Tag Archives: Japanese sweet turnips

Spicy Japanese Sweet Turnips

I was looking forward to getting Japanese sweet turnips in our last box. I had a grand plan for a stir fry using the turnip and greens. Unfortunately, Skarsgard Farms had other ideas, and we only got the turnips. So, I needed a plan B.

Spicy Japanese Sweet Turnips

OK, so this didn’t photograph very well. They tasted pretty good, though. Pairing a spicy herb with a sweet vegetable often works well.

Spicy Japanese Sweet Turnips
Recipe type: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2-4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch Japanese sweet turnips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • cayenne pepper and salt to taste (not too much!)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut turnips into bite sized pieces. Toss with oil and seasonings. Pour onto a shallow baking pan.
  3. Roast turnips for 20 minutes, turning half way through.

 

My New Toy-A Grill Wok

Last week, I had to take my car in for service. There is a Kohl’s right next to the service place-too dangerous! Since I had a 15% off coupon, I decided to do some shopping while my tires were being rotated. They had their grill accessories on sale, so with my coupon I got a smoking deal on a grill wok.

Grilled Orange Stir Fry

The recipe that came with the wok recommended brushing the sauce on the vegetables. Instead, I just put it on the vegetables a teaspoon at a time. It did not end up really saucy, but was delicious. I’m not posting times for this recipe, because my grill was running out of gas and not as hot as usual. It would probably take 10-15 minutes on a normal day.

Grilled Orange Stir Fry
Recipe type: Main
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup Zesty Orange stir fry sauce, divided
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  • 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch Japanese sweet turnips, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 bunch broccoli florets
Instructions
  1. Combine ⅓ cup of stir fry sauce and the chicken in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Refrigerate for 4 hours, turning at least once.
  2. Preheat grill and grill wok on high heat. Remove the chicken from the bag with a slotted spoon and place in the wok. (Discard marinade.) Stir fry until chicken is cooked through. Remove from wok and keep warm.
  3. Place pepper, carrots, and turnips in the wok. Drizzle with a couple of teaspoons of the remaining stir fry sauce. Stir fry until vegetables begin to soften, adding additional stir fry sauce to coat.
  4. Add broccoli and remaining stir fry sauce. Continue to stir fry until vegetables are tender crisp.
  5. Add chicken back into the stir fry and heat through.

 

Getting Better

You may have noticed I haven’t posted a lot lately. I mentioned in my last post that I had been ill. At that point, I thought I was better. That is, until I completely lost my voice on Tuesday. I’ve spent most of this week laying low and letting my husband cook. Tonight, however, we had run out of recipes. I am also better (hopefully for good), so I decided to stir fry all the veggies we had last from our last box. We got a new box today, so I need to get cracking!

Chicken, Sweet Turnip, and Snow Peas

My pictures are getting a little better! My grocery list for this dish consisted of chicken and “something from the Asian foods section.” (I had all the vegetables from our box.) I ended up with a Zesty Orange Ginger sauce. It is yummy and will get used again.

Chicken, Sweet Turnips, and Snow Peas
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Oriental
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  • ¾ pound snow peas, strings removed
  • 1 large carrot, thinly sliced (mine was yellow)
  • 1 bunch (about 6 medium) Japanese sweet turnips, cut into matchsticks
  • ½ large onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup Zesty Orange Ginger sauce (found in the Asian foods aisle, feel free to substitute)
Instructions
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in wok or large skillet. Stir fry chicken until cooked through. Remove from pan.
  2. Add remaining oil. Stir fry vegetables until tender crisp.
  3. Add chicken back into pan. Pour sauce over all. Continue to stir fry a few minutes, until everything is cooked through.

 

Japanese Sweet Turnips with Honey and Cilantro

Japanese Sweet Turnips with Honey and CilantroI had never heard of Japanese sweet turnips until I started getting harvest boxes from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Skarsgard Farms. Discovering new vegetables is one of the many benefits of belonging to a CSA. We are really fortunate in that we get shares (boxes) of vegetables year around. Not all CSAs run in the winter.

When looking for a recipe to make with our sweet turnips, I found this recipe from Old Cheney Road Farmers Market for roasted turnips with honey. I was grilling steaks when I cooked this, so I decided to cook them on the grill instead of in the oven.

Japanese Sweet Turnips with Honey and Cilantro
Recipe type: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 3 medium Japanese sweet turnips, cut in bite sized pieces
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Cayenne pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
  1. Preheat grill. Combine turnips, oil, and cayenne pepper. Tear a sheet of heavy duty wide aluminum foil about 4 feet long. Double foil, spray one side with non stick cooking spray. Pour turnips on top of foil, drug store wrap. Place on grill over medium low heat for 25 minutes, turning once.
  2. Remove turnips from foil, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cilantro.

Happy eating!

Ruth

Japanese Turnips and Beet Greens

Japanese Turnips and Beet GreensWe have gotten Japanese Sweet Turnips in our box a couple of times now, and I really like their mild flavor. I found several recipes for cooking them with their greens. Unfortunately, ours came without the greens attached. So, I decided to use the beet greens instead for a simple side dish on a work night.

Japanese Turnips and Beet Greens
Recipe type: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bunch (about 100) Japanese turnips, cleaned and thinly sliced
  • Greens from a bunch of beets, leaves only, sliced
  • ½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute sliced turnips about 5 minutes.
  2. Add beet greens. Continue to saute about 2 minutes.
  3. Add broth. Cover skillet. Cook until greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.

Happy eating!

Ruth