Roasted Turnips

Roasted turnips are a easy as baking potatoes.  In fact, when I cooked up these turnips, I took the opportunity of having a hot oven and baked potatoes for another meal.

Now, if you've never eaten roasted turnips, I'll tell you.  I find them to taste very similar to cooked cauliflower.  In the photo above, you'll see the turnips have a dark brown skin.  I believe I roasted them just a tad too long this time; making the skins not as palatable as I wanted.  However, the fleshy insides were fluffy and tender.  I only needed a little salt and pepper to enjoy them.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• fresh whole turnips, 2-inches in diameter or larger
• olive oil or any neutral tasting oil
• coarse salt
• fresh ground pepper

Start by scrubbing the turnips well.  Dry them and prick with a fork. Place them on a cookie sheet, drizzle 1 to 2- tablespoons of oil over them to coat them well.  Season with salt.

Bake for 40 to 55 minutes at 425ºF until tender.

While wearing an oven mitt, check for doneness by gently squeezing a turnip.  The inner flesh should give in and feel soft like a well cooked potato.  Allow to cool long enough to handle safely.  Cut them in half, season with salt and pepper and they're ready to serve.

COOK'S NOTE:
Grated cheese of any kind would go well with roasted turnips.

Sweet & Zesty Fiesta Salad

My beautiful friend, Cheryl, brought this incredibly addictive salad slash dip to our party the other night.  She carried it in a BIG ol'bowl.  I thought she might have gone overboard and made too much.  It turned out, she knew exactly how much to make.   We couldn't get enough of this tangy sweet collage of goodness.  We walked past it dipping our chips all night long.  And when it was time to eat our grilled fajitas, we went back to the bowl to make it a condiment. I was lucky there was just enough leftover that I could photograph it in good light the next day.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 (14 oz.) can shoe peg corn with liquid
• 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 oz.) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small jar diced pimentos with liquid
• 2 bell peppers, red, green, yellow or mix, cored, seeded, medium diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 cup celery, finely diced (optional)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely diced

Mix all the vegetables in a large bowl.

• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In small saucepan over medium heat, bring remaining ingredients to a boil.  Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat evenly.  Marinade in the fridge 4 hours or overnight.

Serve with tortilla chips as a dip.  Most scrumptious as a condiment with fajitas or as a side salad

Makes 10 cups.

Simple Sauteed Asparagus

I lurv asparagus right up there with spinach.  Don't you?  I have eaten it snapped off fresh, coming out of the ground.  Of course, I prefer it sauteed in good extra virgin oil with a few cloves of garlic and seasoned with fresh ground pepper.  *mouth watering*

HERES ALL IT TAKES

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 2 to 3 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & fresh pepper to taste

Prep asparagus by snapping off the thick ends.  Just bend the bottom stalk and it will naturally snap off, discard thick ends.  Wash thoroughly.  Peel and slice garlic cloves.

Heat oil in a medium fry pan on medium heat until oil is shimmering but not smoking.  Add asparagus and garlic and cook until garlic has soften and lightly tan, 4 to 6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve hot.

Creamy, CHEESY Broccoli Rice Recipe

This cheesy broccoli and rice recipe was a BIG HIT with the family.  It made a perfect side to a batch of crispy, chicken.  It, also, made a filling vegetarian lunch the next day.  I thought it was even better the next day.
Broccoli rice recipes I've tried in the past left me with overcooked broccoli and dried out rice.  I like my broccoli to have a bite and I want the rice to blend with the creamy cheese sauce that holds it all together.

Well, I was so impressed with the creaminess of the Smoked Gouda and Cheddar Mac with Spinach recipe, I thought I'd follow it again to make my own creamy, cheesy broccoli rice recipe. The results yielded a dish full of broccoli goodness and soul satisfying creaminess.

Precooking the long grain rice gave me control to have a moist, fluffy and flavorful rice.  Blanching the broccoli ensured I would have the right bite to my vegetable.  Then baking it off in the oven for 20 minutes brought all the ingredients together under a topping of sharp cheddar cheese.  Mmmmm...

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

First, fill a large saucepan with water, set to boil over medium-high heat for blanching the broccoli.
Then, get the rice started.

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 2 cups hot water

In a medium saucepan, lightly brown rice and sliced garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat; constantly stirring.  Add hot water, stir; cover with lid.  Reduce heat to low and cook 12 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

PREHEAT OVEN 400ºF. Grease 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan.

While you're waiting for the rice to absorb the water,
blanch the broccoli.

• 3 small to medium crowns of broccoli, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces

Blanch 4 minutes in boiling water.  Use a slotted spoon to lift out broccoli to a strainer set over a bowl to drain.  Allow broccoli to cool enough to handle.  Roughly chop into small pieces about 3/4 to 1-inch in size. Transfer to large mixing bowl.

Bring it all together.

• 2 1/2 cups cooked rice from above
• 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
• 1 (12 ounce) can CARNATION Evaporated Milk
• 2 tablespoons  yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Measure out the rice. (You'll have leftover rice.)

In the mixing bowl with the broccoli, add measured rice, 1 cup cheddar, all the jack cheese, evaporated milk, onion, salt and pepper.  Transfer to 8-inch pan.  Top with remaining cheddar.
Bake 20 minutes.

Smoked Gouda and Cheddar Mac with Spinach

This recipe has been sponsored by the cool folks over at One2One Network in partnership with Nestle Carnation The Cooking Milk. This is my own twist on the Pepper Jack Cheesy Mac recipe from the free CARNATION - Holiday Guide.pdf I received from Carnation Cooking Milk.

I'm a big, BIG fan of spinach.  Anytime I can get away with mixing it into a dish, I do it!  This particular dish had my interest because it I knew it would work for both my cheesy-noodle-lovin-kids, my not-so-crazy-about-spinach-husband and me. ;D  It had the thick, creamy texture we want from a baked macaroni dish.  And the iron rich spinach made it guilt-free when I went back for seconds.  This recipe goes into the monthly rotation under the comfort food category for sure!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and stems removed
• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1 can (12 oz.) CARNATION Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil.  Blanch spinach in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes.  Drain spinach in a strainer set inside a bowl.  Set aside.  When cool enough to touch, roughly chop the spinach.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.

In the same boiling water with heat set to medium, pour in dry macaroni and cook until tender to the tooth, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain well.  Return to saucepan.

Toss in the chopped, blanched spinach. Add the cheddar cheese and Gouda cheese, evaporated milk, salt and pepper.  Stir until combined.  Pour into prepared casserole dish.  Cover tightly with foil.

BAKE for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until lightly brown.

Download your own free copy of the CARNATION-Holiday Guide
for more savory dishes like this one.
Click here: CARNATION - Holiday Guide.pdf

Mustard Greens, Mushrooms and Yellow Pepper

Mustard greens have a stronger flavor compared to, let say, spinach and collard greens.  It's described as pungent and bitter with a dominating mustardy flavor.  However, cooked with other vegetables, mustard greens lend a zippy mustard taste that can pick up the flavor of blander vegetables or greens.  Mustard greens are the source of the spicy seeds used to make mustard.

Mustard greens work well with beans, mushrooms, carrots, corn, sweet potatoes and leeks.  Cooked mustard greens mellow and add a hint of spiciness to soups, gumbos, and stews.  It takes well to stir-frying and sauteing with other vegetables.  Adding small amounts of water during cooking helps create enough steam to soften the mustard greens.  Straight up steaming mustard greens only increases their bitter tastes.

• Pick a bunch of mustard greens with uniformly colored green leaves without any yellowed or dry leaves.
• Mustard greens yellow and dry out rather quickly in the frig.  They are best used within 1 or 2 days.
• Wash mustard greens by filling your sink with cold water, then plunging them until free of soil.  Lift greens out of water to a colander, and check bottom of bowl.  If there is any sand or dirt, discard the water and repeat the process.  Strip or cut the leaves from the stalks.  To chop, stack 4 to 5 leaves on top of each other and roll into a fat jelly roll shape.  Using a large sharp knife, slice crosswise into strips.

MUSTARD GREENS, MUSHROOMS and YELLOW PEPPER

• 1 pound mustard greens
• 2 tablespoons oil or bacon drippings
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pint white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice
• 1 or 2 sliced pepperoncini peppers, totally optional
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wash greens and strip leaves from stalks. Discard the stalks.  Chop leaves into 1/2-inch strips.  Slice onion, mushrooms, mince garlic cloves and dice yellow pepper.

Using a large skillet or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and saute for 10 minutes, until soft and golden.  Add garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Turn heat to medium high, and stir in mustard greens.  Add the water, cover and cook for 4 minutes.  Stir in yellow pepper and pepperoncini peppers, cover and cook 4 more minutes, stirring several times to cook greens evenly.  Season with salt and serve hot.

Fresh Okra and Tomatoes

Okra is in season around these parts of Texas.  The most common okra recipes involve frying it up.  And while I love the salty crunch of good fried okra, it's not my favorite favorite.  Okra cooked with stewed tomatoes and onions is what I crave this time of year.  My Memaw called it 'Okra Gumbo'.  Is that what you call this too?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 pint fresh okra, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan, cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until onions are soften and okra is tender.

Serve hot on the side!