In trying to save a grocery buck or two, we joined up with a weekly service that gets you a basket full of fresh produce each week for about ½ the price of what you would pay at the grocery store. This has literally cut our budget for produce in half, but the catch is, you do not get to pick what comes in your basket, and sometimes you get things you wouldn’t normally use!
When this week’s basket came with 8 large turnips in it, I knew I’d have to think hard and fast, because these vegetables do not rank high on the “yum-o” list at our house. The good news? All the turnip dishes we turned out were received with rave reviews. Here are the ways we used them:
Turnip Alfredo (pictured)
I prepared my favorite alfredo sauce and some brown rice penne. I shredded a turnip into thin strips and sautéed it in a skillet in a small amount of olive oil. While it was cooking, I dusted it with onion powder. When it was tender and floppy, I stirred it into the alfredo sauce. It looked as if I had added strips of grated white cheese, and it was delicious.
Turnip Mexican Rice
When I make Mexican rice, I start by sautéing onions in olive oil in the bottom of the pot. This time, I took turnips and pulverized them in my food processor. The pieces were minced very small. I used up 1 ½ turnips this way. I sautéed the turnips in olive oil and again dusted them with onion powder. I then added my rice and seasonings and cooked as usual. The rice was delicious!
Turnip Pilaf
I sautéed minced turnips just like I did in the Mexican rice, then added the rice and vegetables for my favorite pilaf. (mushrooms, broccoli, grated carrot, peas and almond slivers, with a dash of Traci’s Seasoning Powder…mmmm!)
Turnip Potato Pancakes
We love potato pancakes, and discovered that they were even tastier when we added 1/3 part of shredded vegetables in place of part of the potatoes. Since then we have used potato pancakes as a vehicle for all kinds of veggies, from broccoli to zucchini. This time? You guessed it: turnips!
