything around lightly.  Keep the heat on medium-high and cook the onion mixture for 3 minutes - no longer than that.  You want the onions to still have a little crunch, but not be raw.  I set a timer to keep myself on track, and also because I am one of those set-the-timer-for-everything people.  It's just my way.  I'm Time Girl,

Stir the onions slightly while they heat up.

Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion/garlic pieces to a clean, dry, pint-sized mason jar.  Then, pour in as much of the spiced vinegar liquid into the jar as will fit to cover the onions.  Leave about 1/2" space from the top of the jar.  (Do not overfill.)  Screw the top on, finger tight.  This is not true canning, by the way - this is just a refrigerator recipe.

There you have it.  The tastiest, tangiest, and sassiest condiment you have ever made yourself.  You can put pickled onions on hot dogs, tofu dogs, hamburgers, bean burgers, sandwiches, potato salad, frito pies, chili, tacos, fish, tuna salad, you name it. Any munchies that need to be gussied up, really.

Here's another magical thing about pickled onions:  You can amend the spices in the vinegar mix any way you like.  You can add pinches of cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, lemon zest, lime juice...anything you like, and it will still be AMAZEBALLS.  I personally like it peppery but still on the plainish side, because I like to taste the garlic and onions.  But that's me.

Try this on some fish tacos and fall in love.  You're welcome.