Rutabagas (Simple)
Do you like root veggies? If you do and you have not tried rutabagas, I would say for you to give this simple recipe a try. I have loved rutabagas from childhood. They are one of my top 10 vegetables. I like to mix it in a dish with kale and rice or just with rice alone. They are often a side vegetable with your meal.
Rutabagas are known as Swedish turnips and they are packed with nutrition! Indeed, this tasty root vegetable has an array of health benefits, including positive improvement to blood pressure, bone health, cancer, constipation, eyesight, gastrointestinal distress, immune health, osteoporosis, and weight loss. Other health benefits include reproductive health, protein synthesis, DNA replication, and energy production (See the article on rutabagas from Healthline). This cruciferous vegetable’s nutrient profile contains vitamin B-6, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, folate, iron, manganese, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, zinc, and more. Rutabagas also contain two powerful organic compounds, such as glucosinolates, which are sulfur-containing compounds that gives off a pungent scent and spicy flavor, in addition to its yellowish fat-soluble carotenoids. Rutabagas are similar to potatoes in that they can be eaten as a dessert or eaten as a vegetable. The article below relates the health benefits of the rutabaga in detail. Read the article from Organic Facts on rutabagas to understand how eating this vegetable can improve your health!
Olive oil adds to the taste of this dish. I imagine if you are oil-free you may green olive brine to your water while it cooks, replacing perhaps half a cup of water. I have not tried doing this yet, but I imagine it will work. If you use olive oil, I think this makes the dish.
I eat them plain or add them to greens, like kale. Yum!! I don’t want to keep you waiting; so without further ado, here is the recipe.
Simple Rutabagas
Ingredients:
- 1 large rutabaga (about 2 pounds)
- 4 c. pure water
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1-2 Tbs. agave nectar/honey or to taste
- ½ tsp. salt or to taste
Instructions:
- Peel and cut rutabaga it into ½-inch cubes.
- Place the rutabaga into a pot and add water. Add oil, salt, and sweetener to water.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with lid, and cook for about 30 minutes until rutabaga is fork-tender. Drain the water, if necessary.
- Taste and add more salt and agave, if necessary.
