Funny story. I went to the grocery store last night to get turnips for today’s Meatless Mondays from A-Z ingredient. But they were out – with a new shipment coming today. Which doesn’t help me.
So we head to grocery store #2, which is also out of turnips. Crap.
Luckily I had my handy smartphone and did a quick google of turnips vs. rutabagas – because they did look similar.
Thankfully, I learned that rutabagas are a cross between a cabbage and turnip. In fact, it’s also called a yellow turnip! Good enough for me. 😉 Thanks to Wikipedia, MMAZ was saved with the discovery of rutabagas history!
The idea for this recipe started when I learned that turnips are compared with potatoes in texture and flavor. That reminded me of the Cauliflower Protein Smash I keep meaning to make from Kristina. I wonder if I could make a similar protein packed side dish with turnips…er…rutabagas.
I used chickpeas, because we had two cans already in the cabinet. The original theory was the chickpeas would give it a hummus-like texture, but I ended up going with a “lumpier” smashed version. If you prefer a creamier dish, I would try using a food processer instead of the mixer.
Either way, this is a nice alternative to the traditional smashed potatoes. And of course the chickpeas give this a protein punch! Paired with a loaded portobello (recipe to come), this was a perfect Sunday evening meal.
- 1 rutabaga
- 3/4 cup garbanzo beans (about 1/2 a can)
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine, soy-free
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Boil water in a medium pot, enough to cover the rutabagas. Meanwhile, dice rutabagas.
- Transfer rutabagas to the boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until you can pierce the rutabagas easily with a fork.
- Drain rutabagas and transfer to stand mixer (or food processor for creamier version). Add chickpeas and almond milk, mix until combined and to texture desired. Add margarine, garlic, and nutritional yeast (optional) and continue mixing until well integrated.
- Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!
I have to say that rutabagas still aren’t my favorite veggie – a little tangier than I would like – but it was still nice to try something new!
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And now it’s time to see if you found Turnips or found a way around it like me! 🙂 Seriously – I can’t wait to see what you created this week!
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Questions for you:
- Have you tried turnips (or rutabagas) recently?
- Any exciting happenings from over the weekend to share?!