Enjoying north state winter vegetables
CHICO » January is a tough month for some people, if we set high goals this month for what we want to try to achieve, stop doing or start cooking. It’s also feeling different, even chillier in a year when we are still keeping our distance and often end up isolated in our own kitchens.
However, I think January is also a fantastic month for selfcare, cooking and preparing for what’s to come. The vegetable harvest this month is a lot of fun for anyone learning to cook, and you can also start plotting what will be in a garden this spring — or what you want to learn to plant if you have never had a garden before.
It has been an unusually warm weekend and start to the week in the north state, but there seems to be hope for more cold and rain soon. For now, we can enjoy some brighter skies and cool trips to check out seedlings and newly harvested vegetables.
That could mean a trip to the Chico Certified Farmers Market for the seasonal picks, and also that any vegan’s soups and stews are positively popping right now.
Here’s some vegetables to charge your week and make you feel like you can make anything vegan — or get started in your garden.
• Parsnips — did you know these can fill out any warm stew or make their own dish with bold flavor that sets them apart from carrots? Try an Irish-style pot with them or simmer them with tomatoes and kale in broth for a simpler warm meal.
• Leeks — yes, they go great on a simple hot bowl of ramen soup. Try them in risotto next time with mushrooms or in a simple blended herb broth.
• Potatoes — try several different varieties this month for different flavors and styles, such as for breakfast, with scrambled tofu or a loaded potato bowl with fresh cut veggies and seasoning.
• Citrus — Try to find ways to incorporate these at every meal. Grapefruit with breakfast, lemon juice in your tea and oranges on a salad — what could be easier?
• Turnips — These little miracles have a bad reputation with some folks but don’t let that stop you from roasting them in the oven, adding them to a stew or making a delicious creamy chowder with them instead of with meat.
• Cabbage — Heads of fresh winter cabbage don’t last long when you’re making a batch of coleslaw, a hearty cabbage soup or adding it to salads and sandwiches
all week.
• Carrots — don’t miss this month for the most robust of carrots, which belong in every soup or stew you could think of. Or try them in a simple warm bisque to enjoy their serving of vitamins and flavor.
Mid-winter cooking
With it still cold out, I have been looking for more creative ways to get lots of protein and a rainbow of veggies into creative warm meals.
Black Bean Sweet Potato
A delicious way to mix up your baked potato game? Grab the sweet potatoes from the local farmers or cooperative market and get them baking in the oven.
Place a sweet potato or two
on a baking sheet with parchment paper, make a slit in the top and bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until starting to bubble.
To top, cook black beans on the stove with a protein like soy chorizo, and with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers. Add paprika and chili powder and even your favorite salsa for a stronger flavor. I like to simmer the black beans with a little salt and lime juice before adding other ingredients.
Pull out the sweet potato and let it cool. Slice in half. Top the potatoes with the bean mixture and enjoy with a side of sliced lime and avocado. You can also mix up this recipe by adding roasted veggies of your choice alongside
or stuffing with a little shredded cabbage and carrots for a different flavor.
Stir Fry Fun
Clean out the crisper drawer to help mix up your stir-fry dinners. I like to come home from the market with a fresh haul of vegetables and try different combinations of vegetables that are delicious and full of a wide variety of vitamins too.
Try this combination:
• 1 cup brown rice pad Thai noodles, cooked al dente
• 1 to 2 fresh chopped leeks
• 2to 3stalks bok coy, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, sliced
• 12 diced white onion
• 1⁄2 head of red cabbage
• 1 head of broccoli, sliced
• 3to 4ounces firm tofu or tempeh, fried in liquid aminos or soy sauce
Fry everything in a large wok with your favorite savory sauce, red chili pepper flakes and fresh garlic, until well sauteed. Serve with fresh green onion on top.
Local grocery finds
Take a trip down to our local Grocery Outlet in Chico this week, because you’re sure to find some new offerings that are often expensive or hard to find at other mainstream grocery stores. These aren’t always available, but keep an eye out for them when they arrive:
• Kashi Cashew Creamy Noodle frozen meal;
• Lightlife Plant Based Sausages;
• Violife cheese, in bagged shreds and sandwich slices. The Mature Cheddar, Provolone and Mozzarella must be tried;
• Impossible Burger patties;
• Gardein products, including Mandarin Orange Chik’n or Meatless Meatballs.
If there are more finds like these in Oroville’s location, I can’t wait to hear about it.