Turnip Coleslaw

We recently joined a terrific farm share and it is so fun. Each week we go on a little road trip to the farm a few towns away where we get to pick our own vegetables. The variety is actually really great, despite it being December. So far there have been plenty of leeks, cabbage, greens, some fantastic Brussels sprouts, squash, turnips and radishes, as well as apples and pears that have been growing on the farm since the 17th century. The vegetables just seem so happy. There’s something rejuvenating about going to a place with beautiful soil, sunlight and adorable animals, as opposed to a fluorescent-lit, linoleum-tiled supermarket.

Anyway, turnips have been in the mix for the past few weeks. I have to say, they’ve never really been a favorite of mine, but these were colorful and bright – green skin with white and magenta flesh, like little watermelons. Turns out they are, in fact called “Watermelon Turnips”. Who knew turnips came in colors other than dirty gray? This week we picked a few watermelon turnips, a red turnip and a plain old white turnip.

This dish makes a bright and refreshing side dish for any meal, but the most obvious choice is in place of traditional coleslaw. It’s also a good dish to keep in mind if you’re trying to incorporate raw veggies into your diet.

The key is to use a good fruity vinegar. We have some really sweet citrus and muscat vinegar from Trader Joes, which worked really well with the turnips.

Be forewarned, although this is a lovely and tasty thing to eat, you may not want to pack it with your work lunch in and open it in public, especially in a poorly ventilated room, because it has a strong turnipy aroma which some people do not find as desirable as us turnip fans.

Turnip Coleslaw – serves 4

3 fresh whole turnips, greens removed
2 tablespoons quality vinegar at room temperature (citrus flavored recommended)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil at room temperature

Scrub the turnips to remove any soil. Grate the turnips, skin on, using the coarsest option on a box grater.

Measure the vinegar and olive oil out into a large bowl. Using a fork or whisk, beat the vinegar and olive oil until emulsified (until it has the consistency of honey).

Add the grated turnip to the bowl. Toss with tongs until well coated.

Serve as a side.

Gazpacho

Hot. Humid. Availability of fresh, local vegetables. Yup. Perfect conditions for gazpacho.

As you may be aware, tomatoes are best served fresh from the vine at the height of summer, because they taste like – brace yourself – tomatoes! Sweet, juicy, luscious tomatoes. Freshly picked summertime tomatoes are completely different from the crimson, grainy guys found in supermarkets. Fresh local tomatoes have that deep, almost gleeful magenta color throughout the fruit and a happy-go-lucky sweetness too. They’re just joyous little beings, like doughnuts ready to be snacked.

Fortunately, it is now the height of summer. If you have a garden, great. I advise that you check for plump red tomatoes. Go now. I’ll wait. If not, perhaps you live in an urban area, make friends with the nearest neighbor with an urban garden or one of those upside-down hanging tomato planters. Do what you need to do in order to get in on freshly picked perfectly ripe tomatoes while their hot – or still warm from the afternoon sun.

Gazpacho is a great way to showcase the sweetness of fresh tomatoes. I also used fresh local cipollini onions, garlic, green peppers and a cucumber, all of which were generously bestowed upon us by a friend whose cup runneth over with CSA produce. Always happy to help a fellow locavore, we gladly accepted the veggies. Thank you, if you are reading this!

Some like to blend gazpacho. I do not. Because a blended soup is a wonderful, light treat. A cold soup is a wonderful, refreshing treat. A blended cold soup is a cold vegetable smoothie eaten with a spoon. Not my idea of a fabulously satisfying meal. If it is going to be served chilled, the least it can do is provide a little tooth.

Tomatoes contain plenty of vitamin C, vitamin K and lycopene. Onions and garlic – originally consumed for medicinal purposes – also contain vitamin C and are said to offer antibacterial and cardiovascular benefits. Despite the heavy glug of olive oil in this recipe and the bread, I consider gazpacho to be a supremely light. Refreshing, light and nutritious – the perfect food for summer.

Gazpacho - serves 2 – 4

4 fresh medium tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 cipollini onion (small to medium in size)
1 t ground cumin
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C water
3/4 C cubed baguette
1/2 t salt

Finely dice all of the vegetables. Combine in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add cumin, vinegar, olive oil, bread, and salt. Salt is important because it will draw the liquids out of vegetables to make the  gazpacho more soupy.

Refrigerate for one hour. Using a masher or the back of a slotted spoon, mash the soup until the bread bits are broken up and the juices are rendered from the vegetables.

Serve cold.

Avocadango Walnut Salad

As you know, avocados and mangoes are not native to New England, so this post kind of flies in the face of my whole local theme, but oh well. It’s winter in New England. Fruit must come from somewhere and mangoes and avocados are among my favorites.

I devised this salad a few years ago when I was on a bit of a pine nut kick. I’ve since decided to cool it on the pine nuts until more information comes out about “pine nut-associated cacogeusia” – a disorder that came to light last winter that causes some people to experience a metallic taste in their mouth for up to two weeks after eating some pine nuts. It’s yet undetermined which pine nuts cause the disorder. That’s scary stuff and I’d rather not take any risks. I now make this salad with walnuts and the soft texture works just as well.

Refreshing, sweet mango and creamy avocado offset the greens’ coy bitterness and the walnuts bring texture. In addition being absolutely ambrosial, this salad is so absurdly nutritious, it’s radicchio. Walnuts are rich in omega-3, avocados contain plenty of potassium and vitamins B6 and K, mango is heavy on vitamins A and C, and greens offer a good source of folate.

And yes, I’m taking poetic license with the name.

Avocadango Walnut Salad – serves 2

1 mango
1 avocado
1 T lemon juice
1/3 C walnuts
5 ounces mixed baby salad greens (arugula, spinach, radicchio, etc)
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar

Peel the mango and cut into 1 inch cubes.

Halve the avocado, remove pit and scoop either side from its shell. Cut into 1 inch cubes and toss with lemon juice.

Using tongs, in a large serving bowl (or whatever, it’s your kitchen) toss the salad greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the avocado, mango and walnuts, being careful to not squish the avocado or allow the walnuts to gather at the bottom.

Ingredient origins: Organic mango – Chile; Organic avocado – Mexico; Organic lemon – Florida; Walnuts – California; Organic salad greens – Maine; Olive oil – Italy; Balsamic vinegar – Italy. I know. The whole local thing was completely thrown out the window for this recipe, but all of my readers in sunny California would be able to pull it off in good locavore fashion!

Scrambled Tofu

I’ve always said that brunch is the most important meal of the week. While I am a big fan of eggs (Total understatement. I’m egg’s no.1 fan. Egg has stopped answering my phone calls. Legal action has been taken. It’s gotten messy.) and could probably go for a nice scramble any morning, I’m also woefully aware that one egg contains 60 – 80% of the recommended daily maximum intake of cholesterol, so just think of how two eggs a day could add up. Yikes.

Scrambled tofu is a good way to have a satisfying, protein-rich, eggy-type breakfast without the pesky fat and cholesterol. Turmeric lends a nice yellow hue to the tofu as it cooks and is said to be a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Onions add flavor, texture and vitamins, and smoked paprika adds a smoky flavor.

*Note that this recipe yields one generous serving or two modest servings.

Scrambled Tofu – serves 1 – 2

1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
1 T + 1 t olive oil
7 – 8 ounces of extra firm tofu (about half of a typical package of tofu)
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t smoked paprika
2 T soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add onion and sauté until softened and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, press tofu between two cutting boards to remove any excess water. Cube the tofu and loosely mash with a fork in a small mixing bowl. Toss in turmeric, smoked paprika, soy sauce and second teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper until well combined.

Add tofu mixture to the onions in the skillet. Cook 5 – 7 minutes until the turmeric yellows and the tofu is heated through, flipping occasionally. Drizzle with a little olive oil, if desired.

Serve hot alone or with toast.

Ingredient origins – Tofu – New York; Olive oil – Italy, Onion – New Hampshire; Turmeric – unknown; Smoked paprika – Spain

Simple Smoky Peppers and Kale

I noticed the other day that the past few posts have been looking a little on the off-white to brown side of the food spectrum.

In my own defense, it’s winter here. Fresh veggies are not as easy to come by unless you don’t mind bringing them in from warmer climes. Which I kind of do. However, you need to get at least five servings of vegetables per day – not just seasonal root veggies.

Sometimes you just crave a big dish of colorful vegetables and this is the dish for just such an occasion. Steaming the kale for little bit longer than the rest helps to soften it and takes out any bitterness. Onions and peppers add a sweet creaminess to the dish. Smoked paprika is a great partner for the kale and all together the four make a great team.

Simple Smoky Peppers and Kale -serves 2 – 4

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced into 5 wedges
2 T olive oil
1/2 lb of kale, roughly chopped
1/3 C vegetable stock
1 t smoked paprika
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2″ x 2″ strips,chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cut the same way

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions by separating each layer and sauté until softened and lightly browned. Add kale and stock, cover and allow to steam over medium heat for 10 minutes until kale is wilted. Add smoked paprika and toss. Add peppers, cover and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes until the peppers have softened. Remove lid and allow any excess liquid to evaporate off if necessary.

Serve piping hot.