Ginger Mustard Roasted Turnips

The turnips in my garden are doing me right and have gotten all nice and big and beautiful and just did a really good job growing this year. I (my stomach) am really appreciating it. So is the mr. He is a huge turnip fan too!

Now if you are not a turnip fan, well first off, why the heck not? But also have you even ever tried them? I have found that sometimes people say they don’t like something when in fact they have never tried it. Don’t be like that. Try the dang turnip. They are awesome. For those who don’t know, they taste basically like a big radish. Kind of spicy and crispy when raw, sweet and tender when roasted. These particular ones are roasted and tossed in a gingery mustard sauce and then roasted a little more so they are sweet and spicy and mustardy and just so good. I made a batch to share with the mr for dinner but I actually just ended up eating all of them to my face. Yup, and not shame there. I just cut up a couple of raw ones for the mr and threw them on his dinner plate. He did’t really notice. Ha!

Now to the turnips!

The stuff. Turnips, dijon mustard, ground ginger, balsamic vinegar, pepper. and a splash of water.

Dice up the turnips into small cubes. I never peel a turnip but if you get yours from a store and they cover it in wax, well you might want to.

Place cut up turnips on a baking sheet. You can also drizzle the turnips with a little oil here if you want. (I prefer to roast without oil and use a baking mat.)

And place them into a hot hot oven to roast.

While turnips are getting hot, mix up the ginger mustard sauce. Place mustard, ginger, balsamic vinegar and a splash of water into a bowl and mix it all together.

Once turnips are fork tender (about 1/2 hour) remove pan, gather all the turnips into a pile, and drizzle on most of the sauce. Toss around until evenly coated then re-spread them around and pop them back into oven for another 12- minutes or so or unit golden brown and nice and roasted.

Once they are roasted to your liking, remove from oven ,drizzle oin remaining sauce, add lots of cracked black pepper and some fresh parsley if you got it. And that is it.

Eat your turnips.

-C

---

Ginger Mustard Roasted Turnips

seves 2-3 as a side

• 4 medium sized turnips

• 4 hefty tablespoons dijon mustard

• 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 2 teaspoon water

• black pepper

• oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 425

Prepare turnips. Wash them really well and then dice into small cubes and pace them on a baking sheet. You can toss them in a little oil if you want (I do not roast them in oil), then pop them into hot oven.

While turnips are roasting, grab a small bowl and mix up the ginger, mustard, and balsamic vinegar. Add about 2 teaspoons of water to thin it out a little bit.

After about 25-30 minutes the turnips should be fork tender and starting to brown a bit. Remove pan from oven and carefully gather the turnips into a pile on the baking sheet. Drizzle about 3/4 of the mustard sauce on turnips and toss around (carefully). Once all the turnips are coated, sprinkle with black pepper and re-spread them on the baking sheet and pop the back into the oven to bake for another 15ish minutes or until they are a nice golden brown.

Once roasted to your liking, remove from oven, drizzle on remaining sauce, and then eat.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Date Balls

This is me here trying to be nice and make a sweet little treat for the mr. And to prove to him (without him knowing) that he really does like dates because really, every one does they just might not know it.

Why do I care if he likes dates or not? Well I don’t think I really care but the past few weeks I have been making batches of trail mix with all sorts of goodies (dried fruits and nuts ) and have been chopping up dates and throwing them in as well. He’s been picking around the dates because he thinks they are gross. And that is just not true. He just doesn’t understand. So I made him understand. And understand he did when I made a batch and he ate them al within a day. Don’t like dates my ass.

These little chocolate covered peanut butter balls are freaking awesome. I would describe them as tasting like a soft, chewy, more nutty peanut butter cup and who doesn't want that? Plus they take little to no hands on time, require no oven, and all you need are just a a few ingredients. Win win win!

Are these little sweet peanut butter date balls made of love? Of course. Are they vindictive? Maybe a little but I don’t really care because they are awesome and everyone loves them. Even if they say they hate dates.

Now to the peanut butter date balls!

The stuff. Pitted delget dates, oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, a little coconut oil, and flaky salt.

Soak the dates in hot water for a few minutes to make sure they are really soft.

Then you place dates, peanut butter, and oats into a food processor and blend unit la smooth stick dough forms.

Scoop and roll dough into balls and place into freezer for 1/2 hour or so to firm up.

And melt the chocolate with the coconut oil until smooth.

Once chocolate is melted, remove balls from freezer and start dipping them into chocolate. After a few are covered, sprinkle the tops with a few flakes of salt before he chocolate hardens.

And that is it. Place balls in a airtight container and keep in freezer. Eat whenever. And you will eat them fast because, BECAUSE! dates are delicious.

-C

---

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Date Balls

makes 12-16 balls

• 20 pitted delget dates ( You can use medjool but they are twice as expensive and sweeter., and bigger so only use 12 or so)

• 1/2 cup old fashion oats

• 1/3 cup peanut butter

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

• flaky sea salt

Start by soaking dates in hot water for 5-10 minutes until they soften a bit. Drain water and place the dates, oats, and peanut butter into a food processor. Pulse then blend until a everything is all blended smooth and a sticky dough forms. You are going to have to stop a few times to scrap the sides down. Once dough forms, take a spoon or scooper and scoop out the dough into 12 equal sized balls. With take each ball and roll around to make smooth and place on a plate or a baking sheet. Once all balls are scooped and rolled, place in freezer for 1/2 hour to firm up.

Right before taking the balls out, add coconut oil to chocolate chips and melt either in microwave (15 second intervals until melted) or on stove. Grab frozen balls (they don’t get hard, just firm), and start dipping them into the chocolate. After doing 2-3 three, sprinkle the tops with a couple flakes of sea salt.

Once all balls are covered( eat one) place in the freezer in air tight container until you want to eat them.

They should be good for a least a month in the freezer but I wouldn't know for sure seeing as these were gone the day after I made them. Both times.

Banana Oat Cookies

These are my cookies. I share yes, but mainly make them for my own personal pleasure. Just oats and banana, well cinnamon and salt, but basically just oats and banana. And what a fine fine cookie they make. Soft and a little chewy and taste just like banana bread and a just really freaking tasty. And what I really love to do with these cookies is make a batch and stick them in the freezer. Sometimes a little frozen cookie action is all a person can ask for , you know?

Anyways, these are the simplest of simple cookies that you really can make. And sure, some might argue that maybe they are not even really cookies but why do we care? They are frantic, easy to make, taste amazing and yes, are healthy and breakfast approved. A few cookies for breakfast? Yup, and we can be happy about it.

Now to the cookies!

The stuff. Oats, a ripe banana, some cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Place about a third of the oats into a bowl or food processor and blend for a few seconds until oats become a chunky flour texture. Add in the banana(peeled) and the cinnamon and blend until incorporated. Next add in the rest of the oats and just mix together with a spoon until completely the mixtures is completely incorporated.

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes will you preheat the oven.

Once oven is preheated scoop ball of dough onto a lined baking sheet . With your fingers or a fork, squish each one down a bit flat. Note. These cookies do not spread at all.

Pop cookie into oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Out of the oven and ready to go.

Cooling on a rake cause that what cookies need to do. And then you eat them cause that is what you need to do.

-C

---

banana oat cookies

Makes about a dozen smaller cookies

• 1 very ripe bananas

• 1 1/3 cups oats

• a pinch of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Place about a third of the oats and the pinch of salt into a food processor or bowl (if using a hand blender) and blend until the oats have become a chunky flour texture. Add in the banana and blend until incorporated. Next add in the rest of the oats, and the cinnamon and mix together with a spoon unitl completely incorporated.

Let mixture sit while you preheat oven to 350

Once oven is preheated, scoop dough onto a parchment or splat mat lined baking sheet. Using your fingers or a fork, gently flatten each cookie (they will not spread). Place cookie into oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on wire rake to cool.

Eats for a snack, a dessert, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Great smeared with a little peanut butter or chocolate. Also I love to store them in freezer. Something about a frozen banana cookie…

Crispy Green Beans

I rely pretty heavily on frozen produce in the mid to late parts of winter. I do have my winter farm share but that is never enough so I pack my freezer as full as I can with stuff in the fall (mostly shredded zucchini and lots of tomatoes and eggplant). And then sometime between Christmas and New Years its pretty much gone. Once that happens I start in with store bought frozen veggies. I usually by frozen broccoli, peas, and green beans and right now me and the frozen green beans are having a moment.

I don’t know how it started but almost everyday I dump like half a bag of frozen green beans (sometimes a whole bag) onto a baking sheet without any oil or seasoning, and pop it into a hot oven for like 15 minutes. And that is it. I pull them put and they are crispy, crunchy, and probably one of the tastily way a green bean can be eaten (besides fresh). And the weird thing is, I have tried to mimic the crispness and crunchiness with fresh green beans but it never works out. There is something about roasting them frozen that gives them the perfect crispy texture. And no no to oil. They don’t need it, it only makes the beans soggy.

So it might seem kind of weird and it’s not a recipe, but I highly, HIGHLY, suggest that next time have a hankering for a tastely crunchy treat, try roasting some frozen green beans. And then let me know if you become addicted too.

Sometimes it’s the simplest things, you know?

Frozen beans go straight from freezer onto baking sheet and into the oven.

They then come out crispy. That's it.

And yes, I usually just eat them off the baking sheet with my fingers because why bother dirtying a dish?

-C

---

Crispy Green Beans

• Frozen green beans

Preheat oven to 400

Dump frozen green beans onto a non oiled baking sheet single layered and place into hot oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. Remove and eat.

Black Olive Tapenade

A few weeks ago I bought a tub of hummus that came with a few toppings that you add in yourself. I don’t normally buy that kind of stuff but it was on sale and you know, had to try it. Turns out the hummus was good on it’s own so the toppings never got mixed in. They did get eaten though, just as sandwich spreads. One of the toppings that it came with was olive tapenade and let me tell you, the mr ate the shit out of it. Yes we love olives in this house (I hated olives unit one magical day a few years ago and now I freaking love them) but it has been so long since I have done much more then throw a few on a pizza or into a salad or just eat then straight. Now, well now we have to have olive tapenade on hand at all times. Spreadable, blop-able olives. Good on us.

This olive tapenade is the simplest as simple can get. Basic canned black olives, a little garlic, a splash of oil to make it a little more spreadable, and some lemon juice. I know that some tapenades call for fresh herbs, maybe nuts, or some other stuff, and by all means that is good too, but there is no shade in going simple. Simple taste damn good.

Now to the olive tapenade.

The stuff. A can of pitted black olives, a couple cloves of garlic (raw or roasted) a little olive oi, and a lemon.

Place olives (make sure there are no surprise pits), chopped up garlic, about half a lemons worth or juice, and oil into a food processor or a jar (if using a hand blender) and blend until combined. Keep as chunky or go as smooth as you like. We like smooth with a few little chunks.

And that is it. You now eat it, any way you want. The mr really likes his olive bread toast situations, as for me, I like it on salads, used as veggie dip, or eaten straight from jar with a finger. Just living my truth.

-C

---

Black Olive Tapenade

makes a hefty cup of tapenade

• 1 can pitted black olives

• 2 cloves garlic (raw or roasted)

• 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon olive oil

• a lemon (optional)

Stain olives from liquid, check for any stray pits, and place in a food processor or jar (if using a hand blender) along with the garlic, the lesser amount of oil, and a squeeze of lemon. Pulse or blend until spreadable and leave as chunky or go as smooth as you would like. Taste and add more lemon juice and or olive oil to your liking.

Eat it up with chips, bread, on salads or pastas. And yea spoonfuls to the mouth. Any left over store in a airtight jar in fridge for a week or so.