Making dinner healthier, one slow cooker at a time.
A Spring CSA often seems much like a Winter one. There’s a great assortment of greens, turnips, and radishes. Granted the greens and turnips are baby ones instead of the turnip I got that was as big as my head. Make life easy and turn your CSA into a quick meal by making this Potato Turnip Soup with Spring Greens Pesto. to recipe →
Roasted root veggies are my latest obsession. Well, one of my obsessions, but at least my craziness keeps me occupied. Things like this tend to happen when you get more than one turnip that’s as big as your head! (Thanks winter csa for making me more turnip friendly!)
You can roast veggies in the slow cooker or in the oven depending on your preference. It’s been really cold here the past few days and I have enjoyed turning on the oven as much as possible for a little extra heat in the house. One thing is that you have more wiggle room time-wise in the slow cooker and it’s much harder to burn them.
In The Oven:
I tried roasting in the oven 2 different ways, one covered with aluminum foil and one not covered. I cooked both on a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes. I stirred them half way.
I found the one that I covered (until the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking) to be juicy and lush. I liked the uncovered ones but the texture was a little tougher and they took a little longer to cook. It just depends on what you like the best.
In The Slow Cooker:
Roasting in the slow cooker is easy too. You can cook them on high for about 2 hours on high or low for about 4. Just oil the crock and place a layer or two of chopped or diced root veggies. You want to fill it less than 1/2 way if possible. I use one of my 6 quart ovals just so the veggies aren’t crowded.
Just how long you’ll cook the veggies depend on how big you cut them. I’d recommend cutting them smaller for the slow cooker and stirring every 30 to 45 minutes so they cook evenly. They are ready to eat when a fork pierces the veggies easily.
My first batch contained turnip, rutebaga, purple potatoes, carrots and radishes. I’ve been saving up radishes from my csa because I just didn’t know what to do with them. The answer is roast them. They lost that spicy edge and became sweet and juicy. It was a revelation for me.
I would suggest you don’t add sweet potatoes into the mix though. They will break down before the other veggies are done. You’ll end up with chunks of roasted veggies in what is basically mashed sweet potato.
The first recipe I made with these yummy veggies was a pizza. It’s not really an exact recipe but it’s super easy. All you need is some pizza dough, a pizza shell, or something else to build your pizza on.
I used a vegan cashew spread from The Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas as my base. Then I topped it with the roasted veggies and sprinkled arugula pesto over the whole pizza. I cooked it in a 375 degree oven until the crust was cooked since I used raw pizza dough. If you used a pre-cooked pizza shell you will cook it about 7 to 10 minutes or until the center is hot.
As promised, here is the ridiculously easy and tasty stew I mentioned over the weekend. I seem to be on a streak of ugly but packed-full of flavor recipes this month.
I guess the veggies that are available in January aren’t quite as flashy as some of the summer ones. That, and well, stews aren’t always pretty – but you can’t beat a one dish meal for an easy dinner.
In my its next incarnation I think I’ll add a handful or two of chopped greens to shake things up a bit.
You can really add any veggies you have on hand too. I’m all about options and using what you have on hand. Yellow lentils instead of red, potato in place of turnip and even carrot would all work just as good as the listed ingredients.
Slow Cooker Indian Spiced Chickpea Quinoa Stew
gluten-free, soy-free
serves 4 to 6
The night before: Chop veggies and store in the fridge.
In the morning: Put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low 6 to 9 hours. Taste, re-season if needed (you may not even need the salt if your bouillon is salty.)
This is a good one to make if you are going to be away from the house a little longer than usual. If your slow cooker runs hot add a little extra water if it will be cooking longer than 9 hours.
I love my greens and making up new ways to get my other half to eat them. Sometimes I’m successful and she even asks for more! This Collard Pesto was one of those successes. Mixed in with the soup it was a relationship that will definitely be celebrated in my house again soon.
You can serve it over pasta, on top of polenta, or swirl it in a soup. It adds a punch of citrus brightness and a beautiful green accent where ever you add it. It’s perfect to liven up your Dark Days dinners.
This pesto recipe calls for some specialty ingredients, but you can make it without them. I’ve suggested substitutions in the pesto directions.
Slow Cooker Potato Turnip Soup
Add everything except salt, pepper, and almond milk to your slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Remove rosemary sprig and discard. Puree using an immersion blender. Add almond milk and blend it in. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a swirl of Collard Citrus Pesto (recipe below) on top.
Serves 4
Dark Days Collard Citrus Pesto
After you prep the greens add the water with chick’n bouillon mixed in to a saute pan. Add collards and cook on medium heat. Cook until collards are tender, but still bright green (about 10 minutes). The water will also be evaporated at this point. You can add extra water in cooking if needed.
Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until grainy or finely minced but not pureed. Add extra olive oil, water, or pumpkin puree if the mixture is too thick.
Makes 1 to 2 cups
This is a perfect soup to come home from on a chilly night. I served mine with a pea shoot salad – yum! Turnips seem to get a bad rap, but they’re in season and full of vitamin C. If you’ve had a not-so-good turnip experience in the past try them again in 2011. Get baby turnips if you can get your hands on some. They are sweeter and have a milder flavor than the larger ones.
Veggie Soup with Turnips
soy-free, gluten-free
The night before: Mince the onion and garlic, then heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onions until transparent and then add the garlic and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Chop the rest of the veggies and peel the turnip if you are using a larger ones. You don’t need to peel them if they are baby ones. Store everything together in a container in the fridge overnight. Chop the greens and store separately in the fridge, because you’ll add them 1 hour before eating. If your family isn’t used to eating greens start with 1 cup and work up to 2.
In the morning: Add all ingredients except basil to the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Before serving: Add basil. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs before serving. If you’re using frozen basil add it about 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve your soup so it can ‘melt’ into your stew.
Yields: 6 servings
Total Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 6 to 8 hours
Giveaway ends May 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
