Sunchokes: An Unsung American Hero
Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, sunroots, earth apples, and topinambur, are actually the roots and related to sunflowers. The sunchoke has a long American history, they were cultivated by the Native Americans long before European settlers arrived. Although not as popular as some other tubers in the US (ahem..the potato) they are much more nutritious. Sunchokes have prebiotic properties which are great for intestinal health and also contain vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium. They are also a great source of iron.
Even better than all that – they taste awesome. When raw they resemble water chestnuts and when roasted they have a nutty, sweet, and slightly salty taste. The natural sweetness of the tuber makes the roots almost carmelize when you roast them, creating a delicious and healthy sidedish to any meal.
16 oz of sunchokes: washed, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
4 tbs of olive oil
salt and pepper optional
Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
- After cutting the sunchokes, rinse them, dry them, and mix them with carrots and celery. Coat in olive oil/salt/pepper.
- Roast for 45: flip every once and awhile after 30 min mark otherwise sunchokes will stick to the bottom of the pan
Broccoli and Bacon
This was one of those dishes that just happened. I needed to use the bacon I had in the fridge and the broccoli in my fruit/veg bowl was staring me in the face. Its pretty delicious and not greasy at all. Adding he bacon last helps this.
2 heads of broccoli
4-6 pieces of bacon
1 cup of beef broth (use water if you dont have)
- Fry the bacon in a large frying pan until its crispy – dont over cook! Set aside on paper towels to remove grease
- Cut the broccoli heads in florets. Poor grease out of the frying pan and place florets in on medium heat. Pour in a cup of beef broth and place lid ontop. Steam broccoli for 10 minutes.
- While broccoli is steaming, cut bacon into large pieces and set aside.
- Drain broccoli and toss in a bowl with bacon pieces.
