Exotic Foods # 2: Kohlrabi

This week in our CSA haul we received kohlrabi. Now once again, one has to ask, 'what do I do with kohlrabi aside from putting it in a salad?' Well the answer my friends is... not too much, but enough. Whether you are creative and decide upon your own treatment or simply let Epicurious be your guide, you can find a smattering of kohlrabi recipes that will prove to be vegan and/or vegan-izeable. But first, a fine nutritional word on our humble kohlrabi. According to learninginfo.org, kohlrabi,

'... is a good source of thiamin, folate, magnesium and phosphorus, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, manganese and especially vitamin C. One cup of raw kohlrabi contains 140% of the RDA of vitamin C'.

Not too shabby, right? For those of you who are still skeptics, a detailed breakdown that is pretty impressive looking can be found here.

Feeling a bit un-inspired with this vegetable, we took on the task of making Sauteed Kale and Kohlrabi the finished product from the September issue of Gourmet Magazine. The recipe calls for a traditional garlic and olive-oil treatment of the kale, but brings in a splash of lime juice, zest, and pistachios for brightness. The kohlrabi, while left raw, is warmed when the hot kale is mixed in the bowl. We have greens with our meal just about every nite, and are always looking for new ways of working with them. Unfortunately at times, it is hard for both vegans and omnivores alike to come up with new dishes that hit home. Greens, no matter how mild or strong, are difficult to season properly without either over-seasoning with something like garlic or under-seasoning and making everything bland. While the dish was okay in our eyes, we were not terribly struck by it. When I was able to taste it, the kale-lime combination was great, and the kohlrabi really picked up the flavor of the citrus as well. However, I felt that more lime would have been the key to really make everything pop. This means that you have to try the dish with MORE lime and let me know how it is! Frank and I paired this dish with quinoa, to make it into a complete 'k' sounding meal. Say it with me: Kale, Kohlrabi, and Quinoa. The complete recipe, ripe for modifications, may be found on the Epicurious website: Sauteed Kale and Kohlrabi.

Our finished product looked a bit like this: