RECIPE: Easy Vegetable Soup

This soup is perfect when you have veggies in your fridge but CSA pickup day is tomorrow!  Throw it all in a pot and make a delicious and nutritious soup.

Ingredients:

- At least one onion, chopped (more are better)

- All your other CSA veggies chopped into bite-size pieces, including summer/winter squash, carrots, hearty greens, kohlrabi, cauliflower, celery, …

In a large pot, heat 4T olive oil on medium-high heat.  Add chopped onions (and carrots and celery, if using) and some salt and allow them to cook till light brown.  Add other vegetables that you think taste better browned, like squash, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and allow them to brown in the pot.  After they are brown, add at least 8 cups water, or more if the pot and amount of veggies will accommodate it. Add the rest of the veggies (like the hearty greens: kale, collard greens, etc).  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30-60 minutes depending on size of veggies. Veggies will be tender when soup is done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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RECIPE: Kohlrabi Slaw

Ingredients:

• - Kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks- Apple, cut into matchsticks
  - Olive oil
  - Fresh lemon juice
  - Salt and pepper

• Mix kohlrabi and apple matchsticks (both peeled or not) with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

RECIPE: Kohlrabi and Hearts of Palm Salad

2 Kohlrabis peeled

1 can hearts of palm pieces or whole hearts of palm chopped

1 green onion, chopped

½ tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

one squeeze of a lemon

 

Cut peeled kohlrabis into matchstick or smaller pieces. Mix with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

KOHLRABI TIPS

To store kohlrabi, snip off the leaves close to the bulbous portion (which is really a swollen stem, not a root bulb).  Then trim off the stems from the leaves.  Store the leaves in a ziploc bag with a damp paper towel.  Store the bulbous stem in separate ziploc bag without a paper towel.  Both will keep for a week if stored properly in your crisper drawer. 

How to Use & Cook Kohlrabi:

Kohlrabi is delicious raw. Cut into wedges and crunch them for snacks, use with creamy dips, or give them a simple drip or two of soy sauce.

Kohlrabi also adds bite and crunch to salads and slaws - slice thinly or shred.

Kohlrabi can be chopped and added to soups or stews, or boiled and added to mashed potatoes or other mashed root vegetables.

Kohlrabi is a delightful surprise when roasted: it turns remarkably sweet. Peel the bulbs and cut them into wedges or chunks, toss with a bit of oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast in a hot oven until brown and tender.

 

Nutritional Value:

 

The health benefits of kohlrabi include its ability to improve your digestive processes, help you lose weight, protect against cancer, boost the immune system, regulate the metabolism, increase circulation, strengthen bones, improve vision health, and assists in protecting muscle and nerve function.

 

Kohlrabi is so highly valued in countries and cuisines around the world not only for its diversity in cooking applications, but also because it is full of nutrients and minerals like copper, potassium, manganese, iron, and calcium, as well as vitamins, such as vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, vitamin A, and vitamin K. Along with that, kohlrabi is also high in dietary fiber and antioxidant compounds, such as phytochemicals and various carotenes.

RECIPE: Carrot Kohlrabi Slaw

Difficulty Level: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

2 bulbs kohlrabi
4 carrots
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. whole grain or Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel kohlrabi and carrots. Be sure to cut off all of the tough outer peel of the kohlrabi. Set them aside.

In a salad bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt until well blended. Add pepper, if you like.

Using the large holes on a standing grater or a mandoline set up for fine julienne, grate the kohlrabis and the carrots into the salad bowl. Toss everything together until the kohlrabi and carrot are evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if you'd like.

RECIPE: Kohlrabi and Parsnip Hashbrowns

This is a very simple, healthy alternative to hash browns.

Take kohlrabi, parsnips or both, peel with a knife, leaving the white flesh underneath, and then cut into small cubes. 

Heat a skillet with oil and add in parsnip/kohlrabi chunks. Season with a tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder and hot paprika, and cook until crispy outside and soft inside (I recommend covering the pan). 

When they are ready, fry a few eggs and finely chop shiso and cilantro together.  

Serve non-potatoes with eggs and herbs and enjoy!

 

Submitted by Adrienne Mishkin

 

RECIPE: Asian Kohlrabi Slaw

Ingredients:

2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and julienned

2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
3 cups cabbage, shredded (can easily substitute red cabbage or Napa cabbage)

1/2 serrano chili, seeds removed, and finely minced

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp peanut oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped

2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed (optional)

Procedure:

1. Combine kohlrabi, carrot, and cabbage in a large, non-reactive mixing bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, peanut oil, sesame oil, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and salt. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

3. Allow slaw to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving so that the flavors can combine and the cabbage can wilt down a little. Garnish with peanuts (if desired) just before serving.

Contributed by Vicki Boyne

RECIPE: Spicy Kohlrabi Stew with Tomatoes

From World Vegetarian

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds kohlrabi heads (about 6 good-sized ones, weight without leaves)

2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

Generous pinch of asafetida (see note)

1 to 4 dried hot red chiles (according to desired heat)

5 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped, or 3-4 medium canned tomatoes, finely chopped, plus ½ cup liquid from the can

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

3/4 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon sugar (if the tomatoes are sour)

Procedure:

1. Cut off about 1/8 of each kohlrabi at the bottom end. This end is fairly coarse. Peel the rest and cut into chunky quarters just as you would quarter an apple.

2. Put the oil in a medium pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. A second later, put in the asafetida (if using) and the red chiles. Stir briefly until the chiles turn dark, a matter of seconds.

3. Now put in the kohlrabi (and garlic, if using). Stir once or twice and quickly put in the tomatoes, turmeric, ¾ cup of water, salt, and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and simmer very gently for 30-35 minutes, or until the kohlrabi is tender (pierce with a tip of a knife – it should go in easily).

4. Remove the red chiles before serving.

NOTE: You may substitute 1-2 cloves of finely chopped garlic for the asafetida if you wish, putting it into the oil at exactly the same time as the quartered kohlrabi.

Submitted by Lisa Bretherick

RECIPE: Kohlrabi and turnip slaw

From The Season's Other Veggies

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound kohlrabi (leaves included)

1 medium turnip, peeled and quartered

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

salt and ground pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Procedure:

1. Separate stems from kohlrabi bulb, trim, and discard tough bottoms of stems. Half leaves lengthwise, then thinly shred crosswise. Trim root end from bulb and peel away tough outer layer; half lengthwise.

2. Fit a food processor with shredding blade (or use box grater) and shred kohlrabi bulb and turnip.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, peanut oil, honey, and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper. Add scallions, kohlrabi leaves and bulb, and turnip to bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Contributed by Phyllis Jo Kubey