Kohlrabi Fries with Vegan Cheese Sauce

 Cooking By Color – Green

I’m going to confess something that makes me feel a little bit inadequate as a vegan chef. Until a few days ago I had never cooked with kohlrabi. I knew what it was and saw in the store time and time again. But I was a little scared of it. I mean look at the thing!

Do you get a what the heck do I do with that feeling? Yeah, me too. Thankfully my new wonderful intern opened up my world to Kohlrabi this week. We made two dishes with it, these baked fries and a raw coleslaw which I will share next week.

Kohlrabi comes from German Kohl (cabbage) and Rube (turnip), so basically if a cabbage had a baby with a turnip you would get Kohlrabi. It’s in the same family as the cruciferous cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens and brussel sprouts. So again, this green food has all the healing properties you want in your diet. It’s rich in vitamins and dietary fiber, but only has 27 calories per 100 g, very little fat, and zero cholesterol. Are you seeing a theme here this month??

EAT YOUR GREENS FOR HEALTH

It tastes a lot like cabbage but sweeter with a texture similar to turnip. It can be eaten raw or cooked. When baked it gets even sweeter. The leaves are delicious too and can be used interchangeable with collard and kale in salads or stir-fries. Don’t throw out the leaves! That is where the most chlorophyll is stored! The stem has a ton of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, iron, and phosphorus so eat those too.

To make these fries remove the stems from the bulb and trim off any woody parts. Slice into fry-ish thin sticks and toss with olive oil, spices, and sea salt. Cook for 45 minutes at 425 degrees. Flip at the 25 minute mark. Easy enough! I like my fries crispy so if you are into soft fries they may not need the whole 45 minutes. I served them with vegan cheese sauce, but you could use any dipping sauce you like!

Have you ever prepared or cooked with kohlrabi? What is your favorite thing to do with it?