It's no secret that maple syrup is kind of the best — but what a lot of us may not know is that you don't have to limit its usage to pancakes and waffles. But hey, good news: BuzzFeed's “5 New Ways to Use Maple Syrup” video clues us into a whole bunch of unexpected things you can do with the sweet stuff… and they all look mind-blowingly yum-tastic. The key for all of them is to make sure you're using real maple syrup — none of that “breakfast syrup” nonsense. There's a time and a place for that stuff, but these recipes are definitely not it.
Me? My favorite way to use maple syrup that doesn't involve pouring it all over some kind of breakfast food is in this maple soy glazed salmon recipe. I know, I know — maple syrup and soy sauce sounds like a weird combination, but trust me. It's delicious. And the best part is, it's incredibly easy to make—all you need to do is let the salmon marinate in the mixture for about half an hour, drain most of the glaze into a sauce pan, and heat it until it's reduced by about half while your salmon bakes. Add some rice and a veggie of some sort, and you've got a phenomenally tasty and well-rounded meal.
Check out three of my favorite new unexpected ways to use maple syrup from the video below; scroll down to watch the whole thing for two more. It's totally worth it. I promise.
1. Snack Time
We're all familiar with the snack colloquially known as “ants on a log,” right? Well, take away the ants (that is, the raisins) and add some maple syrup into the mix, and you've got a gourmet version of that childhood favorite. All you need to do is combine peanut butter and maple syrup in a bowl before you spread it down your piece of celery:
One of BuzzFeed's taste testers noted that he hates celery — but that he loved this take on it. Not too shabby.
2. Salad Time
Add half a cup of olive oil, a quarter of a cup each of balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, and two teaspoons of Dijon mustard to a bowl or large measuring cup and whisk it til it's combined. Drizzle it all over a pile of greens, and bam:
Yes please, indeed.
3. Dessert Time
Get yourself some coffee and vanilla ice cream and layer scoops of them in a glass. Then top it all off with some maple syrup:
It's perhaps unsurprising that this combination would rock everyone's socks; it's kind of hard to go wrong with ice cream. I was not, however, quite prepared for the extreme reactions of the taste testers: One of them was so bowled over by this dessert that he literally had no words to describe how amazing it was.
Watch the full video below for two more easy-peasy recipes, plus all the taste testers' responses to them. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make some really big plans for that giant jug of maple syrup I bought at Costco last weekend.
Images: Chiot's Run/Flickr; BuzzFeedBlue/YouTube (6)
