Are you a pickle nut like me? Then I urge you to make this soup ASAP. I did not know dill pickle soup existed until my family went to a restaurant called The Fountain on Locust for my sister’s birthday a few months back. It’s one of their specialties. Thick and creamy from the potatoes, with lots of saltiness from the pickles, and the fresh tang of dill — it was clearly a dish I needed to add to my repertoire. I finally got around to making it. I like my version even more.

(If you’re in St. Louis and looking for a fun restaurant, definitely check The Fountain on Locust out. It’s a soda fountain with neat art deco decor, a million delicious drinks, and a gluten-free menu.)

• 1 1/2 pounds starchy potatoes (5 small to medium sized), peeled and cubed
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 cup pickle brine
• 8 ounces dill pickle spears (7-8 spears), diced
• 1/2 ounce fresh dill, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)

1. Heat a medium-sized pot with a lid over medium heat. Film the pan with oil. Once hot, add the onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Add the potatoes, broth, and pickle brine. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.
3. Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) to blend until smooth. If using a standing blender, remove the middle piece from the lid and cover with a towel to allow steam to escape while blending.
4. Return pureed soup to the pot. Add in pickles and dill. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes, and serve. Garnish with extra pickles or dill if desired.

(Serves 4)

Remember that the pickles and brine are pretty salty, so you don’t want to use a really salty broth. I actually used these vegan boullion cubes at half strength.

When blending the soup, you want to stop when it is just pureed. The soup can end up kind of gummy if you blend it for too long.

I’m also sharing this recipe in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursdays, and Wellness Weekends.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

Tapas restaurants rank among my favorite. I come from a family of sharers. We go out to eat, and everyone tries some of everyone else’s food. Tapas is pretty much perfect.

Patatas bravas translates to spicy or fierce potatoes. (I’m partial to fierce.) As you might guess, it’s potatoes in a spicy sauce. It was always a favorite dish until we found out that Mike needed to be gluten-free. (It seems most restaurants put flour in theirs — way to ruin a perfectly good gluten-free vegetarian food guys.)

After some internet searching it appears that many restaurants serve their potatoes with the sauce drizzled over the top or on the side, but our favorite tapas restaurant always served the potatoes in the sauce, so that’s what I did here.

• 1 pound russet potatoes (~3 medium potatoes)
• ~4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• heaping 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise again. Slice into 1/2 inch segments.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the potatoes and salt. Stir well, then spread the potatoes out in a single layer.
3. Scrape the pan and give the potatoes a stir every 5-10 minutes. If they look like they’re browning too much on the outside, lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until potatoes are brown and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, finely mince the garlic. Heat a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the other 2 teaspoons of olive oil; once hot, add the garlic and saute about 1 minute. Then add the tomato sauce, vinegar, and seasonings. Stir and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes to half an hour, then remove from heat.
5. Once the potatoes are finished, top with the sauce and serve immediately.

(Serves 2 as a main, 4 as an appetizer)

The potatoes lose their crispiness the longer they sit in the sauce, so you want to serve them right away. If you’re thinking, “why did I go to all the trouble of making crispy potatoes to sauce them up and make them mushy?” you’re welcome to serve the sauce on the side as a dipping sauce as I noted earlier. As I said, I prepared them this way mainly for nostalgia’s sake.

Apparently it’s pretty common for patatas bravas to be served with allioli, which is a sauce made with olive oil, garlic, and salt. If that sounds tasty to you, check out the dressing from my potato salad. (It does include egg which makes it more of a mayonnaise, but it’s close.)

I’m sharing this recipe in These Chicks Cooked, Full Plate Thursday, and Wellness Weekends.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

You’ve probably never been working away in the kitchen and had the thought, “what I really need is a good sprouted mung bean fritter recipe.”

Neither have I.

But I spend a lot of time thinking about food, and this means I spend a lot of time thinking up kitchen adventures. A week or so ago I decided I wanted to sprout some mung beans. I’ve never tried sprouting before. (Well, maybe once in 2nd grade I sprouted a lima bean in a plastic baggy with a wet paper towel, but I’m not sure that counts). But I do know that I love sprouts. They have that distinctive “sprouty” taste. (How else would you describe it?) I followed a tutorial on Addicted to Veggies for sprouting red quinoa and it worked perfectly.

Then I had my sprouts, but I didn’t really have anything to do with them. I munched on them plain, but I had a lot of sprouts. And Mike wasn’t helping. I needed a dish. Luckily that same impulse that made me sprout mung beans also told me I should make some fritters. (Also not something I do, ever.) So here’s a recipe you probably were never asking for, but it is pretty tasty — and good if you’re feeling a bit on the wacky side.

• 2/3 cup sorghum flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• crushed red pepper flakes
• sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cup sprouted mung beans
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• thumb sized piece of ginger, finely minced (1 heaping tablespoon)
• 2 green onions, minced (1 tablespoon)
• peanut oil

1. Pour about 2 inches of oil in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot or wok. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the sorghum flour, baking powder, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a large pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg and coconut milk together, then stir into the flour mixture. It should look like you have a thick pancake batter. If it’s a little too thick, add a couple splashes of coconut milk.
3. Add the mung beans, shredded coconut, ginger, and green onions. Mix well.
4. When the oil is hot enough, drop spoonfuls of the batter into the oil. Only fry 3 or 4 at a time. Fry about 1 1/2 minutes per side, until fritter is golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain, then place on paper towels or paper to absorb the oil. Repeat until all the batter has been used. Serve immediately.

(Makes ~15 fritters)

I know mung beans aren’t the easiest bean to come by, so if you can’t find them I suggest using lentils.

I used sorghum flour because it’s probably my favorite gluten-free flour, but I think rice flour, especially sweet white rice flour would be great. Or maybe some chickpea flour (also called besan).

I’m also sharing this recipe in Full Plate Thursday and These Chicks Cooked.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

This month Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger is being hosted by yours truly. What is Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger? It’s a monthly blogging event started by Sea Maiden at Book of Yum. Each month people choose to “adopt” a gluten-free blogger and make one or more of their recipes. (It’s a great way to work through your bookmarked recipe list). Then they write about the recipes they made. The host then writes a big post sharing everyone’s adoptions. If you want to play along there’s still time to sign-up.

My adoptee this month is Shirley from Gluten Free Easily. Shirley is the cheerleader of the gluten-free blogosphere. She makes me think of warm fuzzies. She’s always stopping in with something nice to say. (She easily wins the prize for most comments on this site, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she holds that position on many other blogs). She’s just one of those people that goes through life being kind to everyone.

She’s also been cooking up a storm judging by her recipe index. Shirley’s been gluten-free since 2003, so she has lots of practice. I narrowed the list down to two recipes to try: Simple Roasted Chickpeas and Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup.

I’ve made roasted chickpeas once, maybe twice. It’s one of those things that you love the idea, then you try it and think it’s great! Then you forget about it for a while until someone mentions it again. I spotted it on her recipe list; that was all the nudge I needed. Her recipe calls for ground cayenne, although she’s quick to note that all sorts of other seasonings work as well. I don’t keep ground cayenne, as I’m more of a fan of crushed red pepper flakes, but I didn’t think they’d do as good of a job of coating the chickpeas, so I used smoked paprika. Delicious! I think some cumin and garlic powder would be nice too. Or garam masala. I like her Old Bay suggestion as well.

Pumpkin soup, on the other hand, is not something I’ve ever made. (Plenty of squash soups, but never pumpkin). And this recipe made it easy with the use of canned pumpkin. I did substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and I ended up using soy milk. Mike loved it. It had an interesting balance of sweet and savory. The ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar made it like pumpkin pie filling, but then the onions put it back in savory land. The spices were light, so the pumpkin flavor really shone through. It was smooth, creamy, and filling.

The great thing about these two recipes is that they really are a snap to make. In half an hour, you could have creamy pumpkin soup with spicy roasted chickpeas. A perfect fall dinner.

Thanks to Shirley for her delectable recipes, and if you’d like to join in and adopt a blogger, here’s the page to sign-up.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

No worries, no fish eggs here. (Mike looked horrified when I said I was making mushroom caviar). It’s just a simple mushroom spread — a little something I made for zakuski.

Don’t know what zakuski is? Neither did I until a few weeks ago when Nikki at Art & Lemons chose zakuski as the theme for October’s Monthly Mingle. Zakuski is a Russian tradition that I’ve seen likened to meze or antipasto. It’s a spread of hot and cold foods put out for guests before the main meal is served. And there’s vodka. I don’t think it counts as zakuski without vodka.

I found many dish suggestions: vegetable dips, pickles, bean salads, and hearty bread. But mushroom caviar came up multiple times, and my love for mushrooms won out.

Of course, I needed something to spoon the mushrooms over. Blini are frequently referred to as Russian pancakes. They’re traditionally yeasted and made with buckwheat flour. I’ve seen large blini, made of very wet batter, that are thin like crepes. I’ve also seen them made small and thicker, like pancakes. Mine fall in the latter category. They’re 2-3 inches across and sturdy enough to hold toppings.

Mushroom Caviar

• 1 pound mushrooms, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1. Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter. Once butter is melted, add the onion. Cook about 5 minutes, until just starting to turn golden.
2. Add the mushrooms, a couple large pinches of salt, and a few cranks of pepper. Cook for a few minutes until mushrooms start to release their juices. Add the white wine and increase heat to medium-high. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has cooked off.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes. Stir in the dill, sour cream, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Buckwheat Blini

• 1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk (105-110 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted plus more to grease pan
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Mix the buckwheat flour, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Stir in the warm milk. Cover, and set in a warm place to rise for around 1 hour.
2. Stir in the butter, egg yolk, and buttermilk. Whip the egg white into soft peaks and gently fold into the batter. Cover and allow to sit 30 minutes more.
3. Heat a large frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Film the pan with butter. Once melted, drop in spoonfuls of batter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Blini are ready to be flipped when the batter forms bubbles, one minute or so. Cook another half-minute to a minute, then remove from pan. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing the pan every few batches, until all the batter has been used.

There are two serving options. Serve “family style” by placing mushroom caviar in a bowl with blini nearby and allow people to spoon their own topping (and maybe keep some extra sour cream nearby). Or spoon mushrooms over blini so individual bites are ready to be munched.

(Serves 4 as a main, 8-10 as an appetizer)

Mike and I ate these at room temperature. (Pictures had to be taken first.) But, if you wanted to serve these warm, I would turn the oven on low — around 200 degrees Fahrenheit — and keep the blini in there, then work on the mushrooms. Or make it a two person job.

I suppose there’s also the option to skip the blini entirely and pull out some crackers or flatbread.

Before you add the buttermilk, the blini batter will be very dry. It will increase in size when you let it rest. Once it’s been rested, it should be springy when touched. Once everything is mixed, the batter can be kept in the refrigerator overnight, if you want to get a head-start the night before. In fact, many recipes encourage you to let the batter sit overnight.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

There are not one, but two events this month featuring coconut as the star ingredient. Healing Foods is being hosted by Saffron Streaks, and Veggie/Fruit a Month returns to its home base at Mharo Rajasthan’s Recipes. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous about this ingredient. While I’ve used coconut milk plenty of times, I haven’t done much cooking with actual coconut. While each event said cooking with any form of coconut–coconut milk included–would count, I felt that was kind of cheating. I was going to use actual coconut. And not for dessert, for a “real food.” So I went with the simplest thing I could think of, which is soup, because soup is pretty hard to mess up.

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 large bell pepper (orange, yellow, or red), chopped
• 1 large plantain, sliced into quarters lengthwise, then into 1/4-inch segments
• 1 cup diced coconut meat or unsweetened coconut flakes/chips
• 1/2 cup masoor dal
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

1. Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the oil. Once melted add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add in remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, partially covered, for around 45 minutes.
3. Taste and adjust for seasoning and serve.

(Serves 4-6)

I did indeed buy a whole coconut and dig out the coconut meat. (Well really, I bought the coconut, and Mike dug out the coconut meat.) I’ve seen many recipe writers call for unsweetened coconut flakes, but I have yet to come across them. If you can find them, I imagine they’re a lot easier to work with than chopping up a whole coconut. (That’s just my guess.)

Masoor dal are split red lentils. They cook pretty quickly. Here they’re used as a thickener. If you can’t find them, you can try yellow split peas or even plain brown lentils. Make sure to give the soup a good stir every now and then to help break down the lentils.

As we learned with the fried plantains, plantains are a good potato substitute. They’re a bit sweeter, but they are starchy like potatoes. It stands to reason that the exchange works the other way as well. If you can’t find a plantain, use a medium-large starchy potato, like a russet.

I’m also sharing this recipe in Hearth and Soul Hop,  These Chicks Cooked, Full Plate Thursday, and Wellness Weekend.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

Show of hands, who likes to peel squash? Hmm, no one? Well my friends, do I have a tip for you. Did you know there’s a squash you can roast and eat, skin and all? It’s true, and it’s called delicata squash. While it shows up about the same time of year as the winter squash, it turns out it’s the same species as summer squash such as zucchini and patty pan. Perhaps this is why the skin is edible? Here I’m using it as a base for a recipe to submit to No Croutons Required, a monthly event that challenges bloggers to make a soup or salad using a certain ingredient, this month being squash.

Quinoa Squash Salad

• 2 medium delicata squash
• 1 cup cooked red quinoa
• 2 well-packed cups baby spinach
• vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the ends off of each squash. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Thinly slice into semi-circles.
2. Place squash in a large casserole dish. Lightly drizzle with vegetable oil. Toss to coat. Place in the oven and roast, tossing once or twice, for one hour to one hour fifteen minutes until squash is very soft and starting to brown. Remove from the oven.
3. Immediately mix the squash with the quinoa and the baby spinach. Add in the Honey Paprika Vinaigrette (see below) to taste. Mix well and serve immediately.

Honey Paprika Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Whisk together all ingredients except the olive oil, until the honey is thoroughly incorporated and the salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

The salad is intended to be served warm. It helps if the quinoa is also freshly made and therefore also warm. It should take around 20-25 minutes to cook up a pot.

My favorite part of the recipe is the dressing. It’s the first part I thought up. The smokiness of the paprika balances nicely against the sweetness from the honey. Regular paprika will work if you can’t find the smoked kind. I liked an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika on top. Mike preferred it without.

I should also add that I only used about half of the dressing. You can make a full batch, use as needed, and maybe have some leftovers. Or make half the recipe, and it will probably be enough. Before you make that decision, take note of the paragraph below.

Mike and I are the type of people who are happy to eat a salad with only vinegar and no oil. I find standard vinaigrette recipes much too oily. Even though this recipe has a 1:1 ratio of oil to vinegar and water, we still felt it was a bit too oily. If you, like us, are in the pro-vinegar camp, you might want to reduce the olive oil to 2 tablespoons.

This recipe is also making an appearance in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

Did you know that artichokes have two peak seasons? Most people think of artichokes as a spring vegetable, but they do have another peak in the fall. I decided to make use of artichoke season and try something beyond the standard steamed preparation.

• 2 large globe artichokes
• 3/4 cup pearl onions, peeled and ends removed
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• lemon wedges (for garnish)
• extra virgin olive oil or a few pats of butter (for garnish)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a sharp, heavy knife, slice off the stem and top of each artichoke. Pull off the tough outer leaves. Trim the ends of any remaining leaves using scissors. Slice the artichokes into quarters lengthwise. Use a paring knife or spoon to scoop out the fuzzy “choke”.
2. Place the artichokes and onions in a large casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Add a few large pinches of salt and a few good cranks of black pepper. Mix well so that everything is coated.
3. Place dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, rotating the artichokes one or twice, until artichokes are browned and pierce easily with a sharp knife. Remove from the oven.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with extra virgin olive oil or butter and some lemon wedges.

(Serves 4)

Like apples, artichokes will discolor once cut. You can dip the artichoke in water with some lemon juice added to stop the discoloration. Or you can work fast and be OK with a little bit of browning.

Depending on how much you pruned when you were preparing the artichokes, the outer leaves will probably not be entirely edible. You can pull the leaves off and eat the lighter-colored end by pulling the leaf between your teeth. The inner leaves should all be OK for eating though.

The pearl onions came about when inspiration struck while I was at the grocery store. At the time I wasn’t thinking about how obnoxious it would be to peel that many. While not difficult it is time-consuming. You could achieve a similar taste by using shallots or small onions cut into fourths or eighths, depending on the size.

I think the artichokes would work great as an appetizer or could work as a main course next to a pilaf.

These artichokes are also being shared in Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Mele Cotte.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

I seem to always have beets around lately. I had a failed attempt at pickled beets. But the pickled turnips were a success. They used a beet, but only one. That left me with the rest of a bunch to use. As much as I love the roasted beet plus goat cheese combo, I wanted to try something different. (And I didn’t want to turn on the oven.) I started thinking of other dishes made with beets. Borscht! It’s been on my list of foods to make for a while now. Since it is summer, I thought a chilled borscht was in order.

Chilled Borscht:

• 1 1/2 pounds beets
• 1 medium-large onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 6 cups water or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• sea salt
• kefir, sour cream, or plain yogurt (for garnish)
• hard boiled eggs (for garnish)
• chilled boiled potatoes (for garnish)
• extra lemon wedges (for garnish)

1. Wash and peel the beets. Shred using a box grater or food processor.
2. Heat a medium-large pot over medium heat. Film the bottom of the pot with oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and golden and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the beets and the water or stock to the pot. (If using water, add a couple large pinches of salt.) Increase heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until beets are completely tender, 45 minutes to an hour.
4. Remove from heat and stir in dill and lemon juice. Allow pot to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

(Serves 4-6)

An optional fifth step would be to skim any hardened fat off of the soup after it’s cooled. You can certainly skip the chilling step and serve the soup hot if you prefer.

In case some of you are not interested in soup, even if it is chilled, I also made a raw beet and fennel salad.

Raw Beet Fennel Salad:

• 3/4 pound beets
• 1/4 pound fennel (bulb only), plus snipped fennel fronds for garnish
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt

1. Wash and peel the beets. Shred the beets and fennel using a box grater or food processor. Place in a large mixing bowl. Zest lemon over mixture.
2. In a separate bowl, mix orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Whisk well. Pour over beet/fennel mixture. Season liberally with salt. Toss well.
3. Salad can be served immediately or allowed to marinate.

(Serves 4-6)

I used golden beets as I thought they’d make a pretty sunshine-y salad. What I had not anticipated is that the longer you let the salad marinate, the more the beets lose their color and turn an ugly brown-gray color. If you’re going to use golden beets, I’d suggest serving shortly after the salad is made. Or you could make the salad with red beets, and I think you’d have less of an issue with the color fading.

So go find yourself some beets. While many people think of them as a cold weather food, they are in season right now. You’ll probably have better chances of finding the smaller, more tender ones. If you don’t have issues with firing up the oven, you could also try this Beet Salad with Almonds I posted forever ago. Or make a roasted beet and goat cheese salad.

Also shared in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday,  Hearth and Soul Hop, and Wellness Weekends.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

You are perhaps wondering how pickled turnips and lentil salad fit together.

When we first moved back to St. Louis, we went with Mike’s parents to a nearby Lebanese restaurant. I ordered a kabob. When it came out it had a little pile of hot pink vegetables on top. After some taste-testing we determined that they were pickled turnips. And they were good. I did my best to ration them out so I could have some in every bite. The kabob was tasty, but the reason I’m telling you this story two months later is because of the pickled turnips. They stole the show.

If it’s not obvious, I’ve been thinking about them ever since. I wanted to make the turnips, but I needed something to serve them over. Lentils always strike me as a Mediterranean food (especially since the mujadara). I figured I’d season them up with Mediterranean spices and use them as a base to show off my beautiful turnips.

And if you’ve been wondering, “but why are they are hot pink?” it’s because they’re pickled with a beet to give them color.

For the pickled turnips:

• 4 small-medium turnips (~1 pound)
• 1 small-medium beet
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

1. Wash and peel the turnips and beet. Slice into rounds about 1/4-inch thick. Pack into a quart jar, interspersing the beets between the turnips.
2. Heat the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-heat until salt is dissolved. Pour over the turnips and beets. Push the garlic down into the jar.
3. Seal the jar and refrigerate. Allow to sit 4-5 days before opening.

(Makes 1 quart)

For the lentils:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon za’atar
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 cups water
• sea salt
• olive oil

1. Heat a medium-sized pot over medium-heat. Film the pot with oil. Add the onions and garlic, cook until onions are golden and just beginning to brown.
2. Clear a spot in the pot and add the cumin, coriander and red pepper. Allow to become fragrant, about half a minute, then stir into the onions. Stir in the lentils, water, za’atar, and a large pinch of salt. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are tender and the water is mostly absorbed, about 45 minutes to an hour.
3. Once the lentils are tender, remove from heat, angle the lid over the top of the pot and allow to rest about 10 minutes.

To assemble the salad:

• 1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 large lemon, cut into wedges
• 6-10 slices of pickled turnip (1-2 slices per serving), sliced into strips
• cooked lentils from above

1. Divide lettuce between bowls. Spoon a generous helping of lentils over the lettuce. Place turnips strips on top. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

(Serves 4-6)

I kept the seasoning for the pickled turnips pretty basic. Many recipes include a dried chili for some heat. Celery leaves were another common ingredient.

I mentioned za’atar before in my falafel recipe. It is a spice mixture from the Middle East. While the spices can vary, my mixture includes oregano, thyme, savory, sumac and sesame seeds.

The salad is equally good with warm or cold lentils. I find that a squeeze of lemon is all I need for dressing.

I’m sharing this recipe in My Legume Love Affair. This month it’s hosted by Preeti of Relishing Recipes. It’s also appearing in Full Plate Thursday, Seasonal Sunday and Wellness Weekends.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)