Spinach
Radishes
Kohlrabi
Scallions
Baby Dinosaur Kale
Arugula
Head Lettuce
Broccoli
and an Herb pot
So I thought that each week I'd pick something from the CSA box and write about what I do with it, how it tastes, why it's good for you. You know, stuff like that.
I'm going to call this project, "What The Hell Do I Do With..."
And this is going to be as much for me as it is for you, dear reader (can I call you "dear reader"?). This is the third (or is it fourth?) year we've done this CSA thing, and I still have no idea what to do with, for example, kohlrabi. Seriously.
So I'm going to say what I do with stuff, but then I want YOU to tell ME what YOU do with it.
So first up: Radishes.
Honestly, I just eat these raw. Wash them off. Scratch off any dirt that doesn't wash off (unless you like dirt, which hey, more power to you if you do). And then eat them raw with nothing on them (though I suppose a smidgen of salt might be nice).
This is how my family ate radishes growing up. I don't remember them served any way other than a bunch of raw radishes, straight from the garden, washed and in a bowl on the table.
I hated them.
I hated most vegetables and fruits growing up. I don't know why, and I'm thankful that my children don't have the same aversion I did. Though if I could grow up passably healthy eating nothing but meat and grains, I'm sure my kids could grow up healthy eating nothing but beans and grains. And then in their twenties they'd start eating fruits and vegetables again once they they realized that they were missing out on a WHOLE WORLD OF FLAVOR (I'm in an all-caps (and parenthetical) mood. Sorry.).
So, radishes. They're high in vitamin C, folate and potassium. And they have this really great spice thing going on, sort of like wasabi (which makes sense, since they're both members of the Brassicaceae family, thankyouverymuch Wikipedia). It's the kind of spiciness that doesn't hurt your mouth, but sort of makes your nose tingle.
I love them.
And while I'm sure that eating them raw is the best way to make use of their nutritional value, I wouldn't mind actually preparing radishes in some way that doesn't just involve running cold water over them.
So please let me know what you do with them in the comments and I'll post some or all of the replies along with next week's installment of ... "What The Hell Do I Do With..."
10 comments:
Roasted radishes are great! But my favorite way to eat them is raw and sliced in a salad. Easy, quick, healthy, and tasty. They give a nice peppery bite to the mix.
I let my kids pick out what they want at the farmer's market. My daughter once picked out a bunch of radishes. So I made radish chips! Just very thinly slice them up, toss with a tad of olive oil, lay out single layer on a baking sheet and bake them at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, watching that they don't burn. They were good!
Are these white radishes (like these: http://images.sonara.net/articles_img/corres2/fegl/DaikonRadish.jpg)? Then I'd suggest a radish salad: rasp 1/3 radish, add salt, wait some minutes. Then add 3 tbsp vinegar, 3 tbsp oil, 1 c soymilk. Let sit in fridge for at least one hour (or one night). Smells strange, tastes good ;-) . I'm not sure if "rasp" is what I mean, anyway it should look like this: radish salad (click images to enlarge).
If you have radishes like these: http://www.dynamicorganics.com.au/skin1/images/Red%20radish.jpg then you should try a radish soup. Mainly the green leaves(!) are used. Peel and dice 2 potatoes and 1/2 onion for some 20 min in 2 c vegetable broth. Chop radish greens, add it to the soup, blend it in a food processor or something, add 1/2 c soy milk and some salt (if necessry). Let some thin radish slices hover on the soup - should look like this: radish soup.
Achim
PS: I'm not sure if I asked you before, it would be great if you would send us some photos of the little piggies for our vegan kids gallery: http://veganekinder.de/photos
lol, love the post idea! i got radishes in several of my early CSA baskets and had no idea what to do with them. i just put them on salads. hopefully i'll get some more and can try some of these ideas!
Yeah, radishes are mainly on salads for me, too. I make a radish dressing too ... with a couple radishes, some, olive oil, agave, garlic, and red pepper flakes whirred up in a blender. Spicy!
Ohhh, I've heard roasted radishes are good! They're on my list to try too.
My friend Michelle introduced me to a revelatory way to enjoy radishes - as a garnish for tacos! Wash them, then shave very thinly (we use a mandoline), sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt, and put them on top of your tacos (or burritos would work well too). Our tacos were grilled portabella with a couple of kinds of salsa and avacado. Awesome!
I made the red radish tabbouleh recipe from The Kind Diet (if you just so happen to have the cookbook :) They're good in this recipe. I didn't like radishes much either, but man are they good for you!
http://www.veganpiggy.com/2010/05/kind-diet-red-radish-tabbouleh.html
Radishes?
I eat them raw.
And kohlrabi, too. Raw.
Did that help? ;-p
"Baby dinosaur" kale sounds funny. Is it small or is it huge? Because babies are small, but baby dinosaurs are still pretty huge. It makes me laugh.
I enjoy them raw but dipped in salt and chilli powder. Yum.
Plus I really like the idea behind the post.
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