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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2015)
turnip Turn to the Add white to the rainbow of produce you eat By MELISSA D’ARABIAN Photos by MATTHEW MEAD pleasant. But as it cooks the tur- nip softens into a milder, earthy, Associated Press VOLJKWO\VZHHWÀDYRU Nutritionally speaking, the I talk to my kids every day turnip is a rock star. A large tur- about eating a rainbow of pro- nip has only 50 calories, but is duce in order to get all the nu- jam packed with vitamin C, as trients they need. But you know well as smaller amounts of all what color is left out of the rain- sorts of other nutrients. And tur- bow? White. nips are a two-for-one veggie, That is, at least according meaning you buy the root and to my 7-year-old twins when I you get the turnip greens for free. SUHVHQWHGFDXOLÀRZHUWRWKHPDW Don’t throw those greens the dinner table. What a shame. away. They are nutritional pow- Have we lost all the love for the erhouses, too! Wash them, chop contributions of white veggies them, then saute, steam or braise OLNHRQLRQVDQGFDXOLÀRZHUDQG them as you would any other all their good-for-you nutrients? green. And dunking them in a So what better time than pot of boiling water for a minute winter to celebrate an oft-over- helps remove the bitter taste. looked white veggie — the tur- Despite all this great news, nip! The turnip is misunderstood outside of pockets of regional and passed over all too quickly. turnip lovers, most Americans 5DZLWVÀDYRULVVKDUSHYHQXQ don’t turn to the turnip very of- I ten. A helpful strategy for includ- ing turnips at the novice’s table is to pair it with a fellow root veg- gie. A good way to do this is to combine them in a hash, puree or soup, such as in this roasted gar- lic, turnip and sweet potato soup. Tucking into a bowl of veg- gie-based soup is not only a great health move, it’s also a perfect way to begin a comforting win- tery meal. Enjoy the turnip soup as is, or use it as inspiration to PDWFK \RXU IDYRULWH ÀDYRU SUR ¿OH E\ DGGLQJ FXUU\ SRZGHU smoked paprika or even orange zest and cumin. Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook “Super- market Healthy.” http://www. melissadarabian.net Garnish the soup with plain, low-fat Greek yogurt and scallions. Roasted Garlic, Turnip and Sweet Potato Soup 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 large turnip, peeled and diced 3 tablespoons olive oil 8 cloves garlic, whole and peeled 2 shallots, sliced 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock 1/4 cup white wine Salt and ground black pepper 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt Chopped chives or scallions, for garnish Directions: 1. Heat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato and turnip. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the sweet potatoes and turnip in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in the same bowl, toss the garlic, shallots and thyme with the re- maining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. After the sweet potatoes and turnip have roasted for 15 minutes, use a spatula to turn the pieces. Turnips are a nutritional rock star — don’t pass them over this winter. 14 | February 19, 2015 | coastweekend.com Add the garlic and shallot mixture to the pan, then roast for another 20 minutes. 4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the stock and wine and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the roasted vegetable mixture and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Working in batches if necessary, transfer the mixture to a blender. Using caution when blending hot liquids, blend until smooth. 5. Return the soup to the pan and re- heat for several minutes, if needed, over medium. Stir in the vinegar, then season with salt and pepper. Add water if soup is too thick. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, top each serving with a bit of yo- gurt and chives or scallions. Nutrition information per serving: 140 calories; 70 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 5 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbo- hydrate; 2 g fi ber; 5 g sugar; 4 g protein; 270 mg sodium.
