January 18th, 2012 by Becky Striepe

Margie is down in New Orleans this week on a much-needed vacation, but never fear! Laura Louise and Mary are on the case, getting those lovely veggies and making sure they make it to your front door. This week we’re getting a nice mix of root veggies and greens, and our herb is thyme.

I don’t know about you guys, but I always have trouble figuring out what to do with those beets. Sure, you can juice them, but if juicing’s not your thing you probably struggle with those bright red veggies each week. Sunchokes are another one that stump me after I’ve gotten them for a few weeks in a row. Never fear! I’ve tracked down some recipes to help out with the beets and sunchokes in your basket that also use some of the other veggies we’re getting this week.

Veggie Roast

Of course, the easiest way to use up those root veggies and herbs is a roast. Just chop the veggies into bite-sized pieces, toss with a little bit of olive oil and chopped thyme, and roast on 425F for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Easy peasy, and a great side dish or sandwich filling!

Beet Salad with Lemon Thyme Dressing

This salad is a great way to feature those beets, and you can even roast some other root veggies in a separate pan at the same time, so you can have those on hand to munch all week. Here’s how you make the beet salad:

1. Roast the beets. Chop the beets into bite-sized pieces, toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in the oven at 425F for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
2. Prep the salad. While the beets are roasting, prep your salad and your dressing. Wash and chop the lettuce and arugula into bite-sized pieces and drain in your colander or salad spinner. Toss them together in a large bowl.
3. Make the dressing. Whisk together: 1T lemon juice, 2T apple cider vinegar, 1T maple syrup or honey, 2T spicy mustard, 1T minced thyme, 1/2c olive oil. You can toss this into the salad or pass it on the side.
4. Add the beets. When the beats are tender, toss them in with the greens and dressing, and serve! If you eat dairy, this might be nice with some cheese from Mary’s goats!

Roasted Mushroom and Sunchoke Bisque

This recipes is adapted from Allrecipes.com, but I’ve changed it up to use more veggies from our baskets.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sunchokes, scrubbed and sliced 1/3-inch thick
• 1 turnip, diced
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups mushroom broth
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Toss the sunchokes, turnip, and garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large bowl; season with sea salt and black pepper. Spread the mixture into a baking dish. Toss the mushrooms with another tablespoon of olive oil in a separate bowl; spread into a separate baking dish.
3. Bake the turnip mixture in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Place the mushrooms in the oven and continue baking until the potatoes are soft and slightly browned, about 25 minutes more. Remove both dishes from the oven and set aside.
4. Heat the rest of the oil in a large stock pot over medium-low heat; cook the onion in the oil until completely soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir the roasted turnip mixture and the mushrooms into the onions, along with 1 teaspoon sea salt and the water; allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the mushroom broth and thyme into the mixture. Place a cover on the stock pot and cook to allow the flavors to blend, about 20 minutes.
5. If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the soup right in the pot. Otherwise, allow the soup to cool slightly before pouring in batches into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Hold the lid firmly with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree; transfer blended batches to a clean pot.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Little Blue Hen

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