Mahasti’s most recent appearance on WBIR had her using a seasonal vegetable widely available at most Knoxville area farmers’ markets – turnips. For this recipe, Mahasti bought her turnips from Mountain Meadows Farm in Norris, TN. (Be sure to stop by their booth at the Market Square Farmers’ Market before it closes for the season on November 23.)

The popular root vegetable is a good source of calcium, vitamin C and potassium while being very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. By keeping the greens, you’ll retain the nutrition found in them such as vitamin A, vitamin K and beta carotene.

While popular in many fall soups and crock pots, Mahasti decided to create an enjoyable side dish that might accompany a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of soup on a cold day. The next time your family needs an excellent side dish, think TURNIPS!

4 cups turnip root, diced

4-6 cups turnip greens and stems, cut into ½ inch strips

¾ cup onion, diced

¼ cup oil

¼ cup honey

4 Tbl cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Turnips usually come in a bunch of 3 or 4 turnips with greens attached – one bunch should yield the above measurements.

Cut turnip greens from bulbs, keeping the stems. Cut the greens from the stems. Wash the stems, and roots under running cold water. Wash the greens by submerging them in a large bowl of water, removing to a colander and repeating as necessary until no sand or dirt remains in your bowl after lifting the greens out.

Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add diced turnip root and stems. Stir the vegetables, then pat them into a single layer and cover the skillet with a large lid. Turn the heat down to medium low and leave the turnips undisturbed and covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and repeat the process above leaving the turnips covered for another 5 minutes.

Remove lid, add honey, vinegar, salt and black pepper. Increase heat to high – stirring only once or twice. Cook turnips for another 5 minutes. Add the greens, stirring to wilt the greens then leave turnips undisturbed until all of the moisture has evaporated and been absorbed into the vegetables.

Serve hot or at room temperature as a side dish.

Flour Head Bakery’s pumpkin cranberry muffin is sure to add a little warmth to our lives on these gray, gloomy and wet winter afternoons. The sweetness of the cinnamon, brown sugar and molasses is balanced by the tartness of the dried cranberries. Try out this recipe the next time your home made brunch needs a little treat at the end. Yum Yum Yum!

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

½ cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tbl vegetable oil

1 Tbl molasses

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup milk

1 cup dried cranberries

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup white wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses, salt, spices, and milk.    In another bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in the dried cranberries.  Add all at once the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until all the ingredients are well combined. (do not over mix)  Let the batter sit, covered at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Scoop the batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups.  Bake the muffins for 20 – 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the tin and allow them to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 12 muffins.

Colorful and seasonal, this pasta dish is an easy preparation for a winter’s day or evening. Mahasti presented the recipe on WBIR this weekend, but if you missed it, we always post her recipes to The Tomato Head blog. Enjoy!

Tomato Head’s Pasta with Cauliflower, Cabbage and Dried Cranberries

1 lb dry pasta of choice
Vegetable oil
4 cups cauliflower, sliced
4 cups white or savoy cabbage, chopped
1 Tablespoon roasted garlic, chopped
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is cooked, drain, rinse with cold water, toss with ¼ cup olive oil and set aside.

Place Spinach in a large bowl. Add dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and bread crumbs. Set aside.

Turn Oven Broiler on to High.

Slice cauliflower, toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place on the middle shelf of oven and roast for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges of the cauliflower begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Coat 3 or 4 large cloves of garlic with oil – place on a cookie sheet and roast under broiler until the cloves are golden brown. Remove from oven, allow the garlic to cool; chop and set aside.

Heat a large skillet, over high heat. Add ¼ cup of oil, cauliflower. cabbage and roasted garlic. Sauté the vegetables just until the cabbage starts to wilt. Add vinegar and salt, allow the vinegar to reduce for 30 seconds. Add the pasta and sauté for one minute or just until the Pasta is re-heated.

Add the contents of the skillet to the spinach bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide into 4 – 6 bowls or serve family style with fresh bread.