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Old 11-18-2005, 09:25 PM   #1  
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Arrow Anyone Else Love Rutabagas?

I love rutabagas. In fact they are one of my favorite veggies of all time!

I wasn't sure what the calorie count was compared to other root veggies so I was surprised how relatively low cal they are. According to Calorieking.com, here are the calorie counts for 4 oz of each (boiled, no butter or milk added):

Yam 132 calories
Potato 106 calories
Sweet Potato 86 calories
Rutabaga 44 calories

I like rutabagas mashed with salt, pepper and a pat or butter or Smart Balance Spread. Yum!

If you are not familiar with rutabagas (in England they are called Swedes - go figure! ) here is how to cook them. Cut off ends and peel. Cut into 1" cubes - careful - they are quite hard to cut so you need a sturdy cutting board and sharp knife. I like to cut them in half first and put them flat side down to get a safe grip.

Cover them with water in a large pan and add a teaspoon of salt. Boil till soft - about 20 minutes. Drain well (or they will be watery) and mash with pepper, salt and a pat of butter or light margarine. I use an imersion blender to mash them so that they aren't too lumpy as it seems to work better than a potato masher. I could just eat a big bowl right now!

Last edited by penpal; 11-19-2005 at 01:17 PM.
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Old 11-18-2005, 09:59 PM   #2  
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Ok, I am going to sound like a major idiot, but what does a rutabaga look like? I have never eaten one--ever, I'm not even sure that I have even seen one. And aren't they the veggie that is confused with the radish? Also, is this the veggie that one can bake almost like faux-french fries? And, it is a vegatable, right?
Wow, I have a lot of rutabaga inspired questions here!

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Old 11-19-2005, 12:40 PM   #3  
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Rutabagas are in the turnip family, but they don't taste like turnips. You'll find them in the grocery stores here in the States next to the turnips. They are usually about 5" across, round with a pointed end. The flesh in peachy colored, not white like a turnip, and they have a rich creamy taste when mashed with salt, pepper and a little butter. They are a good lower-carb alternative to potatoes.

They are also good diced and added to soups such as beef/vegetable.

Here is a recipe for rutabaga fries from Calorieking (I haven't tried it yet but it looks good).



Ingredients:

2 rutabagas (about 34 oz. total)
1 butter flavored cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
1 dash of Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste
Directions:
Place your oven rack at the lowest setting in your oven. Preheat oven and cookie sheet to 450ºF.

Peel the rutabagas and cut into strips the size of steak fries. Toss the fries with the olive oil until coated. Sprinkle lightly with salt and toss again.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly place the fries on it in a single layer; return to the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and cooked to your liking. Serve with ketchup, if desired.
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Old 11-19-2005, 02:12 PM   #4  
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i like them also. they taste good with mashed carrots mixed together. glen
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Old 11-19-2005, 02:29 PM   #5  
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I made them once about a year ago and I didn't like them. I thought they were too much work for too little reward (too pungent/spicy). But if I got other ideas about how to cook them I might try them again. Those 'fries' sound like they'd be good.
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Old 11-19-2005, 03:02 PM   #6  
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I like Glen's idea of mashing them with cooked carrots

phantastica - Maybe the ones you cooked were too mature. I always buy smaller ones (younger). They are also easier to handle.

Here is a fun website for "The Advanced Rutabaga Studies Institue" http://members.tripod.com/~rutabagas/

I just found out that November is National Rutabaga Month! Here is a link to lots of rutabaga recipes http://southernfood.about.com/od/tur...utabagarecipes
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Old 11-21-2005, 01:27 PM   #7  
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My mom always mashed them with cooked carrots, which tends to make them sweeter. They also look pretty with the 2 colors.
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Old 11-21-2005, 08:56 PM   #8  
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Hi Pat,

I must try them mashed with carrots To me, rutabagas already taste quite sweet, so I would think with carrot they would almost taste like sweet potatoes!

By the way, I have since tried the rutabaga fries recipe I posted and they were great! My hubby liked them a lot and said I should make them again. They were very easy to make and turned out nice and browned but a bit softer than a potato french fry. I only used about a teaspoon of olive oil to toss them in and they are a lot less calories than potatoes.

An interesting fact: rutabagas are in the cabbage family and are cruciferous vegetables - and we know how good they are for us! They are also rich in beta carotene. I hope more people will try them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Old 11-22-2005, 12:43 AM   #9  
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I bought a rutabaga yesterday....I'll boil it up tomorrow...thanks, Penny!!
Well - maybe I should thank you after I've tried it...funny looking thing...(the rutabaga - just for the record)
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Old 11-22-2005, 04:51 PM   #10  
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Hi Gina,

I hope you enjoy your rutabaga!

Happy Thanksgiving!
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Old 11-23-2005, 08:30 PM   #11  
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It was pretty good - I sliced it, steamed it with some carrots and an apple. Then I smashed it all up and added some ginger and splenda. Delish!

Thanks Penny!
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Old 11-24-2005, 09:58 AM   #12  
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In Canada we always called them turnips until about 5 years ago when the changed it to Rutabaga. That is also when we started getting the little white turnips with the purple end on them. I love turnips especially raw, they are crisp and chewy and spicy a great thing to have on the crudite tray.

We always have them at holidays and mash them with butter and a bit of brown sugar. Guess that will change this year.
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Old 11-25-2005, 01:24 PM   #13  
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Hi Sherri,

I like turnips too - especially nowadays that they sell much smaller (younger) turnips and rutabagas. Years ago, they were so huge and hard to cut up - also a lot stronger tasting. I love the Scottish nickname for turnips and rutabags - "neeps" as in the dish "bashed neeps" (mashed turnips or rutabagas). It reminds me of Monty Python's Knights Who Say "Neep"
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Old 11-30-2005, 11:51 AM   #14  
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Hi, I just joined this site although I used to look at it all the time about 4 years ago. It's good to see it's even more popular now.

I really love rutabagas - or turnips as I call them. In Scotland they are very popular and as you said are called neeps. We pretty much eat them boiled and mashed and often served with haggis! But as they are a free food on Weight Watchers it's good to find other uses for them.

There are a couple of wee things I like to make with them. One is a kind of corned beef (canned) hash. This is a real comfort food but a good way of getting in those veggies. Boil up turnip and carrots and mash, do the same with some potatoes and then mix together. Meanwhile soften a chopped onion in a frying pan and add chopped canned corned beef and fry till it's all soft and broken up mix this with the veggies and then put under a grill to crisp the top. I normally have this with cabbage on the side. It looks a bit like baby food but it tastes great and you can have a huge plateful!

The other tip I have is when you boil the turnip, don't throw away the water. It's great to add to stews or soups as it has a lovely sweet flavour.

I live in Spain now and have yet to see turnips here, so all this talk is making me wish I could get my hands on some right now.
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Old 12-01-2005, 10:22 AM   #15  
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Ok, everyone.
This thread convinced me.

Last night at the grocery store I bought a rutabega. *nods*

I want to use up my potatoes first, but I have grand things in mind for mashed rutabega and carrot medly.
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