Kohlrabi - what is it?

Have you ever eaten a kohlrabi? I hadn't until I got one in our CSA box. I was about ready to give it to a co-worker when Doug went online and found out what it was. He thought we should try it. He now likes this veggie a lot and even eats it raw from the salad bar at Whole Foods. These little sputnik-shaped vegetables come in green or purple, can be eaten raw or cooked, and taste a lot like a raw potato. The word kohlrabi is German for cabbage turnip (kohl as in cole-slaw, and rübe for turnip) though kohlrabi is more related to cabbage and cauliflower than to root vegetables. We usually eat them raw, just peeled, sliced and added to a salad, but they are also delicious cooked and are often used in Indian cuisine. I used some in a stir fry too.

I found several recipes on the Internet and let Doug pick which one he thought he'd like. The first time we used it in a kohlrabi, apple and fennel salad. We combined a couple of recipes and omitted some items. As I mentioned earlier I also used them in a tossed salad and a kale salad. Below are a couple of recipes I found.



Purple or red Kohlrabi



Green Kohlrabi

KOHLRABI & APPLE SLAW with CREAMY COLESLAW DRESSING

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Makes 4 cups, easily adapted for less

DRESSING
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon good mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt & pepper to taste - go easy here
Fresh mint, chopped
1 pound fresh kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, grated or cut into batons with a Benriner
2 apples, peeled, grated or cut into batons (try to keep equivalent volumes of kohlrabi:apple)
Whisk cream into light pillows - this takes a minute or so, no need to get out a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients, the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Half Cup: 46 Cal (26% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 64% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 2 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 8 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb5; 5 g Sugar; 21 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 24 mg Sodium; 5 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points
Per Cup: 93 Cal (26% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 64% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 5 g Fiber; NetCarb12; 10 g Sugar; 43 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 48 mg Sodium; 10 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

The above recipe can be found here - http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2008/02/kohlrabi-apple-slaw-with-creamy.html


ROASTED KOHLRABI

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)
1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (garlic is optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar
Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (The kohlrabi can be tossed with oil and seasonings right on the pan but uses more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi doesn't get squishy).

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 64 Calories; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 8 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 4; 31 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 23 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; 2 g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 1, PointsPlus 1
The above recipe can be found here - http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/01/roasted-vegetables-roasted-kohlrabi.html


Fennel, Carrot and Kohlrabi Salad Recipe ~from Cooking for The King - http://www.thekosherchannel.com/kohlrabi-salad-recipe.html

1 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 fennel bulb, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, dill or cilantro, optional
In a large bowl, toss kohlrabi, fennel and carrots with oil. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and optional herbs and toss again.

serves 6 ~ can make ahead
preparation time: 10 minutes


Fennel and Apple Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

•1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider or apple juice
•3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
•1 teaspoon honey
•1 large Granny Smith apple, quartered, cored, thinly sliced
•1 medium-size fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, thinly sliced
•2 cups arugula (about 3 ounces)
•1/2 cup pecans (about 2 ounces), toasted

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend; season dressing with salt and pepper. Combine apple, fennel and arugula in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Mound salad on 4 plates; sprinkle with pecans.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fennel-and-Apple-Salad-with-Cider-Vinaigrette-103875#ixzz1x8oPDEal


This is a good place to go to learn how to cut a kohlrabi - http://imjustpuffy.blogspot.com/2011/07/kohlrabi-and-apple-slaw.html

If you have a food processor, here is a good recipe:

Creamy Apple Slaw

Makes 5 cups
Dressing
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 t kosher salt
Slaw
3 small kohlrabi, peeled and shredded
2 small baby cabbages, shredded
2 Granny Smith Apples, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Whisk together the cream, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, mustard and salt in a large bowl.


Recipe can be found at - http://www.sidewalkshoes.com/2009/06/cabbage-apple-kohlrabi-slaw.html


This is the recipe we used, (though I can't tell you exact measurements because Doug was adding the ingredients):



Our creation

 Kohlrabi
2 green apples
toasted walnuts
fennel seeds
dressing
juice from 1 lemon
honey
olive oil