Amaranth seed, cabbage, and turnip and rutabaga

Before starting this blog, I would post recipes on various other sites on the internet. In the interest of compiling all my food postings on one site, I reprint them here. Originally posted 4 January 2008.


My body is not made for carnivory. Being at the Oregon Coast means eating a lot of fish; being with family means eating a lot; being not in Berkeley means eating food that is not almost entirely local organic vegetables. I think that when I eat a lot of not-vegetables I start to smell.

Tonight, however, we had yummy hippie food. Amaranth seed can be combined with two and a half parts water, mixed well, brought to boil covered, let simmer twenty minutes, stirred again, and eaten as gloop. It's good with salt, and probably better with fruit conserve as a hot breakfast cereal.

Cabbage is a fantastic winter vegetable, and should be available local-organic almost everywhere in the country. After removing the outer layers and washing and thinly slicing green cabbage, try sautéing in butter with a little dried thyme and a hint of oregano and salt, but go easy on the flavorings. Cabbage is in the same species as broccoli.

Turnips and rutabagas are not the same species, but the rutabaga should be treated as a large, starchy turnip. Washed, peeled, and sliced about a centimeter thick, they can be placed single-layer in a few millimeters of olive oil spread on a basting pan, turned so that both sides are coated, and baked in a preheated 400-degree oven, turning them once after 10-15 minutes and serving after another 15, when they are tender and caramelized on the bottom. Be sure to transfer first to a paper-towel-lined dish to absorb the excess oil.