When the Floodwaters Rise, Stirfry

If you haven't turned on the news lately, Nashville is in a state of emergency.  We've had 13.75 inches of rain,  9 fatalities, and over 600 water rescues.  We've been cooped up for three days watching the deluge, rivers flowing just beyond our property line, as well as images on the TV and internet such as these.

I was on my way home from a church event when the water levels on the road started to get scary.  Tornado sirens were sounding all around me.  I was thankful that the Husband traded cars with me that morning.  The Jeep's big beefy tires kept me anchored to the road.

Thankfully I made it home before the major flooding started.

This is the YMCA where I teach classes.  Behind the building is the running path where I do most of my training.

This intersection is just miles away from our home.

Thankfully our home is built into a hill, so our yard only suffered a little pooling, but flooding all around prevented us from getting out.

So, what's a girl to do with a refrigerator filled with CSA veggies,

a brand new birthday gift from the Husband,

and time on her hands?

Stir-fry!

When your county is in a state of emergency, it's not a good idea to run out to the store for missing ingredients.  So, I had to get a little creative.  I placed all of my veggies on the counter and started grouping them.  Which flavors would go together?  This is what I came up with.

1.  Golden Beet and Greens Stir-fry

Have you ever tried a golden beet?  They don't bleed like red beets, they have a subtle sweetness, and they are a good source of potassium.  The beet greens are actually more nutritious than the beets themselves as they contain twice the potassium.  They're also exceptionally high in beta carotene and folic acid.

Beets, beet greens, and swiss chard sauteed in grapeseed oil with garlic and caramelized onions was not only delicious and nutritious, it was beautiful.

I asked the Husband to describe the taste.  He said it tastes like stir-fried vegetables.  Thanks.

When I asked him to focus on the golden beets he said, "It has a bouquet of beet, a distinct nose of beet, and an aftertaste of beetiness."  Again, thanks.


2.  Turnip and Greens Stir-fry
I don't think I'd ever had a turnip before joining the CSA.  I'd seen the white and purple roots and passed them by.  But Hakurei Turnips are a delight.  They are perfectly round and pearly white.  They are mild enough to eat raw or sliced on salads, but we've had a lot of salads lately, so into the stir-fry they went.

I started with the same minced garlic and caramelized onions combination, but this time I added some balsamic vinegar, green onions, turnip greens, and spinach.  Tangy, sweet, and scrumptious.

3.  Ginger Carrot and Mizuna Stir-fry
What is Mizuna?  It's a tender, crisp, deep green Asian lettuce with jagged edges that tastes mild yet tangy.  It is often found in mesclun mixes and is used in salads, soups, and stir-fries.  I would have loved to have used fresh ginger root for this stir-fry, but flood waters made a run to the grocery store seem frivolous, especially when ordered by police to stay home.  Thankfully, I had some bottled ginger in the fridge.  

I sauteed chopped ginger, minced garlic, and onion in grapeseed oil, added carrots until al dente, and then piled on mounds of mizuna the last minute of cooking.  The mizuna quickly cooked down to about a quarter of the size. 

Sweet, sweet, sweet.  The natural sugar in the caramelized onions and carrots mixed beautifully with ginger and fresh garlic.


It was a wet day.  It was a creative food day.  The house smells spectacular.  We are well fed.  

And we are thankful.  We're thankful to be safe and dry.  We are thankful for fresh, organic food.  We are thankful for our farmers.  We are thankful for the stir-fry meals that we'll be enjoying for the next three weeks.

Our prayers are with those who are still being rescued from the flood waters and those who are cleaning up the devastating damage.