Parsnips, Turnips and Kale

A friend of mine was asking what turnips and parsnips tasted like the other day and it reminded me I had a vegetable bin FULL of these babies; misshapen, muddy, end-of-winter gifts from my Mom's almost year-round garden!

If you haven't tried either parsnips or turnips, I'd suggest trying them roasted first to bring out their flavor. Though this particular recipe is great comfort-food - they cook up mellow, potato-like and slightly sweet.I'm normally not a huge fan of parsnips, but my Mom can't seem to remember that, and it's fine, really, because cooked up with turnips and potatoes in this dish, they're actually really nice!
This dish is SO simple when you have the ingredients; it's not something I remember to make that often,  but I have a ton of them to use up right now, and cooked this way, how can you not LOVE LOVE the simplicity of these winter veggies!

Smashed Potato, Parsnip and Turnips with a little Kale

8 cups quartered yellow potatoes (I don't peel mine, you can if you want)
4 cups chopped and peeled parsnip
1 turnip, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup chopped kale (you could use more but that's all I had and used tonight)
1/2 an (8-ounce) package Tofutti cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance
Freshly ground black pepper
(some chunks of carrots or onion are good to cook in here too)

In a large pot, combine potatoes, parsnips, turnip, onion, kale and salt; add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Add Tofutti cream cheese, Earth Balance and a dash of pepper. Mash together a bit, taste and add more salt if you think it needs it; serve hot.

These keep in the oven (or a crock pot) nicely while other parts of your meal are being assembled and you can snip some fresh chives or parsley on top right before serving if you want it all fancy.

Yum.