I was always a devotee of the potato. I remember coming home from work when I was single, and just making french fries for dinner. Somehow I did that and still weighed in at 135 pounds. Can't figure it out now. Guess I will chalk it up to youth.
Life sure changed when we found out my dear hubby was a diabetic. That is how we discovered the lowly rutabaga. Whenever I buy it at the grocery store, it always seems to get a comment. Either the checker has to ask what it is, or someone in the produce section asks me what on earth I plan to do with that. True, the rutabaga is not an all star. It is ugly. It is a little hard to peel. The name sounds funny. I think that name alone gets to more people than the food itself. Once it is peeled and cut--even better yet cooked, it becomes a thing of beauty. Look at that photo. Are those not the most gorgeous home fries you have ever seen? The orange tinted cubes, just glistening with coconut oil and sea salt? Oh yeah.
The nutrition data can get a little sketchy though. You get different numbers from different sources. My Mastercook tells me it is 7 net carbs per cup. The Self Nutrition sites says 12 carbs per cup. About.com lists about 8 net for a cup of cubes. So count somewhere in that range, but don't worry too much. Just enjoy. They don't get me back to that 135 pounds, but they don't make me fat either!
I make these like I used to make my regular home fries. The secret is to pre-cook the veggie before frying. I sometimes steam, sometimes microwave.
Rutabaga Home Fries
1 rutabaga
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Peel the rutabaga. Dice into bite sized chunks. Steam until fork tender. Heat coconut oil in a skillet. Add the rutabaga and fry until browned and fully tender. Sprinkle with onion powder and sea salt.
This made a stick to your ribs meal that we love. I also use the rutubaga in place of potatoes for au gratin dishes and in stew. Try some recipes with the ugly rutabaga, if you are willing to answer all the questions at the grocery!
8 comments:
Lisa - I do turnips the same way. Love them!
These look good...are they similar in texture and flavor to potatoes?
Rutabaga vs turnip:
For years I thought I hated turnip. Then one day when I was compiling a list of veggie carbs I discovered that turnip has fewer carbs than rutabaga and is a fairly low carb sub for potatoes. I went "ick"! But I wanted to be able to make a usable au gratin casserole during holiday time and for other dishes, so I did some more research. Much to my surprise the thing I thought I hated was actually a rutabaga!
The turnip is white on the bottom and reddish/purple on top. The rutabaga is all orange. (Your picture actually looks more like a turnip.) It was the orange one I didn't like so I was happy to discover that I had erroneously called them turnips all these years. The rutabagas sold in the grocery store are often still called turnip too, no wonder people get confused, go figure!
Anyway, long story short, I like turnips, don't like rutabagas. Bonus: the one I like is lower in carbs! I now use turnips in all my old potato dishes. Makes a really good Corned Beef Hash too! Sue
Jen, I find they are pretty similar in texture to a red potato. A little on the waxy side. They are sweeter than potatoes and have a bit of a turnip taste too.
Sue--I have found just the opposite for my tastes. To me it is the turnip that has a stronger flavor. My boys always turned up their noses at the turnips in with my roasts, but they will eat the rutubagas cooked in.
Rutubagas can have several different looks. Mine are usually more rounded than in that stock photo, but they are much bigger than turnips and mine always have the orange look inside. The outside does not look orange to me. In fact, the inside doesn't even turn orange until the air gets in.
With the large assortment of fresh veggies available, I wouldn't be surprised to see some variation! I know the carb count is better for turnips. I just prefer the rutabaga.
Tried your fries today at dinner and they were great! Even the kids loved them! We are doing low carb, the whole family and these fries will be served again!
You have me very curious. I have had rutabaga mash with a little bit of carrot mashed in as well - my friend made the dish. It was really good!
I've been reading through you're blog, and first off you have some amazing recipes I want to try! And second I kept reading posts you referred to Rutabaga fries, and I was wondering what the heck is a Rutabaga and can I get them in Australia? Then I saw the image with this post and went ooooooooh a Swede! Haha a very common and easy veggie to get here so now I can try the "rutabaga" home fries :D
3 Studies PROVE Why Coconut Oil Kills Belly Fat.
The meaning of this is that you actually burn fat by eating coconut fat (including coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).
These 3 researches from big medical magazines are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world upside down!
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