Kohlrabi Two Ways

My garden has been in full bloom for a while. I planted four kohlrabi starts early in the season and they recently became ready to harvest. I wasn't sure what to do with the alien-looking vegetables since I'd never tasted them before, so I decided to treat them as a root vegetable. If you grow kohlrabi or manage to buy bulbs with the greens still attached, don't discard the greens. They are very edible with a mild flavor similar to collards or turnip greens. One fully-grown kohlrabi produces a 2.5-4 inch diameter bulb with a large bunch of greens.

In addition to gardening from starts and seeds, I have also been growing the onions that sprout in my pantry. The greens are edible with a flavor similar to scallions, so I snip a few as the onion develops and toss them in my dishes. South African Smoked Seasoning can be found in a spice grinder at Trader Joe's. It's optional, but adds a great flavor to food, so I recommend picking up a jar of it or looking for a similar product in other stores.

Kohlrabi fresh from the garden.

Roasted Root Vegetables over wild rice and Greens and Beans.

Roasted Root Vegetables

2 kohlrabi
2 small sweet potatoes
1 vidalia onion
3 carrots
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp minced fresh basil
1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
South African Smoked Seasoning, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Peel kohlrabi and sweet potatoes, then slice into 1/4" rounds. Cut each round in half to make a half-moon shape. Peel and slice the onion. Slice the carrots into rounds.

Place all vegetables into a casserole dish. Toss with fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Cover dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover from dish and bake another 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Serve over wild rice or another grain of your choice. Season to taste with smoked seasoning, if desired.

Greens and Beans

1 bunch kohlrabi greens
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 onion greens, sliced thin (substitute 3 scallions if you don't have access to onion greens)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
South African Smoked Seasoning, to taste (optional)

Wash the kohlrabi greens well. Remove the stems and tear or cut the greens into bite-sized pieces.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add garlic and onion greens and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the kohlrabi greens and saute for about 5 minutes, until greens are tender. Add chickpeas and seasonings. Cook long enough to heat the beans, then remove from heat and serve.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

I recently made a batch of sourdough crackers and decided to try using some of the dough for bread sticks. It had the consistency of pizza crust, so I tweaked the recipe slightly and made a pizza with the next batch. Turbokid loved it and even ate the crust, something he rarely does.

Vegan barbecue "chicken" pizza - barbecue sauce, vegan chicken, sauteed zucchini, chopped roma tomatoes, and Daiya mozzarella cheese.

Sourdough Pizza Crust

1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Kneed just until dough is smooth, adding a little more flour if the dough is sticky. Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm location for at least six hours and up to twenty-four. The dough can be refrigerated after the proofing time if you're not able to use it right away.

Preheat oven to 375C. Lightly grease a baking sheet, then roll the dough onto the sheet into the desired shape and thickness. You can roll up the edges of the dough to give a thicker edge crust.

Bake crust for 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and add sauce and toppings. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes, until crust is golden.

Quick Farro and Veggie Bowl

I'm always looking for quick, healthful meals for the nights when there just isn't time to cook. This one takes about 15 minutes to make and any veggies can be substituted for the ones I included. Quick-cook farro and smoked seasoning can be found at Trader Joe's, and I'm sure other stores also carry similar items. If you can't find quick-cook farro, regular farro can be used, but you'll have to cook it longer. The smoked seasoning is optional, but I think it adds a fun kick to an otherwise simple dish.

I subscribed to a weekly home-delivery organic produce service last week and we received our first box today. It was a huge box that contained all sorts of tasty and very fresh treasures. My kids are excited by the oranges and tangerines, and I am excited by having an easier way to feed my family fresh veggies. The kids are becoming difficult to shop with, so being able to make fewer trips to the grocery store is a relief. One of the items in this week's box was a bunch of baby turnips, so those little gems became the inspiration for this dish.

It was still steaming when I took the picture, but we were in a hurry so I didn't have time to let it cool.

Quick Farro and Veggie Bowl

1 cup quick-cook farro

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 bunch baby turnips (including greens)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced or grated

1 handful cherry tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

smoked seasoning blend to taste (optional)

Place farro and water or broth in a saucepan and cook according to package directions.

While the farro is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Remove and reserve the greens from the baby turnips. Dice the turnips. Saute the turnips until they begin to soften. Add the chickpeas, mushrooms, and garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Chop the turnip greens and add them to the pan along with the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and smoked seasoning. Saute until the turnip greens wilt.

Stir in the cooked farro and serve. Serves about 3.

Peasant Plate

This simple but hearty meal was inspired by one I used to order at a vegetarian restaurant. My favorite vegetable combination for it is beets and carrots, but you can use whatever you have on hand. My beet-allergic husband wasn't home for dinner so I eagerly cooked up some beets. The brown rice can be substituted with other grains like millet or quinoa. I didn't have any sprouts tonight, but they make a great addition.

Peasant Plate

1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups water
1 lb tofu, cubed
1 cup beets, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
mixed greens
sprouts (optional)

Combine brown rice and water in a rice cooker (or on the stove) and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and arrange cubed tofu in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, steam the beets and carrots.

Create the tahini sauce by mixing the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and water in a food processor.

When the rice, tofu, and vegetables are ready, place a handful of greens on each of 3-4 plates. Spoon rice onto the center of the greens, then top with tofu, vegetables, and optional sprouts. Spoon tahini sauce over everything before serving.

Eggplant Parmesan

I'm never quite sure what to do with eggplants when I buy them. They usually get turned into baba ganoush, but this eggplant called for something a bit more colorful. I decided to make a vegan Eggplant Parmesan. My husband was hesitant about it at first, since he has had some bad experiences with eggplant in the past, but he loved it, especially the cashew cheese sauce.

I have trouble with tomatoes because of reflux, so I substituted bell peppers for the tomatoes you normally find in Eggplant Parmesan. In addition, this is gluten-free and can be soy-free if you use chickpea miso. I baked the eggplant instead of frying it.

Eggplant Parmesan with saffron rice. The rice is from a box I found on sale since saffron isn't something I keep around my kitchen.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 3/8-1/2 inch rounds
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp miso
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Preheat broiler on your oven. Place eggplant and bell pepper halves on a cookie sheet. Broil for 5 minutes, then flip over pieces and broil for another 3-5 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 400F. Lightly grease a large cake pan, then arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Slice the bell peppers and lay them on top of the eggplant rounds.

Cashew cheese sauce - Put the water, nutritional yeast, cashews, lemon juice, onion powder, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour cashew mix over the peppers and eggplant.

Pumpkin seed Parmesan - Place pumpkin seeds, miso, and nutritional yeast in a food processor (I use a mini processor for small quantities like this) and pulse until a fine mixture forms. Sprinkle the pumpkin seed mixture over the vegetables.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cashew cheese is bubbly and the pumpkin Parmesan is lightly browned.

Arrange the broiled eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of a cake pan.  

Slice the bell peppers and lay them on top of the eggplant rounds.

Pour cashew cheese over the vegetables.

Sprinkle pumpkin seed Parmesan over everything.

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes.