Did You Know?

People have the ability to recognize faces and, it turns out, so do honeybees. Computers cannot, at least not yet. Bees employ the same method as humans, known as configured processing according to The Journal of Experimental Biology. Isn't it nice to know that machines cannot do everything that people ... and bees ... can do!

Recipes 

Parsnips with Garlic and Whole Wheat Crumbs

1 lb. parsnips, sliced

2 slices whole wheat bread, rubbed into crumbs

2 tsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil, or approx. 1 tsp. dried

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of sea salt

Steam the parsnips over boiling water until they're tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Preheat a sauté pan, then heat the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the garlic, crumbs,

basil and salt. Sauté until the ingredients are fragrant and heated through, about 2 minutes. Add

the parsnips and stir to combine. Serve warm as a side dish for lunch or dinner.

Comments: This is a good warm-up for those of you unfamiliar with parsnips. You will want to

use real bread crumbs, and a heartier, nuttier flavored bread will help the flavor of the dish. This

is a good option for a vegetable side dish.

Pumpkin Tureen
from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen

Here's one recipe for soup baked in a pumpkin. Try baking other soups too -- your favorite chili would be delicious in a pumpkin.

1 6-7 lb. pumpkin (8-inch diameter)
1 cup finely minced onion

2 slices rye bread, diced

½ cup (packed) grated Swiss cheese

2 tsp. prepared horseradish

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1½ cups milk (lowfat or soy is okay)

1 to 2 cups vegetable broth, stock, bouillon or water

1 tsp. salt

black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

nutmeg to taste

Preheat oven to 350˚. Prepare the pumpkin as though you were going to make a jack-o-lantern, but stop short of carving the face.

Place onion, bread, cheese, horseradish and mustard inside the pumpkin. Mix with your hands until well combined.

Add milk and broth (as much as will fit -- you can adjust the amounts) along with the seasonings. Stir it up.

Line the pumpkin lid with a piece of foil and place it on top. Place the filled pumpkin in an ungreased baking pan.

Bake until the pumpkin is tender (about 2 hours). To test for tenderness, remove the lid, and gently stick a fork into the side. It should go in easily.

To serve, scoop deeply to bring up some pumpkin pieces from the sides and bottom along with the soup. Enjoy!

Winter Curry
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics by The Moosewood Collective

1½ Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. black mustard seeds

1½ cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. salt

1 minced fresh green chile or ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

4 cups cubed potatoes

4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1½ cups water or vegetable stock

1 Tbsp. tamarind* concentrate (I didn't have it)

2 cups fresh or canned chopped tomatoes

1½ to 2 cups cooked chickpeas (15 once can, or other beans of choice)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

In a 3 to 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil on medium-high heat, and then add the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, stir in the onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, salt and chiles or cayenne. When the onions are translucent, add the spice mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the potatoes, squash and water or stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are barely tender, about 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve the tamarind in a few tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid and then stir it into the vegetables. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and cilantro, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are fully tender.

Serve on rice.

* Tamarind is from a curved brown bean-pod from the tamarind tree. The pod contains a sticky pulp enclosing one to ten shiny black seeds. It is the pulp that is used as a flavoring for its sweet, sour, fruity aroma and taste. It is available as a pressed fibrous slab, or as a jam-like bottled concentrate; some Indian shops carry the dried pods.

Vegetable Forecast