What To Do With That Crazy Looking VegetableCreamy Celeriac, Potato and Pear SoupVegan And Gluten Free

Celeriac and pears combine beautifully in this fall soup.

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What's this Crazy Looking Vegetable in my CSA Box?
Did you receive a weird looking vegetable in your CSA box that looks like someone crossed a large jicama with the head of Medusa? Or did you pass something like that in the produce section of your grocery store and wonder what it was? Well, this knobby jewel is called celeriac, also known as celery root. 

After many years of passing them by, I finally worked up the courage to buy one this weekend. After tasting it, both raw and cooked, I really regret having waited so long.

Beneath the knobby skin, the inside flesh has the consistency and flavor of celery only a bit milder and without the annoying strings. Nutritionally, it's a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, manganese and magnesium and very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, phosphorus and potassium. A cup of celeriac is only 66 calories and is virtually fat free. Slice it into salads, mash it, puree it, roast it or throw it into a soup. This vegetable is quite versatile.

Celeriac (celery root) after peeling

Since the temperature is dropping across the country and the holidays are approaching, I thought a fall soup recipe would be welcomed. Enjoy!

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Creamy Celeriac, Potato and Pear Soup
Vegan and Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 cups peeled and diced celeriac (about 1 1/2 pounds before peeling)
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 medium pears, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 thin lemon slices
1 teaspoon Earth Balance buttery spread
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Mediterranean pine nuts 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 

Heat the oil in a soup pot or 5-quart Dutch oven and cook the onion, on medium-low heat, until it softens, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in the celeriac, potatoes, pears and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, for another 2 minutes. 

Add the broth, salt, pepper, and lemon slices and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Remove the lemon slices and blend the soup, either using a hand blender or a regular blender (you may have to process in batches) until smooth.

I find using an electric hand blender is a lot simpler than using a blender.

Return the blended soup to the pot. Stir in the Earth Balance and, after it melts, the lemon juice. If it's too thick, add a bit more broth or hot water. Adjust the salt and pepper and amount of lemon juice if necessary.

I usually like to use raw nuts in all my recipes but I find that pine nuts are much tastier in a recipe like this if they are briefly toasted in a heated frying pan for just a few minutes. 

Pour the soup in individual soup bowls and top with pine nuts and parsley.

Each bowl is only 223 calories!

Per serving: 223 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 31 mg omega-3 and 895 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 5 g protein, 41 g carbohydrate, 8 g dietary fiber, and 311 mg sodium.

Baked Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Onions and Cherry Tomatoes on Wilted Spinach

One Serving Provides Over 2 g of DHA and EPA

On Friday I posted an article on the best fish and vegetarian sources of the omega 3 fatty acids, ALA, DHA and EPA. Since salmon was an excellent source of EPA and DHA, the omega fatty acids most beneficial to your health, I thought I'd start the week by sharing a healthy and delicious salmon recipe.

Besides being rich in omega 3, this dish is high in protein. Salmon also provides a significant amount of niacin, vitamins B6 and B12 and selenium. Being very low in mercury, salmon can be enjoyed often. The spinach in this recipe is also a nutrient powerhouse being a very good source of vitamins A, C, E, K, thiamine, riboflavin, B6 and folate as well as the important minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese.

This recipe is best when thick slices of salmon are selected. Wild Atlantic salmon was used in calculating the recipe's nutritional information. You can use farmed Atlantic salmon (it actually contains more DHA and EPA) but be sure the fish are farmed responsibly: not given antibiotics, growth hormones or artificial coloring, not genetically modified, not fed animal bi-products or grown in crowded pens. As I wrote on Friday, Whole Foods has very high standards for their farmed fish. Wild King salmon is also a nice thick and juicy fish to use in this recipe but it's been difficult to find lately. Coho is typically pretty thin and drier than the other types of salmon so I don't recommend using it for this dish.

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Baked Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Onions and Cherry Tomatoes on Wilted Spinach [serves 2]

1 medium onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 packed teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt plus a pinch for the spinach

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

2 teaspoons lemon zest

12 ounces Atlantic salmon cut into two thick fillets

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

10 ounces fresh spinach

2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place onion, tomatoes, olive oil, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, garlic and lemon zest in a shallow roasting pan and mix thoroughly. Rub the salmon fillets in the mixture until coated with oil and seasoning, remove from the pan and set aside (the vegetables will initially roast without the salmon). Spread out the onion mixture in the pan and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the salmon fillets on top of the roasted vegetables. Put 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice over the fillets. Place the pan back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until the salmon flakes. While the salmon is cooking, place the spinach, water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a covered pan and steam for a few minutes until the spinach wilts. Drain well and divide the spinach onto two plates. Cover the spinach with the roasted onions and cherry tomatoes and top each plate with a baked salmon fillet. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 384 calories, 15.5 g fat, 3.0 g saturated fat, 94 mg cholesterol, 40 g protein, 21.6 g carbohydrates, 6.3 g fiber, 3.5 g omega 3, 2.4 g DHA and EPA, and 0.8 g omega 6.