This mashed turnip recipe makes for a delicious feature at your next dinner meal. It’s low in carbs and full of hearty texture and flavor to keep both your hunger at bay and your health in line.

Turnips make for a lighter (and paleo-friendly) alternative to regular mashed potatoes. There are 18 calories per cup of cubed turnip, compared to the 59 calories found in an equivalent serving of russet potatoes. The same cup of turnip contains 4.2 grams of carbohydrates, which is significantly less than the 13.5 grams of carbohydrates found in the equivalent serving of potato. Luckily, turnips can sub in for potatoes pretty seamlessly, because they take seasoning very well and hold their own when cooked (fried, boiled, baked, or broiled).

Turnips are a member of the cabbage family and can be used interchangeably with swedes and rutabagas. Many people associate turnips with a bitter taste, but they don’t have to be. The older and larger a turnip is, the more bitter it will taste. To avoid bitter turnips, choose ones that are smaller – about the size of a tennis ball. Also, when you boil turnips in plenty of water in an uncovered pot, the bitterness boils away.

The following mashed turnip recipe is just one essential way to incorporate the turnip into your diet. Enjoy it alongside a meat dish or roasted vegetables.

Mashed Turnip Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 10 turnips, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread
• ¼ cup vegan milk (I used homemade almond milk)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• A few dashes of white pepper
• Chopped chives or fresh herb of choice for garnish

Directions

In a pot filled with water over high heat, add the turnips. Boil the turnips until they are tender.

Drain and rinse the turnips with cold water. Return the turnips to the same pot they were boiled in. Add the remaining ingredients. Use a hand masher to mix all of the ingredients together until evenly combined. If you want a smoother consistency, add the cooked turnips to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Serve hot with a garnish of chopped chives.

Related on EcoSalon
Velvety Vegan Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Nutritional Breakdown: Mashed Potatoes Get a Sweet Fix
Vegan Beet and Turnip Gratin with Thyme and Extra Pepper

The post Vegan Mashed Turnips: Lower Calorie, Low-Carb Alternative to the Potato Classic appeared first on EcoSalon.

Mashed potatoes are a holiday classic. They are creamy, smooth and full of buttery overtones. However, they don’t do your body the best of favors.

You don’t want to miss mashed potatoes at the dinner table this year, no doubt, but you also want to keep yourself in shape and prevent overeating all those simple carbs. This is where the sweet potato shines. Not only is the sweet potato complementary to the holiday season, but it’s also a better choice in terms of your health and overall well-being.

Regular mashed potatoes contain about 214 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1.4 grams of saturated fat, 35 grams of sugar, and 741 milligrams of sodium in each cup. These aren’t the most dismal of stats, especially given the bounty of nutrients inherent in white potato. The stickler is more so the quality of the ingredients. Traditional mashed potatoes use white potatoes, which pale in comparison to the nutrient value of sweet potatoes. Additionally, mashed potatoes tend to involve the addition of butter and milk.

This mashed sweet potatoes recipe will give you the satisfaction of the traditional dish but with even more taste and nutrition. This recipe is also animal-friendly, which makes for even more reason to celebrate. Enjoy!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 6-8 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon thick coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans and walnuts, chopped, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork several times. This will allow for steam to release during the cooking process.

Place the sweet potatoes in the oven and let cook for about 1 hour. They should be cooked all the way through the center.

Remove from the oven, letting the sweet potatoes cool so they are able to be handled safely. Peel off the skin and place the potato flesh into a large bowl.

Add orange juice, coconut milk, maple syrup and salt. Use a masher to mash all the ingredient together until they are evenly distributed and the potatoes have reached desired consistency.

Serve topped with toasted nuts. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: michelle@tns

Related on EcoSalon:

A Twist on the Regular: Sweet Potato Truffles Recipe

White Bean and Sweet Potato Burger Recipe

Sunday Recipe: Mustard and Dill Potato Chips

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Mashed Potatoes Get a Sweet Fix appeared first on EcoSalon.

Thanksgiving can be either a gluttonous extravagance, or one of the greenest holiday feasts.

Here’s why: One of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses is livestock production. Turkey is faster growing than cows, so it’s more efficient from a resource input point of view. Plus, turkeys don’t emit methane.

Another big contributor to greenhouse gasses is food waste. After Thanksgiving, we tend to eat our leftovers, using every spare scrap of food.

Other than the turkey and the cranberries, most Thanksgiving dishes are seasonal, plant-based foods that can typically grow anywhere. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkins, apples. See what I mean?

From an energy use perspective, we tend to use our ovens to capacity at Thanksgiving, which is much better than cooking small amounts of food.

You can enjoy your Thanksgiving guilt-free as long as you don’t waste any food. And this recipe will help you with that task!

Two-in-One Mashed Potatoes

Serves 6-8

2 pounds russet potatoes
2 pounds garnet sweet potatoes
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup creme fraiche (divided equally into two portions)
4 tablespoons butter, softened (divided equally into two portions)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut them into 2-inch chunks. Bring two pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and the garlic to one pot and the sweet potatoes to the other. Boil both until tender.

Meanwhile, place the mustard seeds, cardamom pods and half & half in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the potatoes and sweet potatoes are tender, drain them well and place them in separate bowls. Strain half of the half & half into each bowl and then add half of the creme fraiche and butter to each. Add some salt and pepper to each bowl and mash the potatoes and sweet potatoes well, keeping them separate. If you like smoother potatoes, you may run them through a ricer or food mill. Taste each mixture and adjust salt and pepper.

To serve, place them side by side in the serving bowl and swirl them together in a pretty pattern.

Use organic, locally grown ingredients whenever possible.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. This original post can be found here.

Image: Dr. Hemmert



The post Greening Thanksgiving with a Doubly Good Recipe for Potatoes, and More! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Thanksgiving can be either a gluttonous extravagance, or one of the greenest holiday feasts.

Here’s why: One of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses is livestock production. Turkey is faster growing than cows, so it’s more efficient from a resource input point of view. Plus, turkeys don’t emit methane.

Another big contributor to greenhouse gasses is food waste. After Thanksgiving, we tend to eat our leftovers, using every spare scrap of food.

Other than the turkey and the cranberries, most Thanksgiving dishes are seasonal, plant-based foods that can typically grow anywhere. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkins, apples. See what I mean?

From an energy use perspective, we tend to use our ovens to capacity at Thanksgiving, which is much better than cooking small amounts of food.

You can enjoy your Thanksgiving guilt-free as long as you don’t waste any food. And this recipe will help you with that task!

Two-in-One Mashed Potatoes

Serves 6-8

2 pounds russet potatoes
2 pounds garnet sweet potatoes
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup crème fraîche (divided equally into two portions)
4 tablespoons butter, softened (divided equally into two portions)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut them into 2 inch chunks. Bring two pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and the garlic to one pot and the sweet potatoes to the other. Boil both until tender.

Meanwhile, place the mustard seeds, cardamom pods and Half & Half in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the potatoes and sweet potatoes are tender, drain them well and place them in separate bowls. Strain half of the Half &Half into each bowl and then add half of the crème fraîche and butter to each. Add some salt and pepper to each bowl and mash the potatoes and sweet potatoes well, keeping them separate. If you like smoother potatoes, you may run them through a ricer or food mill. Taste each mixture and adjust salt and pepper.

To serve, place them side by side in the serving bowl and swirl them together in a pretty pattern.

Use organic, locally grown ingredients whenever possible.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Image: Dr. Hemmert

The post Ecosalon Recipes: Greening Thanksgiving with a Doubly Good Recipe for Taters, and More! appeared first on EcoSalon.