Fresh Beginnings

So here we are, 2009. Part of my blogging resolution is to try new things. My Food Lover's Companion is in my car, and when I am going to the market to shop, my plan is to pick up something I have no experience with. And trust me, if I haven't tried it, not many people have. There are plenty of things that I have tried at a restaurant, but not at home. Time to branch out! So today's ingredient....Turnips!
I know that winter is root vegetable season, so what the heck. The book says they should be heavy for thier size, so I picked up a handful of small heavy bulbs. They really are pretty with their purple skins. I searched for a recipe that I thought my family would eat, and found it at Cooking Light.

Sweet and Spicy Turnips
Yield 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of ground allspice
3 (6-ounce) turnips, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 7 ingredients in a jelly roll pan or shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; toss to coat. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until tender, stirring every 10 minutes.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
65 (29% from fat)
Fat:
2.1g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.1g)
Protein:
1.2g
Carbohydrate:
11.5g
Fiber:
2.4g
Cholesterol:
5mg
Iron:
0.5mg
Sodium:
253mg

I was really "jonesing" for a burger, thanks to a picture on Foodgawker, so we grilled burgers, carmelized onions and peppers, made sweet potato fries and then the lowly turnips! To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed them. I don't think I would make them again, they seem rather devoid of nutrition. There is no color, and they have a taste that's a little bitter, almost like the radish family.
So where's the chocolate you ask? What's sweetie about turnips? Well I was really trying to not jump right back into the sugary stuff. I joined an online baking network called The Daring Bakers. It is a very cool concept, two food blogging women started chatting it up on the internet about what they wanted to bake. So they decided to bake the same recipe and blog it and they could compare their results. So now a few years later, over 1000 food bloggers are members. So the recipe is revealed at the beginning of the month, and then everyone bakes it and the blog reveal is at the end of the month. So what is the challange this month? I can't tell you! It's a big secret every month! I love this, secret baking! But this month's challange is totally new to me, and should be really fun. So stay tuned for the big reveal.
Finally, this is my last week with Nic at home. The routine has started to get back to normal, but we are trying to eat great (healthy) food before he leaves. I have a bag of apples in the fridge, so I am thinking they'll be on the menu. I am hoping to get to Whole Foods today as well, so I'll pick up another something to try out. In the mean time, get in there and cook!