Try it.  You’ll like it! Is a completely sporadic series where I feature new-to-me foods. Check out the first installment — radishes!

Another week, another Greenling delivery. This week’s exotic veggie is the turnip, though I prefer the English/Scotich moniker, neep.

I can’t say I was excited to give the neep a try, but I remembered that my aunt made them at Thanksgiving in lieu of sweet potatoes, so I mashed those suckers up and gave them some decidedly festive flavoring. And they were really good! They brought to mind warm applesauce with a more earthy flavor.

Are you a fan of turnips? How do you prepare them?

Mashed Turnips

Makes approximately 4 servings. Approximately 3 Weight Watchers points per serving.

Ingredients

• 1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add turnips and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain turnips and add all ingredients back into pot. Mash until you can’t mash no more.

On March 1, Austin officially became a BYOB city.

Bring your own bags, that is.

Those thin plastic bags that pinch your fingers, tear on box corners, and blow around in the wind are no longer allowed. I’m all for it — I’ve been using my own bags for years — but I’ve seen at least one shocked face at the checkout line every time I’ve been to the grocery since the ban began. Not only can you buy a reusable bag at damn near every checkout in the city for a buck or two, there are tons of fashionable options available, as well.

Do you use reusable shopping bags? Do you have a favorite brand?

Baggu Alpaca $12
Envirosax To The Moon $8.95
Flip & Tumble 24-7 Bag $9-12
Strawberry Folding Tote $1.19 (I literally ordered a dozen of these so that I always have one handy.)
ReUseMe Metro $9.95
Blue Avocado Collapsible Tote $24.99

I just Googled how to eat a radish. Seriously. I’ve never eaten one.

I eat an absurd amount of vegetables, so I signed up for Greenling, a local and organic produce delivery service in Austin (and San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston). Every week, a mixed box of of fruits and veggies gets delivered to my front door (And another box of fresh bagels and cream cheese…yum.). I figured that not only would they bring the veggies to me, cutting out one bothersome trip to the grocery every week, but I’d also get to try new fruits and veggies. Stuff I wouldn’t normally pick out at the grocery store.

Well, they delivered, and my box had not one…not two…but THREE vegetables I’ve never eaten before. So I thought it would be fun, once or twice a month, to show you what’s in my Greenling delivery and how I prepared something new. Because clearly there will always be something new.

So, let’s talk about the radishes this week.

After much Googling, I went with the simple choice — radishes on toast with butter and sea salt. Which looked pretty! But tasted radish-y.

Honestly, it tasted like dirt — which is okay, I mean, I love beets — and pepper. Lots of pepper. And very bitter. It tasted like mushrooms smell. Which isn’t completely accurate, because mushrooms don’t smell like pepper nor are they bitter, but it’s the first thing I thought of when I started to chew. The smell of mushrooms.

I’m a self-diagnosed super-taster when it comes to bitter foods, so I think that’s coming into play here. The butter couldn’t even chill out the bitterness for me. This was also the issue with another new-to-me veggie that was in my delivery, mustard greens. I sauteed them in garlic and olive oil and then simmered in chicken broth and sprinkled with parmesan. A delightful combination, yes? I couldn’t even bring myself to swallow it were so bitter.

They say you have to taste a food what? seven times? before you acquire a taste for it. I’m willing to give it another go if anyone has a suggestion for how to prepare,  but for now I’m just going to stick with bread and butter.

Do you eat radishes? What’s your favorite way to eat them?

And for the record, my delivery wasn’t all sour grapes. I also received kale, Brussels sprouts, snap peas, oranges, Meyer lemons, and butter lettuce — all of which I happily nibbled like a rabbit.

Psst. This is NOT a sponsored post. But I wouldn’t be offended by a few extra Brussels sprouts in my next Greenling delivery.

I’m more of a savory than sweet girl. (That pertains to so many aspects of my life, I can’t even explain.) But you put “small batch, local, and seasonal” in one sentence and use it to describe ice cream I am so there.

There being Lick.

A tiny little store on South Lamar, next to Barley Swine, Lick makes honest ice cream — using only pure, whole ingredients — and you can totally tell. The flavors are to-die-for rich and smooth and fresher than fresh.

Their flavor selection is ever-changing and consists of everyday, seasonal, and dairy-free and vegan options (my mind can’t grasp either of those concepts, but if that’s your thing, then Lick’s your place). Goat cheese, thyme & honey. Dark chocolate with olive oil & sea salt. Caramel salt lick. Need I go on?

Brown sugar and butternut squash is my favorite flavor so far. Unfortunately it’s a seasonal flavor…and I bought the last two pints. Sorry ’bout ya.

If you’re in Austin and ever want to meet for ice cream, you know who to call and where to meet. If you’re looking for a place to take your honey on Valentine’s day, Lick is a gem.

Everybody has been all abuzz about Lucky Robot since before they opened their doors for business, and not wanting to miss out on the hot ticket, I headed to South Congress with two of my coworkers last Friday.

The whole restaurant has a very Sanrio vibe with quirky wall-art, giant chopsticks for door handles, swings hanging from the ceiling in the dining room, and waitstaff in Harajuku get-ups.

The iPad ordering system is a stroke of genius — we totally over-ordered because of it and we’re glad we did– you can see photos of all the dishes and set the pace of your meal. That doesn’t mean the waitstaff is MIA — they were fantastic about checking in and refilling drinks — you can always order with them if you prefer.

We started with seaweed salad (always a favorite), pork & shrimp dumplings (hand-made with an amazing plum dried cranberry nimono), and crisped Brussels sprouts.

And this is the point where we stop and reflect on the Brussels sprouts — a total showstopper. Crisped to perfection and topped with a lemongrass soy. Those alone will keep me coming back to Lucky Robot forever and ever. Amen.

But we didn’t stop there. Spicy tuna, Hama Hama (yellow tale, avocado, green onion, crispy shallot, yuzu miso, and sesame), The Bishop (shrimp, kimchi, cucumber, sesame topped with baramutsu, lemongrass soy, and peanuts), and avocado maki rolls were all ordered via iPad and arrived fresh and tasty within minutes.

The Hama Hama roll was another standout — the crispy shallot made that baby sing.

A welcome addition to SoCo, Lucky Robot delivered on the hype and we learned two important things from our visit — life is not complete without crisped Brussels sprouts and Hama Hama rolls.

Have you been? Is it your new happy place?

Lucky Robot comp’d our appetizers and they were delish. All opinions are 100% my own.