Monthly Archives: March 2014

carrots and rutabagas with lemon and honey

27 Thursday Mar 2014

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carrots and rutabagas

My family never ate turnips, rutabagas or parsnips when I was growing up so I never discovered how delicious they are until my adult years. I have only just tasted rutabaga this past week and have my fellow gardener, Rabbit (from Winnie the Pooh) to thank for finding this recipe! My son, Chayton enjoys watching Winnie the Pooh and we have watched the episode: “Rabbit and the Rutabaga Wrangler” more than a few times! I kept wondering what a rutabaga was and finally asked Brian, who explained it was a root vegetable, similar to a turnip. He brought one home the following weekend and I hunted for a recipe to cook it with. I found this one on the Epicurious website and loved how it turned out. For those who dislike turnips or rutabagas, this dish may surprise you. Where traditional pureed rutabagas are heavier and filling- a wonderful accompaniment to a winter feast, this recipe is light, a bit crunchy and lemony- perfect for lunch on the patio on a summer day.

Carrots and Rutabagas with Lemon and Honey

1 rutabagas, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
6-8 carrots, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or extra virgin olive oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Cook rutabagas in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook until vegetables are cooked through but still slightly firm, about 5 minutes.  (Or cook longer for more tender vegetables.) Drain.

Melt butter (or olive oil) in large pot over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice, honey, and peel. Bring to boil. Add vegetables; stir until glazed and remove from heat. Or, for softer vegetables, cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Mix in fresh chives. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Rutabaga is cross between a member of the cabbage family and the turnip family. It was a staple during World War II when food was scarce which is why it is often thought of as a ‘deprivation food’. Rutabagas are more pungent than turnips and the pungency can be reduced by blanching the vegetable in boiling water for 5 minutes before cooking. Rutabagas are an excellent source of potassium and a good source of vitamin C. It also contains magnesium, folic acid and phosphorus.

carrots and rutabagas1Resource:

Fortin, J. (1996). The Visual Food Encyclopedia. Montreal, Quebec: Les Editions Quebec/Amerique Inc.

pizza with a new twist- try a flavorful cauliflower crust

13 Thursday Mar 2014

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doughless pizza

I made this pizza for the first time a few weeks ago and it was so delicious that I had to make it again the following weekend! If you are gluten-free or wheat-free this pizza is perfect for you. For the rest of us, this is another delicious variation of an old favorite. The nice thing about this pizza recipe is that you don’t feel all full and doughy after eating it. You actually feel ‘light’. This recipe comes from William Davis’s Wheat Belly book.

doughless pizza

Wheat-Free Pizza

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-to-2 inch pieces

About 3/4 cup of olive oil

2 large eggs

3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Your choice of meat toppings: sausage, pepperoni, ground beef, turkey or pork

12 ounces pizza sauce or 2 cans to tomato paste

Your choice of vegetable toppings: peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped onions, garlic, fresh spinach, mushrooms, olives, etc.

Fresh or dried basil

Fresh or dried oregano

black pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly coat a pizza pan or large rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. (I use parchment paper here.)

In a large pot of boiling water or in a vegetable steamer, cook the cauliflower until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mash until the cauliflower is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add 1/4 cup of the oil, the eggs and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Mix well.

Pour the cauliflower mixture into the pizza pan and press the “dough” into a flat, pizza-like shape no more than 1/2 inch thick (I made mine thinner, about 1/4 inch thick.) Bake for 20 minutes.

If using ground meat, cook in a skillet until browned and cooked through.

Remove the pizza “crust” from the oven and spread it with pizza sauce or tomato paste, the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, vegetable and meat toppings, basil, oregano and pepper. Drizzle with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil (I used less, about 1/4 cup) and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until the mozza melts, about 10- 15 minutes.

Cut the pizza into wedges and use a spatula to transfer to plates. Enjoy!

Note: the “dough” will look like real pizza dough but will be too soft to handle with your hands. You will have to use a knife and fork to eat it and you’ll have to be careful when transferring pieces to plates.

doughless pizza

Resource:

Davis, W. (2011) Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find your Path back to Health. New York, NY: Rodale.

doughless pizza

starting seeds with Chayton

12 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in bellybabechild, garden

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starting seeds

Last year I wasn’t too ambitious in the garden as I knew I would be in my third trimester of my pregnancy in the summer and did not want to be working too long in the hot sun with a big belly and then have a huge harvest to manage right when baby arrived.

plant2With spring just around the corner, Brian and I are really looking forward to getting back to our outdoor projects. These include: restoring our old well pit (which is attached to the basement and will be used as a cold room for root vegetables), landscaping a large fire pit area, putting in a raspberry and strawberry patch, restaining a wooden jungle gym (given to us by Erin and Mitch who used to play on it when they were little. It’s still in great shape!) and beginning phase one of landscaping the “Bird, Butterfly and Bee Garden”, which will do double duty as Chayton’s play area while he is still little. If we get a burst of energy we just may set up our chicken coop and get that going as well.

seeds

In preparation, Chayton and I started some seeds about three weeks ago.

seeds1 seeds

We planted three varieties of heirloom tomatoes, yellow and green zucchini, spaghetti squash, both long and pickling cucumbers,  basil, parley, chives, black-eyed susans and echinacea (purple cone flower). As always, it’s so exciting to see the seeds sprout and watch them grow.

Chayton

It’s even more exciting planting with Chayton as this is his first year helping mom in the garden. I hope that our simple lifestyle will instill in Chayton an appreciation of good food, nature, fresh air, sunshine as well as the fun of growing things yourself!

We plan on planting more seeds this coming week and are looking forward to a new season in the garden!

cucumber sprout