Agave & Miso Braised Turnips with Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday nights can be a bit panicked for me. Especially yesterday. Instead of making Friday Soup (Definition - A soup, made on Friday, that uses up all the aging vegetables from last week's CSA box) last week, I made three loaves of bread. Seeing as my CSA box comes on Thursday, I had to scramble to use up a couple of turnips and a head of broccoli last night. Sorry, kale, next time...hang in there little buddy!

Do you have a few turnips? Clueless about what to do with them? Don't worry, you're taken care of. I'm sure you have some miso, walnuts, and TVP on hand like any respectful vegan (just kidding, there are no rules...I'm still trying to like tahini...as vegan, I know, it's sacrilege!) This dish is easy as pie, and simple enough to allow all the flavors to be shine.

“There is nothing necessary or desirable for human nutrition to be found in meats or flesh foods, which are not found in and derived from vegetable products. ”

— Dr. John Harvey Kellogg

Sweet and meaty turnips are braised with TVP and walnuts in agave nectar and washed with miso. Perched atop a bed of steamed broccoli and topped with sprouts, you can feel good about this unique and delicious meal. 

Agave & Miso Braised Turnips with Steamed Broccoli

Sweet and meaty turnips are braised with TVP and walnuts in agave nectar and washed with miso. Perched atop a bed of steamed broccoli and topped with sprouts, you can feel good about this unique and delicious meal. NOTES: Feel free to use any other root vegetable in place of the turnips. Instead of broccoli, this can be served over rice, quinoa, or couscous.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. vegan butter
• 2 small turnips, peeled and diced
• 2 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• ½ Tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 large pinches of kosher salt
• 1 small head of broccoli
• 1 Tbsp. miso paste
• ¼ cup dry TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• handful of broccoli sprouts (optional)
• dash of ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a large, heavy bottomed frying pan or soup pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add the turnips and walnuts. Cook until slightly browned, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the broth, agave, and salt stirring well to combine. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the turnips are tender.
4. Meanwhile, chop and steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes, until just tender and bright green.
5. Once the turnips are done, remove from heat and whisk in the miso paste. Add the TVP, stir to combine, then cover and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
6. Serve the turnip mixture over a bed of steamed broccoli and top with sprouts. Crack black pepper over it, to taste. Serve hot.

Boo! It's been a wee bit windy over here in the Last Frontier. Can you tell? This is Todd, all fixed up to take Bob on his evening constitutional. #thisishowwerollinAK

Dutch Word of The Day

Turnip --> raap (rahp)

Good Deed of The Day

Like we need another reason to ditch dairy...but here you go. From an environmental standpoint. Cow Palace. Omg.

Vegetable Protein Gyoza

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ”

— Edward Everett Hale

Remember when I reviewed Julia Muller's new cookbook, Let Them Eat Kale, well there will be a giveaway at the bottom of this post! It's such a wonderful book, if you want to read my review of it please see this post and of course, enter the drawing below!

You guys are going to really want to make these. Homemade gyoza are astronomically tastier and healthier than their store-bought brethren. Plus, if you're vegan like me it can be difficult to find cruelty-free ones in the grocery store. 

My gyoza (aka pot sticker or wonton) might look a bit odd, and that's because I like to use red cabbage instead of green. However, green cabbage will work just fine too. These little guys pack a big protein punch thanks to TVP, which works beautifully because it soaks up all the saucy goodness and creates a perfect "meat-like" texture for the gyoza filling.

If you use a food processor to prepare the vegetables, this recipe will come together in a snap. I've included directions on how to steam or pan fry the little buggers (I like mine steamed) and also two different folding methods.

Yep, they're pretty darn foolproof. If you've never made them before, now's the perfect opportunity! Don't worry, I'll be your copilot. 

The best part about my recipe is that you'll have some filling leftover that can be frozen for quick gyoza prep when you get a mad hankering for them, like I often do. Also, the wrappers can be frozen too in case you only want to use half a package. 

Just look how awesome they are! I swear they're super duper easy to fold up. Here, I'll show you how to make a "nun's hat" gyoza. 

In case you a weird bias with regards to nuns, here's how to fold a simple, delicious little gyoza package.

See? I told you it was easy. Now go make some gyoza and impress your friends, family, and your tastebuds!

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Vegetable Protein Gyoza

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-13-2014

A veggie filled gyoza that's also packed with protein, but vegan! Quick and easy with the help of a food processor. Steamed or pan-fried and two instructions on how to fold. Inspired by Half Baked Harvest.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• ½ brown onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 lb. Crimini mushrooms, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• ½ head (10 oz.) red or green cabbage, minced
• ¼ cup liquid amino acids or soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or brown sugar
• 1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1 package of 40 wonton/gyoza/pot sticker wrappers
• ¼ cup mirin or rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup liquid amino acids or soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• dash of sesame seeds

Instructions

I use a food processor to mince the vegetables. If you don’t have one, it’s a good idea to prep all the vegetables ahead of time. In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms lose most their moisture, about 8-10 minutes. Then, add the bell pepper and cabbage. Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes, until most of the water from the vegetables has evaporated. This will allow for concentrated flavors.Now add the soy sauce, agave nectar, and TVP. Stir well to combine and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the TVP has soaked up all the liquid and is tender. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Set aside. In a small bowl add about ½ cup of cold water. To assemble the gyoza, lay a wrapper flat and with a finger, wet the bottom edge closest to you and up half the sides with the water. Place one heaping teaspoon of the filling into the lower middle portion of the wrapper and fold in half lengthwise, pressing all the sides together. Careful not to overfill. Fold in half lengthwise again and then wet the lower right corner and the left top corner. Bring the two together and press to connect. Set aside and repeat with remaining wrappers. Any leftover filling can be frozen for quick gyoza making later. Also, the wrappers can be frozen too. The assembled gyoza can be steamed or pan fried. I prefer mine steamed only, but if you want them pan fried there are instructions below as well.To steam: Prepare your steamer with a few inches of water. Line the steamer basket with parchment paper to fit and spray with a nonstick cooking spray for good measure. Once the water is ready, add as many gyozas as possible without them touching. Steam for about 5 minutes, remove from the steamer basket and repeat with remaining gyoza. To pan fry: Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium. Add as many gyoza as possible without them touching. Allow to brown for a minute or two, then add about ¼ cup of water and cover with a lid. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until most of the water is evaporated. Gently remove from the pan and repeat with reaming gyoza.For the Sauce: Combine all the ingredients below the gyoza wrappers in a small bowl and whisk well.Serve hot with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 40 potstickers

German Word of The Day

Wonton --> Wan-Tan (vahn-tahn)

Good Deed of The Day

Do you know what a pangolin is? I didn't! Well, they are one of the cutest little creatures you've ever seen and are nearly extinct in the wild. However, in Vietnam and China, the animals are still considered a delicacy. Please help take pangolins off the menu by urging the Chinese and Vietnamese policymakers to stop standing by idly while the pangolin is hunted to extinction! 

A Giveaway!

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Walnut Steamed Beets & Greens with Miso Balsamic Drizzle

“Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.”

— Dalai Lama

Guess what?? I'm back and so happy to share this little space with you again! However, this week won't offer any respite from the busyness and excitement that is my absolute existence right now. With this crazy tornado of wonderful, big life moments and teeny pesky nuisances that've got me whipping about, the recipes for the next few days will be quick to prepare and most importantly, easy, and fairly hands-off too. 

The first morning I was back, I went to the store in the bleak, early hours before work to get coffee creamer. Duh. Forget food, I need just need vanilla soy creamer to survive apparently. Let me tell you what. That is the best time to go to the store. It's totally stocked, there's no one around except other tired, zombiesc, antisocial people like myself who don't want anything to do with anyone else. And...I found the most gorgeous organic beets with their luscious, velvety greens still attached! Jackpot! My little hands couldn't snatch them up fast enough!

In a rare moment of clarity, I decided to dress the beets and their greens in an quick, miso balsamic reduction and pepper them with warm and crunchy walnuts. This humble dish is a nutritional powerhouse that will hopefully catapult me into the chaos that's lurking in the future and help me battle the wretched and regrettable four hour time difference between Alaska and Ohio. My bedtime is now 6pm sharp (instead of the usual 10pm). It's all I can do to walk to my car on my way out of work with my eyes actually open as I'm just about asleep! A day off when we got back would have been most helpful. Lesson learned.

I love, love, love beets and I'll eat them pretty much anyway at all, but this dish was absolutely, incredibly delicious! A new favorite way to eat up those red little gems...and their greens too! 

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Walnut Steamed Beets & Greens with Miso Balsamic Drizzle

by Katie @ Produce on Parade July-24-2014

An easy and impressive side dish. Layered, sliced steamed beets are adorned with crunchy walnuts and their own sauteed greens, then drizzled with a miso balsamic reduction. NOTE: Beet greens tend to age very quickly, so be sure to try to use the day they are purchased.

Ingredients

• 4 medium red beets, with greens
• 2 Tbsp. walnut oil (or olive oil)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup brown onion, diced small
• dash of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 heaping cup of walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. miso paste (I like red)

Instructions

First, prepare your steamer to steam the beets.Cut off the leaves of the beets, leaving about one inch attached to the top of the beet. Scrub the beets very well and place whole in the prepared steamer for about 30-60 minutes. My beets only took 30 minutes, but time will vary depending on the size. Remove when fork tender and allow to cool.In a very large rimmed frying pan, heat the walnut oil over medium-low. Add the garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and walnuts. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Meanwhile, wash the beet greens. Rip off the stems to discard (or feed to a furry companion) and tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a towel. Add to the frying pan and sauté for an additional 5 minutes until wilted but still bright green. Remove from heat and allow to rest until the beets are done steaming. In a microwave safe 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup (or medium bowl), heat the vinegar for 1 minute. Then, continue in 30 second intervals until about half has evaporated. Be sure to allow the microwave to actually stop in between the intervals. Careful not to let it burn! This should only take about 2 minutes total. Remove from the microwave and allow to cool until the beets are ready, then whisk in the miso paste. When the beets are done steaming and have cooled slightly, cut off the top and the end bit, and then slice. You can peel them if you like but I prefer not to. To serve, arrange one sliced beet in a small bowl. Top with ¼ of the cooked greens and drizzle with a little of the miso vinegar glaze. A little goes a long way!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 4

German Word of The Day

Balsamic --> balsamisch (bah-zal-misch)

Good Deed of The Day

Drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean? Have we seriously learned nothing? Help urge Secretary Jewell to say no to offshore oil drilling in these remote waters that provide critical habitat for polar bears, whales, walrus and more, who are already suffering the effects of climate change!