Swede Turnips (ok, RUTABAGAS!)

Scrub, admire, photograph

Peel, trim, photograph

Cut into chunks, toss onto sheet pan with oil, vinegar, kosher salt, pepper & a teensy bit of sugar, photograph

Roast in 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, toss around, adjust to 400 convection and roast for another 10 minutes or until desired doneness, sprinkle with kosher salt while piping hot, photograph

If you know me, you know that I LOVE ROASTED VEGETABLES. Swede Turnips (Rutabagas) included. Note: I'm not really crazy about roasting regular turnips but these Swedes are more delicious! They're a cross between a turnip and kohlrabi. Rutabagas are very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. 
Also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2610/2#ixzz2xvjMR0tL

I explain above how to roast rutabagas and you can pretty much apply that method to any of your favorite root veg. The same method works well with parsnips (AWESOME), carrots and sweet potatoes. Amazing! 

The colorful plate of healthiness pictured here can be easily made with a little prep and planning. The rutabagas and carrots can be roasted as explained above. I like to spice up carrots and sweet potatoes with a little something more interesting like different curry blends or Balti seasoning or Bere Bere. Read about my favorite roasted, kick-ass, sweet potato "fries" here. Carrots are fabulous prepared the same way. If you're watching your sugar intake, you can certainly omit the sugar, however, it does add a nice yin-yang to the salt and other spices plus ensures a great crusty caramelization at high heat. 

Roasted beets are an all-time favorite for me and many clients, friends and family. Learn how to roast beets here. I have since simplified the process by not individually wrapping the beets and simply packaging them in a large packet of aluminum foil that is folded tightly so that no steam escapes! Easier and faster than roasting them individually. Once you get in the groove of roasting beets, you'll be doing it often, as I do. With a few tips as you'll read in my post, "Beet Street", prep and clean-up are a breeze and the payoff is pure, wholesome, amazing sweet and earthy flavor. You won't cook away any of the nutrients because it's just BEETS AND HEAT!

The salad shown above is simply a bed of tender greens tossed with some finely chopped Lacinato Kale, olive oil, golden balsamic vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Piled on the salad are curried, roasted carrots and roasted rutabaga. The roasted beets and sweet onion were marinated in olive oil, pomegranate molasses, a bit of dijon mustard and a shot of balsamic vinegar. The hearty and filling grain salad was made with millet, quinoa, chick peas and fresh cilantro. How come no one ever talks about millet? It's nutritious, delicious, cheap, easy to cook and a super satisfying gluten-free food!

btw, this is not my hand - but it is millet

Quick note: Millet is rich in some very important nutrients like phosphorus, manganese, copper and magnesium. It's a good source of whole grain insoluble fiber and it makes a heck of a tabbouleh-ish salad. Try cooking some in vegetable broth or chicken broth for a little extra flavor. Dress as you wish and toss with a little olive oil, vegetables (raw or cooked), fresh herbs, beans and your favorite spices. I love freshly ground cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper. Lemon juice and fresh herbs brighten all of the flavors. Onions, scallions or finely minced shallot are delicious too! Experiment! It would make a perfect lunch to tote to your office too!

So, hey, great to be back in the KPK saddle : ) . . . Stay tuned for more about cooking, eating, drinking and loving.  Let's live inspired!


Love, Katie

Salad Sublimity

 Marinated Haricots Verts and Roasted Tomato Caprese

I know what you're probably thinking. Is "sublimity" a word? Ha! YES. Don't you like the title "Salad Sublimity" much better than "Sublime Salads"? Anyhoo, let's discuss Salad Creativity. Salad Inventiveness. Salad Happiness. Salad Satisfaction. Salad-Outside-The-Box, Salad Love, if you will. What constitutes a salad? The ubercoolness of salads is that it DOESN'T MATTER ! ! ! They're so non-committal. So free-wheelin'. So all-over-the-board. When you go home tonight and you KNOW you need to be eating something GREEN, please think of something other than iceberg lettuce and an under-ripe, mealy pink tomato with some bottled dressing that has too many ingredients . . . like xanthan gum, for example. I know that stuff's in a lot of things from salad dressings to medicines to friggin' drilling mud to concrete (really!) and I understand that it's a USDA approved food additive, but, if you want viscosity, use your dang whisk! Nuff Sed. OK. Gettin' back down off that high horse.

Warm Gnocchi & Broccoli Salad with Spinach and Tomato

Roasted Turkey Breast Salad
with lots of vegetables and
homemade ranch dressing

Be creative tonight. Think about all of the things that you might have on hand to lead you up the path to "Salad Sublimity". Peas in the freezer. Cannelini beans in the pantry. Interesting cheese in the fridge. Onions in the bin. Maybe a few potatoes somewhere. Eggs? Carrots? Mushrooms? Celery? Apples? Pears? Beets? Nuts? Berries? Herbs? Cabbage? Lettuce? You get the picture. If poached chicken with mayo is a salad, and apple chunks with strawberries is a salad, if tuna, onions and mayo are a salad, if "macaroni" and Miracle Whip is a salad, if apples, peanuts and Cool Whip are a salad, etc., ANYTHING can be a salad! You are the creator! The architect! The Salad Queen or King! Think about the flavors you love. Consider combining cooked vegetables with raw vegetables. Cooked protein (like chicken or fish or eggs) with raw vegetables and/or cooked vegetables. Think about textures. Crispy. Crunchy. Velvety smooth. Hard. Soft. Chewy. Think about sweet, savory, tart, salty. Hot. Cold. Room temperature.

Roasted Beets and Pink Grapefruit Salad

After being forever influenced by the book "Fit For Life"about 20 years ago, I am always thinking about the proper combining of foods, according to Harvey & Marilyn Diamond. They're vegetarians, right? Among a lot of other stuff, they advocate something like a diet that consists of 70% high water content foods. To me, that's raw fruits and vegetables. They also explained their theory about the importance of not eating starches and proteins in the same meal, having to do with slowing your digestion and zapping your energy and so on. I'm just going by my memory and my personal interpretation of the book. Wow, talk about the condensed version. What I walked away with was this "forget traditional sandwiches" idea and goodbye to meat and bread at the same meal. Say no to meat and potatoes (at the same time). Then, my choice was always like . . . do I want to eat meat or bread with my salad????? Of course, bread always won and still wins. I love bread. I gave it up for Lent once. That won't happen again.

Traditional Greek Salad with "Pop's" Homegrown Oregano

Now, think of the amazing salad options! After reading that book, one of my absolute favorite salads became the KPK (B4 KPK) Fried Potato Salad. OMG. I haven't made it in awhile. Imagine your favorite greens. Romaine is what I was into at that time, I believe. Slices of sweet onion. Sliced potatoes, fried in olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Pile the hot crusty potatoes onto the greens and onions. Top with homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing. More freshly ground black pepper. Ridiculously good. I know what you're thinkin' again! Don't judge. We all know that the dressing is fattening, but if it's homemade, it's definitely better for you than the mass-produced, processed, gummier stuff. You can make a killer dressing with fat free Greek yogurt, buttermilk (which is LOW FAT, my friends), lots of fresh herbs, a bit of white balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Obviously, if you add some sour cream and some mayonnaise, it will be even more fantabulous, just more fattening! My KPK logic is that if you're eating a huge pile of GREEN, you can get away with the stuff that's NOT GREEN! I know it's wrong, but too bad, too sad. If you have leftover baked potatoes, make this salad by slicing them and frying them in olive oil. Mmmmmm. Oh, bummer. I have no pictures of the Fried Potato Salad. Guess I'll have to make one and resist it long enough to snap a few good shots.

Cherry Tomato and Onion Salad with Polpette di Zucchini

Lately, I'm on a kick with steaming vegetables like carrots, green beans and new potatoes separately, dressing them and then piling them  on platters with raw vegetables like red cabbage, fresh spinach, avocado slices, tomatoes and more. The KEY is that you dress each vegetable separately so that everything is delicious and flavorful on its own. Whether it's simply oil and vinegar or lemon juice & herbs, dress them first. When you pile everything separately rather than mixing it all together, your salad will have much more eye appeal and make a striking and naturally beautiful presentation. No need for a curly parsley garnish here, that's for sure!

Isn't nature magnificent? 

COLOR YOUR DIET. EAT A GREAT SALAD EVERY DAY. 

 A KPK Signature "VIBRANT" Salad

LOVE, KATIE

Wow, that was a long post, Katie, haha ~ lqtm. Seriously, I have way too much more to write here about salads. It's another passion problem . . . but, it's 2:12 am (hey, 2/12, that's my birthday) and it's time (way past time) to hit the K P Pillow. Night foodies  : ) ~ Colorful dreams . . . . .