a preponderance of parsnips

As you may remember from this entry way back in 2008, I love parsnips. Parsnips, like turnips, are underappreciated and vastly underused by most people. Recently I made Susan B's (The Fat Free Vegan) Roasted Parsnip and Garlic Soup, and was surprised to see in her write-up about it that even she does not often use parsnips! People. Use more parsnips. Especially since right now we are at the end of root-vegetable season, and you're probably sick of the same old root vegetables; mix it up a little and add parsnips to your diet.

If you're a scaredy cat and don't want to try anything exotic, the simplest way to cook them is to slice 2-4 parsnips thinly, then saute with 1-2 tablespoons of margarine (or olive oil and salt, if you prefer) until soft and lightly browned, like so:

They are also delicious roasted, and, if you're not sure you'll like the flavor, blended into delicious soups! The Roasted Parsnip and Garlic Soup I linked to above was divine, even without any mushrooms (I didn't have any at the time). Another favorite of mine is the Gluttonous Vegan's Spiced Parsnip and Coconut Milk Soup, which I wrote about in this August entry.

This soup is absolutely delicious. AND if you have any leftovers, it makes a great sauce in which to marinate and then bake slabs of tofu!

Pictured here with my beloved dduk.

A new delicious thing I discovered that you can make with parsnips is the Beet and Parsnip Salad from the Veganomicon. (A badly-spelled version of it is online here.) It's in the back here, pictured with open-faced tofu sandwiches with a pink "cream" sauce that gets its color from extra vinaigrette from the salad.

It has a VERY generous amount of vinaigrette, which I ended up reserving for other things even after the salad was gone. For example, I used it for the pink "cream" sauce above. AND THEN I decided to use it as a tofu marinade for a stir-fry:

I sauteed the tofu and some vegetables, then combined the leftover vinaigrette/marinade with some soy sauce and cornstarch to be the sauce for my stir fry.

I present to you the pinkest stir-fry you've ever seen.

While we wait for spring (I don't care what the calendar says; it's snowing as I write this, so it's not "spring" yet in my book), try to make the most of what's left of the winter produce, and enjoy yourself some parsnips!