My CSA share of veggies had some Hakurei turnips, which were new to me, so I had to make something new. I had some yellow potatoes and tempeh, so I made a hearty meal using the turnips and their greens.

The result: Roasted Turnips and Potatoes with Tempeh Loaf and Sautéed Turnip Greens… trust me on this one.

I quartered the potatoes and turnips, tossed them in olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, and let them roast in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or so, until the potatoes were done. It couldn’t be more simple.

I made my delicious Tempeh Loaf, which is always an enjoyable main dish. Tempeh loaf is easy. I don’t shape it like a traditional meatloaf, as you can see from my pie plate in the photo, but I still call it tempeh loaf since it is replacing meatloaf on my table.

I use:

• a package of tempeh
• 1 medium sized yellow onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 TB dijon mustard
• 2 TB Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 TB olive oil
• 2-3 slices of bread, crumbled
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan

I like tempeh loaf with ketchup, so I spiced up some simple organic 365 brand ketchup with Savory Spice Shop’s Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning. As I’ve said before… everything is better when you add Savory Spice Shop’s spices into the mix!

Finally, I sauteéd the turnip greens in a little white wine and olive oil for just a few minutes until they turned a bright shade of green. I removed them from heat and added a little maple syrup and dijon mustard, as well as dehydrated shallots from… of course, Savory Spice Shop.

A sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper and you have yourself a meal.

Rhubarb is in season, which means I am serving rhubarb for dessert. I spiced-up my Peach Cobbler recipe slightly and came up with a very satisfying treat.

I started with 6-8 stalks of rhubarb (tops cut off) and coarsely chopped them into bite-sized chunks. I added these to a sauce pan on medium heat and cooked them down with 1/4 cup maple syrup until they were softened. I did not cook this until it was a completely mushy mess because it needed to be baked. I just got it started and incorporated some maple into it.

I poured it into a Pyrex pie pan and topped it with a mixture from my peach Cobbler Recipe.

Then I baked it at 350 for approximately 30 minutes until it looked ready to eat. I let it cool a bit… patiently.

I served it with homemade maple whipped cream.

This month’s Taste & Create inspired me to tweak my Best Walnut Banana Bread recipe just a bit, thanks to Tamy and Always Eat On the Good China. It took me a few tries to perfect my own banana bread recipe, and now I’m ready to start creating a few new variations. Here is a new one for me.

I immediately went to my Best Banana Walnut Bread Recipe. Then I realized I was out of some ingredients. Good planning on my part (smile). So I altered the flour in my recipe as follows: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup unbleached white flour, and 1/2 cup crushed rolled oats.

Other than the flour substitutions, I followed my banana walnut bread recipe and added some great ideas from Tamy, such as 1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened), 2 teaspoons granulated ginger, 2 crushed cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and zest from one large navel orange. I added some chocolate chips to half of my batch to mix it up a little.

I baked muffins. I just now realized that I baked Aussie bites (also muffins) for last month’s Taste & Create. What’s up with me and muffins lately? Are all of my Vita-Mix smoothies making me crave muffins?

There is, in my and many locals’ opinion, nothing better than a Hazel Dell mushroom. They are quite simply the best mushrooms you can buy around here. They really make a meal.

Now, I don’t eat red meat, so the entire meal was actually a grilled steak topped with a mushroom saute, hon tsai tai, and freshly baked bread with Camembert cheese. I just ate the side dishes…

I sautéed some shiitake and cremini mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I added a little white wine and let them cook a little before adding a tablespoon or so of dehydrated chopped shallots from Savory Spice Shop. Everything is better when Savory Spice Shop is involved!

And my dinner was: bread and cheese, mushrooms, and greens… but it was perfect for me.