Rumbledethumps

In our house the month of March is kind of a big deal. With a husband who is proud of his British Isles heritage, we try to use every excuse available to celebrate it, especially as we await warmer weather. We start the month of March on the 1st, celebrating St. David’s Day with Welsh potato leek soup. (You can find the recipe here: https://www.wordpress.com/post/vegtutor.com/57). St. David was a 6th century bishop, a vegetarian and he is the patron saint of Wales. On March 17, we move on to St. Patrick’s Day and celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, famous for bringing Christianity to that country. It’s a great opportunity for vegetarians to feast on multiple potato dishes and Irish soda bread. Recently we learned of another dish popular in Scotland. Using modest ingredients it is easy to see how Scottish Rumbledethumps would be a simple comfort food sure to keep you warm when cold winds howl across the moors. Plus, Rumbledethumps is just plain fun to say — that alone may keep the kids asking for it for it for dinner!

This Scottish one-dish meal is made from easy to find ingredients. There are several recipes online that I looked at before coming up with this version. We love Rumbledethumps. I hope you like it, too.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

2 turnips peeled and cubed

1 head green cabbage, chopped

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup organic butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup veggie cheddar cheese (I used Daiya brand)

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot boil potatoes and turnips until fork tender, then drain. Mash and set aside.

Place organic butter and olive oil in another large pot and heat over low heat until butter melts. Then add the chopped cabbage and onions and cook covered on medium heat until wilted, but not brown (stir often). Remove from heat.

Add: 1/2 cup veggie cheese (reserve the other half for topping), nutritional yeast, and the mashed potato/turnip mixture. Stir all together with with a large spoon, and add salt and pepper to your taste.

Place entire mixture in a large sprayed glass casserole dish and spread reserved half cup cheese on top. Cover with a lid or foil.

Cook in preheated oven for 30 – 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese topping is slightly brown.

Enjoy!

Coleslaw Crunch Salad

This is a recipe that has been making the rounds in Berks County for a couple of years now. I’ve made a few alterations to make it more acceptable for a healthy diet. The recipe makes a huge amount, so use a very large salad bowl to mix and serve. Easy to make and requiring only a few simple ingredients, it is perfect as a take along dish for picnics or group dinners. Everyone will love it!

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. vegetarian ramen soup noodles

1 16oz. bag coleslaw mix with carrots

1 c. raw sunflower seeds(Once I ran out of sunflower seeds and substituted 1/2 c. pine nuts and 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds, which worked just fine)

1 c. slivered almonds

1/2 c. sweetener (raw or white sugar, agave, or honey. Use honey only if you intend to eat all the salad that day — honey contains enzymes that will cause the slaw to wilt by the second day)

1/3 c. vinegar

1/4 – 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

diced scallions (optional)

Method:

Combine coleslaw, nuts, scallions, and crushed ramen noodles (reserve seasoning packets)

Just before serving mix together: oil, sweetener, vinegar, and the two ramen flavor packets. Pour this dressing over other ingredients in the bowl, and toss to evenly coat. Serve.