Week 3

In your box: kohlrabi, broccoli, beets, shallot scapes, fennel bulb, Italian kale, and green butterhead lettuce

The stunning long shallot tops in your box this week are worthy of an artistic photo, but are also a tasty and quick way to get onion flavor into a stir fry or other pan-fried dish. They cook up quickly, if you add them to the roasted veggie recipe below, just sprinkle them over the top towards the end, allowing 5-7 minutes for softening.

You can use fennel raw, like in a marinated veggie salad or shaved over a green salad. I prefer it sautéed or roasted. The kohlrabi, on the other hand, can be cooked but is wonderful raw. Just cut off the harder bottom end, peel the rest of it, and eat slices like you would carrot sticks.

Roasting vegetables is simple and delicious, an easy way to incorporate a lot of the items in your box this week.

This recipe is from a starch-free blogger, ForestandFauna.com but you could also add potatoes to this dish if you want.

Roasted Beets and Fennel

·         2 large golden or red beet

          1 bulb fennel

·         1 small red onion

·         optional: 1 to 2 kohlrabi

·         3 Tablespoons oil (avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil)

·         2 pinches of sea salt

·         optional: 2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar*

·         Optional Garnishes:  a little black pepper + 2 ounces soft goat cheese +  rosemary candied walnuts from my cookbook (For AIP: omit optional garnishes)

1.        Preheat oven to 425* F.

2.       Peel and chop beets. Slice fennel bulb. Peel and chop kohlrabi if using.

3.       Toss chopped beets and fennel in oil (and balsamic vinegar) and spread out on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until soft.

4.       After putting beets in the oven, peel red onion and chop into medium sized pieces about 1/2″ by 1″.

5.        Red onions will cook much faster than the beets, so I usually add the onions in when there is 25 minutes left of cooking time. Feel free to add them in for the full 35 minutes if you like your onions a little burnt and crispy (which I actually like a lot too!)

6.       Remove veggies from the oven when the beets are soft and fully cooked. You can broil them for the last couple minutes to add some more color.

7.        This dish is ready to serve as it, or I sometimes top it with a little crumbled goat cheese, my candied walnuts and black pepper, and any fresh herbs I have on hand, including some of the green fennel fronds.

8.       Foodie Tip: If you beets came with the greens attached you can make light and crispy “beet greens chips” in the same way you make kale chips. I often toss the greens in oil with sea salt and cook them for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven while I preheat the oven, and prep the beets for cooking. They are nice for snacking on while you wait for the veggies to cook.