shallots Tag

Roasted Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes & Turnips with ShallotsRoot vegetables are known for their comforting taste and grounding qualities. Nothing quite satisfies like the smell and warmth of home-roasted carrots or mashed potatoes for dinner, right? In addition to being tasty comfort food, root vegetables also have a unique nutrition profile.

Of course, exact nutritional values depend on the variety (you can visit www.nutritiondata.com for specific information), but here is some general nutrition info:

  • One cup of cooked celeriac, radish or turnip has 25-42 calories, while beets, burdock, parsnip or rutabaga has 66-110 calories.
  • All of the common varieties (carrots, potatoes, beets, celeriac, daikon radish, parsnip, rutabaga, and turnip) are all very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
  • All are a good or very good source of dietary fiber.
  • Beets, radish, rutabaga and turnip have higher sugar contents.

Because root vegetables function as the energy storage organ in a plant, they are nutrient dense. Common nutrients include folate, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins B6 and C.

The recipe below calls for roasting potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips — simply because I wanted to warm up the house. Root vegetables are also great in soup and as a mash. Try adding diced celeriac to minestrone soup or turnips to potatoes for a mash. Also, most root vegetables are interchangeable, just keep in mind that sweet potatoes cook faster than the others.

Roasted Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes & Turnips with ShallotsRoasted Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes & Turnips with Shallots

Preheat oven to 400-degrees, and line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut into chunks 1 cup potatoes and 1 cup turnips and toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil and then spread onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes.

Add to the bowl 1 cup sweet potatoes, cut into chunks, and toss to coat with remaining oil. Mix the sweet potatoes with the other veggies and roast for an additional 15 minutes, until all vegetables are tender and begin to brown.

Meanwhile, lightly oil a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup shallots, sliced very thin, and fry lightly, until they’re translucent and start to crisp. Set aside.

Top veggies with shallots and serve hot.

Post and photo by Mikaela D. Martin: Blooming Glen CSA member since 2005, board-certified health counselor, and co-founder and -owner of Guidance for Growing, an integrative wellness practice in Souderton. Read more about healthy eating and living on her site, http://guidanceforgrowing.com!

In your share this week is a 1/2 a pound of golden shallots. Shallots are like a sophisticated onion- one with a more delicate and sweet garlicky flavor. They are wonderful in risotto or roasted alongside a chicken then used as a base for gravy, or carmelized and paired with roast beef. This week’s recipe features roasted butternut with sage and shallots.
A fresh bunch of tasty arugula is in the share for another week- this is a green that doesn’t mind the cold nights. I picked up some wonderful Petite Seckle pears at the Headhouse Farmers Market this weekend, and have been enjoying them in an arugula and goat cheese salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. Delicious!

October 25, 1011

As the CSA winds down, I want to draw your attention to some of the many hands that helped to bring your veggies from the field to your dinner plate. Not only is there our regular crew of folks who are here five days a week out in the fields, but there is our wash crew that comes in once a week, either Tuesday or Friday morning during the 24 week harvest season. Always with a smile, they don their rubber overalls to help wash, dunk, spray, refresh and generally remove mud and dirt.

Meghan, Donna, Stephanie, and Dale: washers extraordinaire!

Meghan, an employee at Whole Foods, has been our wash queen for 4 years now, Donna joins us for year two, and Stephanie started this Spring. My dad (Dale, Pop-Pop, or Mr. B, depending) is a “pinch hit washer”- when he’s not mowing, building or fixing things, cleaning up after all of us, or playing with his granddaughter, he’s washing, or generally doing whatever we need him to do on any given day. Thanks wash crew- we appreciate what you do!

Photos and text by Tricia Borneman, Blooming Glen farmer and co-owner.