Home Grown Tomatoes presents: Turnip the Volume

I 100% could not resist the absolutely ridiculous title - it's been lurking in the back of my brain since deciding on this post, so I figured, what the hell? As you guessed it, we're exploring the strange little land of the turnip. I always remember turnip as that "required" vegetable at Thanksgiving that looked like potato, but did not even remotely compare (remember, these are 9 year old taste buds we're talking about here).

This past summer Beau grew turnips, much to my surprise. So when it came time to do my part in "gardening," I began to explore the white and purple wonder. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty proud of this recipe. But I must confess, it isn't the healthiest side dish in the world, but all will be forgotten (and hopefully forgiven) once you indulge.

Turnip 'n' Cheese:

Serving: 4 polite people, 2 otherwise

1 large turnip (shredded)

1 small yellow onion (diced)

3 Tbs (heaping) of butter (I use Earth Balance, for the vegan version)

6 oz cheddar cheese (Follow Your Heart Vegan "Cheddar Cheese")

Black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp - 1 tsp onion powder

Start by sauteing the onions and butter on medium heat. Once the onion is translucent, go ahead and add the shredded turnip. Let the turnip cook for a few minutes (it really doesn't take long) and then add the shredded cheese. I let the cheese melt for about a minute, and then turn the heat down to low. Add the onion powder and black pepper. Continue to stir and work the ingredients so everything is mixed together well.

The whole dish from start to finish only takes about 10 minutes, but it won't hurt to leave it on low for a few extra minutes until you are ready to serve. This recipe is easily adaptable to any diet just by substituting the butter and cheese for whatever you prefer. If you are using regular cheese, I would maybe suggest using a bit less (than the 6oz) to start with and maybe get the heat to low before you add it (as I imagine, it will melt MUCH faster than vegan cheese does). Nonetheless, however you make it, this little number resembles macaroni and cheese, but there's a bit of unexpected finesse added with the subtle horseradish flavor the turnip possesses. It's a dish that is both tasty and different, which I think makes for a winning combination. Enjoy!

Home Grown Tomatoes is a weekly Vegan/Vegetarian column by Giovanina Bucci