Roasted Turnips - A Lower Calorie Alternative To Potatoes

An easy and delicious way to prepare turnips!

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Turnips
Here's a simple way to prepare turnips if you are avoiding French fries and watching your weight.

I bought turnips this week to make soup. I've been a bit under the weather with allergies so I've been living on soup. But since the rain cleared the pollen out of the air and I needed something different to eat, I thought I'd try doing something else with the turnips. So I fixed them like I would a roasted potato and was delighted at how absolutely delicious they were. The best news is that they are lower calories and more nutritionally dense than potatoes. 

Ounce per ounce, turnips are 1/3 the calories of potatoes yet they have 4 times the omega-3 and 2 1/2 times the calcium. But they are higher in natural sugars which is why they caramelize so nicely when roasted.

Turnips are virtually fat free and are a good source of vitamin B6, folate, potassium, calcium and copper and an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and manganese. 

A medium turnip has 34 calories
0.1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol
7.8 g carbohydrates, 4.6 g sugar
2.2 g dietary fiber
1.1 g protein
43 % DV vitamin C
5% DV vitamin B6 and folate
8% DV manganese
7% DB potassium
5% DV copper
4% DV calcium

Here's a quick and easy way to prepare them.

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Roasted Turnips
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 4 servings]

Ingredients
6 medium turnips
1 to 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Peel the turnips and cut each one vertically into 8 to 10 slices.

Place them in a bowl with enough of the olive oil to coat. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until well combined.

Place the coated turnip slices on a cookie sheet lined with a silicon mat or a parchment sheet. Spread them out on the sheet.

Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until they are cooked and brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and serve.