Turnip the Flavor

It seems that the most easily digestible vegetables are the roots from the underground. No, not from Australia, but actually from down under - under your feet & inside the good earth. They include taproots & tubers including carrots, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, beets, white potatoes, & sweet potatoes.  I had never even seen a turnip until I began exploring my IBS challenges and options and I had never actually eaten a parsnip. (I thought parsnips were only good for one thing - to sweeten up chicken soup and then be tossed out along with the mushy celery). I have yet to experience a rutabaga. 

I made this warm, delicious casserole one night after buying a bunch of turnips that I had no idea what to do with and served it as a side dish with dinner.  It's a creamy, earthy comfort food you'll love to warm up to in winter.

Turnips Gratin
3-4 large turnips (peeled, boiled 'til tender & medium sliced)
Herbs & seasonings: tarragon, thyme, nutmeg, salt & pepper
1 cup cashews to make cashew cream  
Earth Balance buttery spread (3-4 tbs melted)
Italian bread crumbs* (I use Edward & Sons Italian Herb organic bread crumbs - they're dairy free)

First, make the Cashew Cream: read more about cashew cream
Either soak 1 cup of cashews in cold water overnight in the fridge, or soak them in boiling water until soft; 15-30 minutes.
Put softened cashews in a blender and cover them with water to the top of the cashews.  (The less water used, the thicker the cream).
Blend until smooth & creamy.  Set aside.

Layer the bottom of a casserole dish (I used a 7" square x 3" deep dish) with turnip slices.
Season with tarragon, thyme, nutmeg, salt & pepper.
Spread cashew cream over this layer.
Add another layer of turnip slices, then herbs & seasonings, & more cashew cream.
Continue with the layers.
Top the last layer with melted Earth Balance and sprinkle a layer of bread crumbs* on the top.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bread crumbs are a bit golden.

Notes:
*Check labels - lots of bread crumbs contain lactose; cheese, milk, whey or buttermilk and HFCS!
Edward & Sons organic, Jason breadcrumbs & Osem brand do not contain lactose.  You can also use Panko breadcrumbs (also lactose free) & mix the crumbs with seasonings like onion & garlic powder, salt, pepper & paprika & your favorite Italian herbs & spices like oregano, basil & thyme.

Recipe was inspired by Amy Pennington's Rutabaga Gratin recipe, Whole Living Magazine, November 2010.

This Cream is Completely Nuts

Borrowed from Tal Ronnen, author of The Conscious Cook - talronnen.com.

Cashew cream is a vegan-chef staple that stands in for dairy in a variety of ways. In the raw food world, where it originated, it's used in lots of desserts. When you cook with it, though, it can be so much more - from cheese filling in ravioli to heavy cream in soups. It can be stored 2 t0 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to 6 months (although after it's defrosted it can be a bit lumpy so it's good to give it a spin in the blender to smooth it out before using it).

The trick when making cashew cream is to use raw cashews. They have no flavor of their own; they're just a vessel for fat and creaminess. (It's the roasting that brings out the familiar sweetness in cashews.) Because it has a nice fat content, cashew cream reduces in a pan even faster than heavy cream. Soy milk, which some people use in vegan cooking, has no fat, so it doesn't reduce into a thick sauce - it's really not an alternative.

Cashew Cream
2 cups whole raw cashews rinsed well under cold water.
Put the cashews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place them in a blender with enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch.
Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. (A high speed mixer works best - Ronnen uses a VitaMix, I use a Living Well HealthMaster, but a regular blender should work ok). To make a thicker cashew cream, reduce the amount of water when they are placed in the blender so that the water just slightly covers the cashews. I make a batch and then freeze it into several small containers & defrost as needed.

The bottom line in a nutshell:
Nuts, when pulverized, rather than whole, are easier to digest for those with IBS.
Nuts are mostly a monounsaturated fat; "good fat".
Milk, cream, cheese & butter (dairy), used to make cream sauces, are saturated fats; "bad fats".
Cashew cream is non-dairy.