If you’re a foodie, you’ve probably heard of restless palate syndrome. Loosely translated, it can mean anything from you like to try new things to your taste buds are in the mood for a new and crazy type of mashup.
Last week I talked about food trends, and one of the biggest trends you’ll be seeing in corner cafes or formal dining restaurants is the use of root vegetables. But these aren’t your Grandma’s root vegetables – veggies like parsnips, kohlrabi, or turnips are being smashed, mashed, and chopped into fries to go along with some of your favourite traditional foods. So if you’re sick of the same-old, same-old mashed potatoes, try smashing up parsnips with your potatoes and throw a few cloves of garlic in. Or, if you’re over yam fries, try turnip fries with a smoked honey dip.
With root vegetables, every traditional meal you serve could have a new and interesting taste. Kick your comfort food to the curb,try these recipes, then weigh in on what you think about the root vegetable food trend.Your taste buds will thank you.
C
urried Salmon Burger Lettuce Wraps with Crispy Turnip Straws & Goat Cheese
I’ve had a craving for good lettuce wraps for about six months now, but every time I go out to a resturant and order them I end up leaving disappointed. There’s always something not quite right about the wraps I’ve tried, so I thought I’d get busy in the kitchen and make some of my own last week. I tried mine with crispy sweet potato straws, and they were amazing on so many levels. But in keeping with our root vegetable theme this week, why not try these with turnip straws? Recipe and photo from halfbakedharvest.com.
| Ingredients: Crispy Turnip Straws
2 medium turnips |
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice the turnips into 1/8-inch thick straws or use a mandolin slicer and do the same. Place the straws on a baking sheet and toss them with the melted coconut oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Toss well. Divide the straws between two baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, toss, and then bake another 15-20 minutes more or until just beginning to crisp on the edges.
Meanwhile add the salmon to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it’s somewhat ground. You can also chop the salmon very finely with a sharp knife.
Remove and add the chopped salmon to a bowl with the Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Thai red curry paste, fish sauce, ginger and garlic. Mix with a spoon until just combined. Form into 4 equally sized burgers. Heat a skillet (or grill) over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Cook burgers on each side until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.
In a bowl mix together the yogurt, mint, crushed red pepper, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
To assemble the wraps place a salmon patty on a leaf of lettuce. Add a dollop of the minted yogurt, a few slices of cucumber + mango. Top with the crispy sweet turnip straws and a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese.
Slow cooker pot roast with root vegetables 
Pot roast is one of my family’s favourite meals. We try to do a pot roast at least once per week, and the menu always includes mashed potatoes. The kids might not be tired of them, but I definitely am, so next week I’ll be mixing it up with a few turnips and a nice side of beets. Photo and recipe from the foodnetwork.com.
| Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 4 small red potatoes, quartered 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 turnip, peeled and chopped 1 rutabaga, peeled and chopped 1 (3-pound) chuck roast Salt and ground black pepper 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 2/3 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder |
Directions
Arrange onion, potatoes, carrots, turnip, and rutabaga in bottom of slow cooker. Season beef all over with salt and black pepper. Rub flour all over beef. Place roast on top of vegetables in slow cooker.
Whisk together tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, mustard powder, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over beef. Cover and cook on LOW for 12 hours or on HIGH for 8 hours.
Serve 1/3 of beef and all of the vegetables with this meal. Shred and refrigerate remaining beef until ready to use.
Rutabaga Hash with Onions and Crisp Bacon
You knew there had to be a bacon recipe in there, didn’t you? I love a good hash, and this dish with bacon is out of this world. I sub in turkey bacon because I’m not a fan of pork, but you can choose any type you like and it will still be delicious.
| Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 3/4-in.-wide pieces Olive oil 1 1/2 pounds rutabagas, ends trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-in. 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-in. 2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 1 Anaheim chile, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-in. 1 small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced 3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro Tabasco |
Directions
Cook bacon in a 12-in. skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
Measure fat in pan and add oil if needed to make 3 tbsp. Sauté rutabagas and onion in fat over medium-high heat until onion starts to soften, 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover tightly with lid or foil, and cook, stirring once, until rutabagas are tender when pierced, 7 to 12 minutes.
Stir in celery, chiles, salt, and pepper; cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until rutabagas are browned and celery and chiles are fairly tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Fold in cilantro and bacon. At the table, add Tabasco to taste.
I’ll be trying a turnip mashed potato combo on my kids tonight. I’ll keep you posted on how that turns out.
There’s a lot of fun to be had in the kitchen this year, so be sure to check out Shelly’s Friday Favourites for the latest and greatest food trends of 2015. In the meantime, check out a few of my favourite small appliances I’ll be using in my own kitchen this year.
 Cook up a main course or amazing side dish with specialty cookware |
 The perfect pot roast will always be within reach when you have a roasting pan |
 Take a look at last week’s post on thelatest food trends |
