Week 17 - 2013

Tips for Hakurei Turnips

1. Hakurei turnips are versatile enough to pair with just about anything, and they’re excellent in gratins, stir-fries, soups, or roasted with other root vegetables. They can be braised, fried, glazed, or sautéed.

1. There’s no need to peel the Hakurei, simply trim the ends and wash them under cold water. The green tops do need a more thorough washing.

1. Hakurei turnips are a starch vegetable, yet they provide only one-third of the calories of an equal amount of potatoes making them ideal for dieters.

1. Turnips are an excellent source of vitamin C, folic acid, and fiber, as well as thiamine, potassium, and vitamins B6 and E.

1. When you remove the green tops, the turnips can be stored in the crisper drawer of the fridge for a week to ten days.

*****************************************

Glazed Hakurei Turnips

Ingredients

• 3 bunches baby hakurei turnips, baby turnips, or red radishes (about 2 pounds), trimmed, greens reserved
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Kosher salt

Preparation

Place turnips in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips halfway. Add butter, sugar, and a large pinch of salt; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. (if turnips are tender before liquid has reduced, use a slotted spoon to transfer turnips to a plate and reduce liquid until syrupy. Return turnips to pan and stir to coat well.) DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm before continuing.

Add turnip greens to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt.

Week 16 - 2013

Cheesy Veggie Spaghetti Squash Bake

6 servings

Ingredients

1 whole spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
16 ounces tomato sauce
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Poke spaghetti squash all over with a knife and cook in the microwave for eight to 12 minutes until soft. If you don't have a microwave, place the poked squash on a baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. While that's cooking, add the oil, garlic, pepper, zucchini, and carrots to a pan, cooking over medium heat.
Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and with a fork, scrape the flesh from the peel. It should flake off easily in strings, resembling spaghetti. Place the spaghetti squash flesh in a casserole dish. Add the cooked veggies, diced tomato, sauce, and most of the cheese and mix well. Sprinkle leftover cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
Allow to cool for five minutes, serve, and enjoy!
**********************************

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 medium spaghetti squash
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Fresh basil leaves
Grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2

Directions

Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and clean as you would a pumpkin. Completely submerge 1 half at a time, in a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes until the inside is just tender to a fork and pulls apart in strands. (Cook's Note: It is better to undercook if you're not sure.) Remove, drain and cool with cold water or ice bath to stop the cooking.

Scoop out the cooked squash from its skin with a spoon as you would an avocado and discard the skin. Use a fork to fluff and separate the squash into "spaghetti"- like strands. You can also use your hands. Reserve the separated cooked squash and dip with a strainer into boiling water to reheat just before serving. (Cook's Note: If after cooking, the spaghetti squash is a little too al dente, you can cook it more in the hot water just before serving.)

Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cream and reduce for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in the rest of the butter and parsley. Place spaghetti squash in a large serving bowl, and pour Alfredo sauce over squash. Garnish with basil and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!

Week 15 - 2013

Creamy Cauliflower, Leek & Potato Soup

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large Russet or Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
3 1/4 cups chopped cauliflower florets
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus additional to taste
Olive oil cooking spray
2 1-oz slices all-natural, nitrite-free turkey bacon
1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, divided
2 scallions, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium-low. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add potato, cauliflower, broth, 1 cup water and pepper and increase heat to bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender, 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, mist a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Add bacon and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through to desired crispness. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Chop and set aside.
With an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. (Alternatively, carefully transfer soup to a blender, in batches if necessary, remove plastic stopper from lid, cover with a kitchen towel and purée until smooth; return to saucepan.) Place saucepan on low and stir in 1/4 cup cheese until melted. Season with additional pepper, if desired. Ladle soup into serving bowls and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese, bacon and scallions, dividing evenly.

*************************************

Leek & Parmesan risotto

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
150g arborio rice
1 glass white wine
750ml vegetable or chicken stock
25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated

INSTRUCTIONS:

Bring the stock to a simmer. Heat a large wide pan and add half the butter and the olive oil. Add the spring onions, leeks and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the rice and stir to coat then tip in the wine and bubble until reduced. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring until the rice is tender with a little bite and oozy.
Stir in the Parmesan and the rest of butter and season.

Week 14 - 2013

Cheesy Stuffed Eggplant With Broccoli,  Tomatoes And Leeks

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

3 Japanese eggplants cut length wise
olive oil
8 broccoli florets finely chopped
1 red bell pepper finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
1 small leek white part only cut in half then thinly sliced
8 fresh basil leaves chopped
6 sprigs thyme taken off the stems
6 oz. fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
1/4 to 1/2 cup parmesan
S&P

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Scoop out insides of eggplant with a spoon or cookie scoop. Reserve half the insides and chop. Bake the eggplant halves in oven for 15 minutes.
Heat a saute pan with some olive oil. Cook the bell pepper 1 minute then add in the broccoli and chopped eggplant. Cook 2 minutes and add the leeks and cook 2 more minutes. Add basil, thyme and tomatoes and remove from heat. Stir in the mozzarella and parmesan. Season with some salt and pepper to taste.
Brush the cooked eggplant halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Fill generously with the filling. Sprinkle heavily with parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.

****************************************

Sautéed Broccoli with Tomato,  Garlic and Herbs

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
2 tomatoes, chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Sea salt

Preparation:

Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute, and add broccoli florets. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, and add 2 tablespoons of water.
Cover the pan and steam for 2 minutes, until broccoli is bright green and the water has evaporated.
Add the tomatoes, cook 1 minute, and add the herbs and salt to taste. Stir gently and serve.

Week 13 - 2013

Summer Squash Casserole
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs. yellow summer squash, sliced thin
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 2 oz.
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp.  Butter,  melted
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or Panko Italian Style)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Put all the cut squash in a bowl and add a tbsp. of water, cover and microwave until tender. About 5 minutes, maybe? In a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. butter, sour cream, cheese, salt and paprika until smooth. Whisk a small bit of the warm cheese sauce into the eggs so that they become tempered and don't cook upon contact. Drain squash and put in all into a 9 x 13 casserole sprayed with cooking spray. Pour cheese sauce evenly over the squash. Mix the ingredients for the topping, green onions, melted, bread crumbs and parmesan. Spread evenly over the sauce. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

******************************************
Escarole & Roasted Beet Salad
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Toss crisp escarole and sweet beets to create an easy, delicious salad perfect with warming fall and winter meals.

Ingredients:

2 medium beets
1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
1 head escarole
1 small clove garlic or shallor, minced (optional)
2 tsp. red wine or sherry vinegar
1/8 tsp. ground mustard
2 Tbsp. olive oil or hazelnut oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Put the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and drizzle them with some vegetable or olive oil. Cover them with foil, seal shut, and roast until tender, about 25 minutes (note that cooking time for beets varies tremendously, they may take up to an hour). Let the beets cool, slip off their skins, and cut them into bite-size pieces.
Tear the escarole into bite-size pieces, wash and dry it.
In a large bowl, combine the garlic or shallot, if using, vinegar, and mustard. Whisk in the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the escarole with the dressing gently but thoroughly. Either toss the beets with the escarole, or divide the escarole between serving plates and top each one with a share of the beets.
Makes 4 to 6 servings

*********************************************