Garlicky kale and roasted turnips

Who doesn't love veggies loaded with garlic? Here's another couple of recipes for delicious, vegan side dishes for Thanksgiving. Scroll to the bottom for more recipes.

By

PlentyMag.com

Fri, Nov 21 2008 at 4:07 PM

Related Topics:

Organic Cooking, Recipes, Vegetarianism & Veganism, Thanksgiving

Photo: Laurel Fan/Flickr

Garlicky kale and roasted turnips

This year we decided to do an all-CSA Thanksgiving. It turns out that building the traditional menu around actually fresh vegetables is a no-brainer -- the origin of traditional Thanksgiving dishes is what was available pre-industrialization, after all.

In the end, my guests -- vegans and carnivores alike -- declared the experiment a success. Decadent but ethical, hearty but (kinda-sorta) healthy. And not a shred of tofu!

Garlicky Kale

Ingredients

One bunch kale, of the type of your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic sliced very thin

Instructions

Wash Kale.
Tear leaves in pieces from thick stem.
Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat and add garlic.
Sauté garlic until fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes.

Add kale and cook and toss using tongs until kale is bright green and wilted, about 3 minutes

Roasted Turnips

(Roasting tips courtesy of Veganomicon by Terry Romero and Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Ingredients

Turnips
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Sweet spices

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Peel and chop turnips into chunks about 3/4" across.
Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper you may wish to also add sweet spices cinnamon, nutmeg and/or allspice or savory ones like thyme or rosemary. I keep it simple as turnips are so subtly delicious on their own.
Place in/on a baking dish or sheet and roast for approx 40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until turnips are tender, browned, even a little caramelized.

Time Estimates

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 1 hr

Total time: 1 hr 20 min

Serves 6-8 people as a sidedish

Note on the recipes (all recipes my own unless otherwise noted):   A few of these recipes call for vegetable broth. If you join a CSA and feel overwhelmed keeping up with the new vegetables coming in -- or just tend to have veggies in your fridge 'til they get wilty and unappetizing -- homemade vegetable broth or stock is a great solution. Put any combination of vegetables in a pot, cover with water and let simmer for an hour or more. Then strain out the vegetables and freeze the broth; I especially recommend bagging it in one cup increments. This will keep for months, and whenever a recipe calls for vegetable broth you're all set.  

I also recommend saving the vegetables you strain out -- puree them in a food processor or blender and freeze them, as well. This makes a good base of soups and thick tomato or other sauces.  

Story by Nicole Solomon. This article originally appeared in Plenty in November 2008. The story was added to MNN.com in November 2009.

Also on MNN:

Almond butternut squash au gratin

Pumpkin ravioli

Roasted potato beet salad with green beans and creamy balsamic vinaigrette

Roasted sweet potatoes with scallion butter

Cauliflower and mushroom pot pie with black olive crust

(all vegan recipes)