Are You Eaing Your Veggies? Challenge #1

[tmn]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

All right, by gummy, I'm ready for this Challenge!

Bring 'er on!!

[sillygirl]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

Did we ever find out how to prepare Kohlrabi?

[jimmie 48]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

i don't remember seeing any recipe for it, silly

[dream]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

I haven't tried it.. but I did find this. Maybe we can get some ideas.


Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi tastes like a mild, sweet turnip with a bit of radish tang. Young kohlrabi is juicy and crisp and delicate.

Trim, scrub, boil whole or sliced for 20 or 30 minutes, then drain, peel, and serve with melted butter or white sauce or mashed.

Kohlrabi is delicious served with cheese, curry, Dijon mustard, garlic, ginger, potatoes, rice wine, roasted meats, sesame oil, or soy sauce.

Kholrabi, which mean “cabbage-turnip” in German, is a member of the cabbage and turnip family. You can find kohlrabi year-round at some farm markets. Its peak season is mid-spring to mid-fall.

Unlike the turnip, the swollen stem or base of the kholrabi grows above ground. It can reach the size of an orange and can be white, deep violet, or greenish-white in color.

From the base, thin stalks grow out in all directions. The stalks are tipped with large broccoli-like leaves, are edible, and can be prepared just like spinach.

Kohlrabi stalks are crunchy like broccoli and have a hint of radish and cucumber taste to them. The leaves can have the flavor of turnip greens.

The skin of the kohlrabi base is edible when young. It is best to remove the skin of mature kohlrabi. The flesh of the base has the texture of celery root or turnip. Kohlrabi is the most tender when the base is less than 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter.

Kohlrabi originated in Northern Europe as late as the fifteenth or sixteenth century although Pliny, the ancient Roman, described a similar vegetable grown by the Romans in the first century.

Today kohlrabi is most popular in Germany and Central Europe. In Italy, it is known as cavolo-rapa, which means cabbage turnip.

Choose: Select kohlrabi that is firm and heavy for its size with crisp deeply colored leaves that have no yellowing on their tips. The base should be free of cracks. Small to medium-sized bulbs will be sweet and tender. Overly large bulbs will be tough and strong tasting.

Store: Kohlrabi will keep tightly wrapped for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. If you want to store the base longer, remove the leaves which otherwise will draw moisture away from the base causing it to lose its crispness.

Prepare: When ready to use, remove the leaves, discard the stems, wash in warm water, and then cook. Use the leaves for slow-cooked greens.

To eat kohlrabi raw, remove the stems and then peel. You can strip out the stem by folding together the two sides of the leaf and pulling out the stem.

You can peel kohlrabi before or after cooking, but it is easier to peel once it has been cooked. You can steam the bulb to loosen the skin. Trim the bulb to remove the fibrous under-layer just beneath the skin.

Serve: Kohlrabi can be served raw, grated, sprinkled with salt, or cooked. Kohlrabi can be steamed, added to soups and stews, and stir-fried.

To serve raw, peel and slice or cut into strips, cubes, or wedges to serve with crudités.

Julienne kohlrabi for vegetable or meat salads. Grate or shred to add to slaw or toss with rémoulade sauce (mayonnaise, mustard, capers, chopped gherkins, herbs, and anchovies).

Cook kohlrabi flesh like you would turnips or celeriac. Boil and serve tender crisp. (You may want to change the water twice when boiling for a lighter flavor.) Peel and steam and serve with lemon juice and melted butter.

Add whole peeled kohlrabi to braised dishes and stews and cook about 20 minutes. You can add the leaves half way through.

Roast kohlrabi chunks in a pan with meats or poultry.

Cut the flesh into slices or wedges and add to Chinese stir-fry or Indian curry.

Combine peeled kohlrabi with potatoes when making scalloped potatoes.

Dip kohlrabi slices or sticks into tempura batter and deep-fry.

Kohlrabi leaves can be cooked like spinach. Trim and boil the leaves until tender about 2-3 minutes, drain then aside and serve.

Sprinkle cooked leaves with lemon juice and a dollop of butter.

Purple kohlrabi may change color during cooking and become whitish colored.

Nutrition: Kohlrabi is rich in potassium and vitamin C. There are about 40 calories per cup of raw kohlrabi.

[diwitch]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

For you non-lettuce lovers...I just posted a stuffed portabella recipe that is 5.2 net carbs and about 3.5 of those are from the salad veggie list!

And I keep hearing about stir frying radishes to resemble hash browns...I am going to try that in the morning, lol.

[jimmie 48]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

thanks for the info girls! it's great to see you really getting into this. i have no doubt you will be making your goal each day!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

For you non-lettuce lovers...I just posted a stuffed portabella recipe that is 5.2 net carbs and about 3.5 of those are from the salad veggie list!

Di - a question from a former non-veggie eater: When we use the portablella mushroom for stuffing, or we supposed to remove anything else besides the stem? (like, do you have to do anything to the underside of the cap, or just put stuff on top of the underside?)

I'm definitely not the most experienced cook in the world - especially with veggies.

Also, for those of you who weigh your portions on a food scale - where did you get yours? I haven't looked a whole lot yet, but the ones I did find go up to about 6 pounds... I think I would use it mainly to measure ounces, not pounds, so I am interested in smaller ones. (I think)

Thanks

[dream]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

Also, for those of you who weigh your portions on a food scale - where did you get yours? I haven't looked a whole lot yet, but the ones I did find go up to about 6 pounds... I think I would use it mainly to measure ounces, not pounds, so I am interested in smaller ones. (I think)

Thanks

I think most of them measure the ounces too, mitizmarie. They come in all price ranges too... I've seen them for over $100 (yikes) on down. All you really need is a basic model so it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. I think I got mine at Target for under $10.00. I've seen them at Kohls too.

[jimmie 48]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

i think i bought my little pound scale at dollar general or walmart some years ago. i recall it being only a couple of dollars.
it weighs by oz or gram.

[diwitch]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

Di - a question from a former non-veggie eater: When we use the portablella mushroom for stuffing, or we supposed to remove anything else besides the stem? (like, do you have to do anything to the underside of the cap, or just put stuff on top of the underside?)



Also, for those of you who weigh your portions on a food scale - where did you get yours? I haven't looked a whole lot yet, but the ones I did find go up to about 6 pounds... I think I would use it mainly to measure ounces, not pounds, so I am interested in smaller ones. (I think)

Thanks

I take the stem out and then chop it up with whatever I am going stuff the bella with. I usually scrape the gills out too, but it's not really necessary.

As for scales, I got mine at a place called Nibblins, it's a gourmet food/cookware/gagets shop in Winchester, Va. The scale is digital, accurate to 1 gram and can be set to weigh in pounds, ounces or grams. Here it is:

http://www.northshorecare.com/escali...od-scales.html

I didn't pay retail for it tho, lol, I do advertising for a living and did an ad for the owner of the store in return for merchandise. But I will say this, if I had know how much I would use the scales and how much easier and accurate they make carb counting...I would have bought them.

I just weigh everything and plug it into this nifty new software program I downloaded and gives me accurate net carb counts to .1 gram, unlike fitday, that rounds everything up. Nothing against Fitday, I have used it for a long time, it's just this is more accurate. And of course, fitday is free.

[sillygirl]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

Okay kids, you all ready?

Here's my veg marketing today, I hope it all stays fresh for the week! I'll have to plan my meals around what will expire first!

Patty Pan Squash (aka summer squash)
Spaghetti squash
Eggplant
Celery
Bell Pepper (red, yellow and green)
Beets (good veggie carb upper that I will roast)
Bag O' Greens
Spinach
Lettuce (Mixed field greens)
Radish
Cauliflower
Artichoke
Broccoli
Cucumber
Onions
Avocado

Moral of this list is that I don't eat all my veggies on a normal basis!

GO VEGGIE CHALLENGE!

[jimmie 48]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

silly, i do not see peas in that list. tsk tsk. do not fear the peas!

[sillygirl]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

I'm still on the hunt for fresh peas! Good thing I have no more room in the fridge!

[Atkid]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

List sounds good Silly, the only thing I think I would add would be greenbeans, fresh and canned.

[sillygirl]

Re: Are You Eaing Your Veggies? ~ A Boardwide Challenge

I actually had to have a can of green beans yesterday to bump myself up to where I should be! They are my emergency veggie!