Some Recent Meals

Quinoa and Greens Pie with Mashed Turnips and Beet Chips

Crumpets with Chamomile Creme Anglaise & Blueberries

Wine Braised Turnips and Kohlrabi with Salad and Sausage

Kale and White Bean Soup with Home Made Stock

Strawberry Morning Muffins

Mother's Day Lunch

Beet, Citrus and Avocado Salad

Radish, Mint and Cream Cheese Finger Sandwiches

Beet Green & Mushroom Quiche

Mac 'n' Cheese with Braised Collard Greens

Recipe: Roasted Turnips & Carrots with Salad and “Chicken” Strips

Not much of a recipe here.  Turnips and carrots tossed in olive oil and then baked until cooked through and golden.  Served with a butter lettuce salad with radishes and fake chicken strips which were kind of weird.

Recipe: Towers of Power

Yummy baked portobellos topped with mashed turnips and potatoes and spicy mustard greens.  Super satisfying and fancy enough for a dinner party, yet surprisingly quick and easy and light.

Ingredients for the mushrooms

• 2 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• handful of fresh marjoram or other herb
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Mix the oil, vinegar, herbs and garlic in a large baking dish.  Toss the portobello mushrooms in the mixture, basting with the juices, cover and put in the refrigerator to marinate for about 2 hours.  Preheat the oven to 425.  Drain the mushrooms and cook on a lined baking sheet for about 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients for the potato/turnip mash

• 4 turnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 oz goat cheese
• 1 T butter
• 1 T cream

Put the turnips, potato and thyme in a pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Drain, remove the thyme and return veggies to pot.  Add in the goat cheese, butter and cream and mash with potato masher until smooth.  Taste for S&P.

Ingredients for the spicy mustard greens

• 2 bunches of mustard greens, cleaned and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 T balsamic vinegar

Saute the onion in some oil until soft.  Add the cumin, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.  Add the mustard greens in bunches, allowing the greens to wilt before adding the next handful.  Cover with a lid and let cook for 20-30 minutes.  Add vinegar at the end.  Taste for S&P.

To assemble

If you’ve timed everything just right – all the elements should be ready at just about the same time.  To assemble, place the mushroom on a plate, top with the mashed turnips and then the mustard greens.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Roasted Veggies & Goat Cheese

Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest and yummiest preparations you can do.  I thought I was making enough veggies for leftovers, but they were so good we polished off everything.

Ingredients

• 3 turnips, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 bunch young carrots, scrubbed
• some fingerling potatoes, washed
• some Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and halved
• a small handful of herbs – thyme, rosemary, marjoram, etc.
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 baby shallots, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• goat cheese
• arugula
• balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and a good pinch of s&p.  Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and place into the oven.  Stir the veggies around every 10 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, combine the broccoli, shallots, and garlic and toss with more olive oil, s&p.  Once the veggies are pretty much done (about 25-30 minutes) toss in broccoli mixture and cook for another 10 minutes.  While the broccoli is cooking, toss arugula with some balsamic and s&p and arrange on the bottom of a plate.  Place roasted veggies on top of arugula and top the whole mess with some goat cheese.

Recipe: Vegetable Bollito Misto with Mustard Butter

Bollito Misto literally translates from Italian to “Mixed Boil” and doesn’t sound like the sexiest way to cook vegetables.  In Italy, mammas make bollito misto by boiling various meats together for hours (tongue, capon, veal, etc.) then serving the meats with tasty sauces and serving the broth with tortellini.   Deborah Madison had a veggie version of bollito misto in Vegetarian Suppers that I wanted to try and it was fantastic.  Easy to make and super satisfying on a chilly, rainy night.

Ingredients for the broth

• Several sprigs of thyme and parsley
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 t peppercorns
• 2 t salt
• 2 t olive oil
• 2 baby shallots, sliced down the middle (or 1 small onion chopped)

Take 2 large sautee pans (I used a 10-inch and a 12-inch) and fill 2/3 with water.  Divide ingredients among the saucepans and bring to a simmer.

Ingredients for veggies (vary the amount depending on how many people you’re serving.  This made enough for 2 with leftovers for lunch the next day.  Leftover veggies can also be joined with their stock to make a pureed soup)

• 3 turnips, pealed and cut into wedges
• 4 or 5 radishes, quartered
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into long sticks
• 1 large carrot, cut into long sticks
• 4 Brussels sprouts, quartered
• 1/4 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• a handful of fingerling potatoes, larger ones halved lengthwise

Use one of the pans for stinky or difficult vegetables (turnips, radishes, brussels sprouts) and the other for more neutral vegetables.  Slip the veggies that take the longest to cook in the water first (potatoes, carrots, celery) and then continue to add in the other veggies as you move along.  Basically I added in the veggies as I prepped them.  Keep checking the veggies and gently stir them.  If you’re afraid that anything’s getting overcooked, it’s easy to take it out of the broth.  Continue to simmer until everything is cooked through.  It won’t take long.

Ingredients for the mustard butter

• 4 T butter, softened
• 2 t dijon mustard (or any other mustard you happen to have)
• small handful chopped herbs (I used parsley, thyme, basil and marjoram)
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside

To serve:  With a slotted spoon pile the vegetables in a dish and pour a little bit of the broth on top.  Dot with the mustard butter, which will begin to melt into the sauce and serve with some good bread.