Roasted Root Vegetables

root medley - parsnips, carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas

A melange of tasty and nutrient-rich roots!

About Nash’s Root Medley
Root vegetables each offer their unique nutrition profiles, but all of them are packed with nutritional benefits because of the extended time they spend in the ground. The more nutrient-rich the soil they are grown in, the more nutrient-packed these power houses will be, and you can’t beat the Sequim-Dungeness Valley for nutrient-rich soils!

A root medley is a great way to have an easy, colorful, and nourishing vegetable option for your winter dinner. Wrap roots loosely in a plastic bag and they will last for a few weeks in your fridge. Potatoes are best stored in a cool, dry, and dark place. According to food energetics, root vegetables provide a grounding and relaxed energy. Give them all a try and see how they make you feel! Another huge plus: no need to peel these root veggies as most of the nutrients are near the skin. Just scrub with a brush. You can find five-pound bags of Nash’s organic root medley at our Nash’s Farm Store.

Roasted Root Veggies
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice beets, potatoes, rutabagas, and sunchokes to 1/2-inch cubes and slice the carrots and parsnips to 1/2-inch rounds.

Place all vegetables into a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil or melted butter (You may need a second dish so that your vegetables are all in one layer to cook evenly). Sprinkle with any herbs or spices of your choosing and mix to ensure oil or butter covers all the roots. Cover your dish with with a lid or tin foil if you desire vegetables that will be more moist and tender. Leave your dish uncovered if you desire more crisp veggies. Roast until fork-tender, about 40-50 minutes.

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Easy Peasey Roasted Sunchokes

sunchokes handful

Consider a handful of sunchokes for a tasty, nutritious dinner.

1 pound sunchokes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse the sunchokes under cold water, scrubbing lightly to remove any dirt. Cut into quarters and place onto a baking sheet. Don’t over-crowd them though, they need their space.

Drizzle the sunchokes with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 35-45 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add your own flair to this recipe with herbs and spices. Might I suggest garlic (stir in for the last 20 minutes of baking), paprika, rosemary, thyme? Or, sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs (dill, parsley, cilantro) after baking, or parmesan cheese. The options are limitless. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Tablespoon.

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Sugar Pie Pumpkins

sugar pie pumpkinsSugar pie pumpkins can be roasted in the oven, and the cooked flesh used in cookies, muffins, pies or biscuits.  One easy winter squash or pumpkin roasting technique is to just wash the squash thoroughly, knock off the stem (or not!), and stick the whole thing in the oven.  Putting it on a roasting dish or pan is a good idea too, as juices can escape while it’s cooking.  Depending on its size, the entire pumpkin  will cook in about an hour; you’ll know it’s done when its easily pierced with a fork.

Remove the cooked squash, halve it, and when cooled, remove the seeds and mash by hand or transfer to a blender or food processor to make a puree.  The skins are edible, so be sure to blend those up too!  Pumpkin puree also freezes well.

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Roasted Savoy Cabbage

Savoy cabbage

Savoy is the most beautiful cabbage of them all — and downright tasty, too.

1 head savoy cabbage
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice to taste
Dash cayenne or chili flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the cabbage into quarters vertically and carve out the core. Cut each quarter in two lenghthwise and thinly slice.

Place the cabbage in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat evenly. Insert in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, until cooked thoroughly and golden brown in places. Be very careful not to burn it.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with black pepper, dress with a touch of lemon juice, and serve. Like a little kick? Sprinkle with a tiny bit of cayenne or chili flakes.

Based on a recipe from ChocolateAndZucchini.com.

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Parsley–Mint–Cherry Tomato Salad

flat-leaf parsley and Italian parsley

This parsley wants to join you for dinner.

Serves 6

1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 large bunch mint
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pick the leaves from the parsley and mint and place in a large bowl. Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss with the parsley and mint leaves.

Combine the shallot, mustard, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in the oil until emulsified, then toss the dressing with the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.

We thank Takepart.com for this tasty recipe.

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Zucchini Chips

Zucchini leaf

Potatoes aren’t the only vegetable to make delicious chips. Try zucchini!

1 medium zucchini
1+ tablespoon olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 220 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Thinly slice the zucchini into circles. Place the slices between 2 sheets of paper towels and press on them to extract as much moisture as possible. Line them up on the baking sheet tightly but without overlapping. Then take a pastry brush and brush the olive oil on each zucchini slice. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Be conservative, because you can easily over-salt. You can always add more later. Bake for 2+ hours until they start to brown and get crispy. Let cool before removing and serving. Store in an airtight container.

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10 Ways to Enjoy Walla Walla Sweet Onions!

Walla Walla onions

You’ve got to taste these Walla Walla sweet onions to believe them!

Our very own Kia Armstrong (Nash’s sales manager and a super bass player) has put together a great set of cooking tips for using those delicious, succulent Walla Walla sweet onions:

1. Grilled Sweet Onions

Peel and cut onions crosswise into thick slices or into medium-sized chunks. Toss or brush with olive oil, then skewer and grill! Sprinkle with salt or drizzle with sherry or red vinegar and serve with thick slices of raw tomato or other grilled goodies.

2. Roasted Sweet Onions

Peel the sweet onions, toss them with olive or vegetable oil to coat them, sprinkle them with S&P and roast at 375°F until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Combine with radishes, cauliflower, broccoli or other summer roastables. Leftovers are great with eggs for breakfast or on cold salads for lunch.

3. Sweet Onion & Avocado Salad

Peel and chop Walla Walla and avocado or two. Drizzle with olive oil, a splash of lemon/lime juice, fresh cilantro, dash of ground cumin/cayenne, and salt to taste. Chopped radish, cucumber, sweet corn kernels, or chopped red pepper all make excellent additions.

4. Sweet Onion Raita (Yogurt Salad)

Peel and finely chop onion. Add enough plain yogurt to coat the onions, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add freshly chopped dill, parsley, mint, and/or cilantro. Serve with grilled meats or salmon.

5. Sweet Onion Rings

Cut onions into thick slices and separate into rings. Dip in buttermilk and dredge in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of cayenne. Heat an inch or two of vegetable or organic canola oil in a large, heavy pot until oil is about 350°F. Fry onions rings until golden brown, drain, and season with more salt.

6. Sweet Onion Sandwiches

Spread two slices of bread (white bread is good, but dark rye bread is better) with mayonnaise. Sprinkle each side with chopped parsley or basil, if you like. Place a thick slice of sweet onion on one slice, top with a thick slice of tomato, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and close sandwich with second piece of bread or go open-face.

7. Sweet Onion Taco & Enchilada Topping

Peel and finely chop a sweet onion. Toss with fresh lime juice, add a generous amount of finely chopped cilantro, and season to taste with salt. Add a healthy dollop of this mixture to tacos or on top of enchiladas.

8. Sweet Onion Tossed Salad

Sweet onions are a mild addition to your favorite tossed green salad. They match particularly well with mild Boston lettuce or butter lettuce leaves, cucumber, carrots, and radishes.

9. Onion Egg Scramble

Saute chopped onion on med-high heat until they begin to soften and are caramel colored. Crack egg into pan, season with fresh herbs and S&P, scramble until cooked and enjoy atop a bed of quinoa or favorite toast.

10. Slow Cooked with Ham Hock

Chop an huge onion into the crock pot, add two cups of dried beans and a ham hock, cover with water about two inches above veg/beans, and simmer on low or med heat for 6-8 hours, or until everything is cooked and tender! You can also add spices and fresh herbs, a can of tomatoes, or additional veggies.

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Caulifower Salad

Cauliflower and carrots at farmer's market

It’s cauliflower and carrot time!

1 medium cauliflower
Choice of vegetables, such as grated carrot, chopped parsley, water cress, green onion, celery, olives, tomatoes, chopped pickles
Salt and pepper
Oil and vinegar, or sour cream
Choice of herbs, such as basil, dill or cilantro

Cut the raw cauliflower into small pieces. If you want to cook them, blanch or sauté for just 3 to 4 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Cut up other ingredients and mix with cauliflower in a bowl. Prepare an oil-and-vinegar or sour cream dressing and mix it with the salad ingredients, adding herbs of your choice, and salt and pepper to taste. Leave in the fridge until serving time.

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Ideas for Using Fresh Basil

basil in a basket

What do you do with fresh basil?

  • Pesto is the most common way to use fresh basil. It goes great with fish and pasta.
  • Stuff some sprigs of fresh basil into your favorite olive oil to infuse it.
  • Stack slices of tomato, Mozzarella cheese and a fresh basil leaf and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.
  • Tomato, Watermelon and Basil Skewers
  • A summer veggie soup with added ribbons of basil has seasonal flair.
  • Chop basil into your favorite salad.
  • Toss whole basil leaves on your favorite pizza when it’s hot out of the oven.
  • Tomato and basil are a match made in seafood heaven.
  • Use aromatic basil to add punch to your everyday side dishes.
  • Basil also goes well with fruit like watermelon, lime, lemon, mango and strawberries.
  • Don’t forget your cocktails! Muddle basil into lemon or berry-based drinks, like daiquiris.

Store basil in a closed plastic or glass container at room temperature.

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Dandelion Soup

Red dandelion greens in the field

The humble dandelion, so rich in nutrients.

Serves 4-6

1 cup dandelion roots
4 cups cubed potatoes
2 cups dandelion leaves
2 cups onion, diced
2 or more cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vinegar
Salt to taste

Clean and chop dandelion roots and cook with potatoes in water to cover. Meanwhile, saute onion 5 minutes, add chopped dandelion leaves, cover and cook over low heat until potatoes in other pot are done. Drain roots and spuds, reserving water for future soup or bread, and put in serving bowl. Mix everything else together and add to bowl. Serve hot or cold.

We thank Healing Wise by Susun S. Weed for this recipe.

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