Simple Real Food- Beetology, Radishes, Turnips and Arugula

My existence pivots on the bold discovery I made today—finally, with enthusiasm, I am a woman who eats beets and radishes. In this week’s CSA, I received yet another mother load of Hakueri Turnips and Pink Beauty Radishes, which, in past months I’ve chosen to hawk on fellow beet-lovers (rare friends in New Orleans, okay, just one), but now, I turn these root veggies into beet chips and gobble them up on day one! Root veggie chips without oil! It’s so simple! Slice your beets, your radishes, your turnips on a mandolin into little translucent wet wafers, place on a paper towel and microwave for 3-4 minutes on high until crispy. Careful, my first batch actually caught on fire. So not that crispy. You can eat them with dip, or with a light sprinkling of kosher salt. Gosh, my body is going to really love me for this. Turnip the Beet.

Another brilliant discovery in the name of beet-tolerance is these lovely juices from Beetology. Delicious juices with many flavors! My favorite was beet/lemon/ginger flavor.

Keeping in the healthy groove, I need to shower praise on Simple Real Food by Amanda Cushman. She offers a simple cookbook from a woman who came by her trade honestly, like my mother (and who sort of looks like my mother, and seems to have many of the same gourmet tips to offer as my mother…Mom? Are you sure you don’t have a double life in New York??) So many delicious recipes, with lots of flexibility in the text, which I appreciate.

Amanda Cushman writes that she regards salads as main courses, and I’d say her chapter on Salads and Dressings is the most robust in the book, featuring nearly all the Sirtfoods –arugula, walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, and, and…

Arugula Watercress Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Adapted from Simple Real Food

2 bunches of arugula, stems removed, washed and spun dry

2 bunches of watercress, or oak leaf lettuce or curly mustard greens

1 lime, juiced

1 TB dijon mustard (my favorite is The Lusty Monk)

1/3 cup EVOO

2 TB chopped fresh herbs and/or TB of Sunny in Paris spice from Penzeys

Pinch of salt and mignonette pepper

Combine all the washed and spun and ripped leaves together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the lime and dijon and whisk, then add the oil slowly while whisking, then blend in the herbs, salt and pepper. Toss the greens with the dressing and enjoy!

I like to eat mine with candied walnuts or candied pecans. So easy to make! Take ¼ cup sugar (combo of white and brown, as you like), one cup of chopped nuts, and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of salt—combine all in a pot and heat over medium-high heat on the stove, stirring constantly until the sugar melts and coats the nuts. Then spread over a paper towel to cool and dry. (If you leave them too long in the pot untended they will turn to rock crystals in the kettle, hell to remove.)

Enjoy again and again–I have had this salad four times in the last week.