Mashed Kohlrabi and Red Potato Bake

Recipe Source: All Recipes
Image Source: The Bitten Word (has a recipe for Celery Root, Kohlrabi and Apple Puree)

Ingredients

• 1 large kohlrabi bulb, peeled and cut into cubes  (I used both Kohlrabi that were in my CSA box)
• 6 small red potatoes (I probably used twice as many)
• 2 teaspoons grated garlic scape
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook kohlrabi cubes in boiling water until soft, about 15 minutes; drain.
3. Do the same for the potatoes in a separate pot (making sure NOT to boil the kohlrabi and potatoes together!).
4. Beat kohlrabi, potatoes, and garlic scape together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth; transfer to a 1-quart casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese begins to brown, about 30 minutes.

Roasted Radishes with Brown Butter, Lemon, and Radish Tops

Brief high-heat roasting mellows a radish's peppery flavor and turns it into a whole new root vegetable. Using the green radish tops adds color and amps up the radish flavor. Be sure to rinse the green tops thoroughly before using them. This would be a great side dish for roasted pork loin or leg of lamb.

The only adjustment I made to this recipe was to add the roasted radishes and tops to the skillet once the butter was browned, rather than drizzling the butter on top of the radishes. I felt it helped wilt the tops quicker and get everything coated well.

Source: Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 bunches medium radishes (such as red, pink, and purple; about 20)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 
  

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large heavy- duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in medium bowl. Add 11/2 tablespoons olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.
  
  
• Melt butter in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice.
  
  
• Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve.

Portobello, Broccoli, and Red Pepper Melts

Just made these for lunch today with broccoli from our first CSA box of this season. Oh WOW! These are definitely a winner! Just a side note to go easy on salting the veggies because the Gouda brings its own saltiness. I also love that I could use the same pan for the veggies, remove the foil, and then use it again to broil the bread. Simple and delicious. Can't beat that.

Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets (stalk discarded)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 portobello mushrooms (stems removed), sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed through a press
• 4 thick slices country bread
• 4 ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced  (Swiss would also be a good option)

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, toss broccoli with oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing once or twice, until broccoli begins to char, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and bell peppers to sheet; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Broil, tossing once or twice, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more; set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Place bread on a work surface. Dividing evenly, spread with mayonnaise mixture, and top with vegetables, then cheese. Place on baking sheet, and broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Ratatouille

Source: Smitten Kitchen

I had a bunch of zucchini and some homemade goat cheese ready,  and have been wanting to try this for a while so I went for it. Delicious and light!  I can only imagine how much better it would be with all the different veggies in it.  I also added some ground beef for some protein into the sauce.

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi) - could use the whole can of tomato sauce if adding beef. I also add some honey to offset the acidity of tomatoes.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme  (I didn't have fresh thyme on hand so just liberally sprinkled some Italian seasoning on it)
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

Roasted Root Vegetable Pizza

Had this at Amy's house. Yum!

You can roast the root vegetables ahead of time to help with prep work.
You could also grab some dough from Trader Joe's to save time.

Source: Everyday Food

Roasted Root Vegetables:

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 pound red onions, peeled and quartered lengthwise
• 1 pound carrots, halved lengthwise if thick, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide vegetables and garlic evenly between two rimmed baking sheets; drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread in single layers.
2. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing vegetables and rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

For the pizza:

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 pound Basic Pizza Dough, or store-bought pizza dough, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 6 cups (about 1/2 recipe) Roasted Root Vegetables
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (optional)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Brush a large rimless baking sheet with oil. Gently stretch dough into 12-by-16-inch oval (or as large as will fit on baking sheet); transfer to prepared sheet.
2. Sprinkle dough evenly with half the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, then dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and the rosemary, if desired. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake rotating sheet from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until crust is golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Red Fried Rice

This is my favorite basic fried rice recipe. You can add meat for a little more protein or it is good as is. One thing I do differently from the recipe is try to use leftover rice that I have already cooked, because cold rice doesn't get as mushy as freshly made warm rice.

Source: Vegetarian, The Best Ever Recipe Collection

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 3/4 cup

Peanut oil - 2 tbsp (i use coconut oil)

Small red onion - 1, chopped

Red bell pepper - 1, seeded and chopped

Cherry tomatoes - 8 ounces, halved

Eggs - 2 beaten

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the rice several times under cold running water to remove starch. Drain well. Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 10-12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onion and pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and continue stir-frying for 2 minutes more.
3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 30 seconds without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets.
4. Drain the cooked rice thoroughly. Add to the wok and toss it with the vegetable and egg mixture over the heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Creamed Chard And Spring Onions

You can swap cream or half and half for all or a portion of the milk, if you want this to be extra lush. You could also stir in a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan. (We ended up using a couple of cans of evaporated milk as that was all we had, really YUM!)

Source: Smitten Kitchen

1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, thick stems removed and leaves sliced into ribbons
3 spring onions, ends trimmed, white and some green parts sliced into thin coins
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper

Wash your chard, but no need to dry it, just place it in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 6 minutes.
Press or squeeze out the excess liquid any number of ways, either by wringing it out in cheesecloth, putting it in a mesh strainer and pressing the moisture out with a spatula or large spoon or letting it cool long enough to grab small handfuls and squeezing them to remove as much water as possible.
Wipe out the large pot so you can use it again. Heat milk or cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until warm. Keep warm. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic, if using, in butter in your wiped-out large pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about six minutes. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, about three minutes. Add warm milk or cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer, whisking, until thickened, three to four minutes. Stir in chard, then salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until heated through.

To make Creamed Chard and Spring Onion Pasta: Use 1 3/4 cups of milk instead of 1 1/4 cups. Stir 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan into the sauce while cooking, and keep extra on hand for serving. This should be enough to toss with about half a pound of pasta (more or less depending on how saucy you like yours).