
Even if you’re a pro in the kitchen, you might not be too familiar with sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes. They’re somewhat similar to an artichoke, but are more like potatoes you can eat raw. They work perfectly in rustic grain bowls, as well as soup and salad recipes, and they pack a hefty nutritious punch. They’re in season in the early spring, so make sure you pick some up while you can. Now that you’re acquainted with your new favorite vegetable, here are 14 healthy and delicious ways to use the sunchoke to cook like a foodie.
1. Jerusalem Artichoke, Walnut, Blood Orange and Rocket Salad: This salad will brighten up even the dreariest of days. Sunchokes are naturally a little bit sweet, so they pair wonderfully with the tangy citrus and peppery arugula. (via The Flexitarian)
2. Lemony Sunchoke Soup: There’s nothing quite like a comforting soup that makes you feel good from the inside out. Sunchokes are full of fiber, which adds necessary heartiness, while lemons detoxify the system. Both make for a happy and healthy belly. (via Nutrition Stripped)
3. Roasted Sunchokes With Garlic and Herbs: Truth be told, sunchokes aren’t the most attractive of vegetables. But what they lack in good looks they make up for in taste. Even just roasting with garlic and herbs gives them an amazing flavor. Serve as an appetizer with a garlic aioli for dipping, or as a fuss-free side dish. (via Nerds With Knives)
4. Seared Scallops With Jerusalem Artichoke Puree: Let date night commence with this stunning dish as your main course. Plump, sweet seared scallops complement the sunchoke puree, and everything is topped with a hazelnut and rosemary pesto — the cherry on top of a wonderful meal. Your date will wonder what five-star restaurant you used to work at. (via Dance of Saucepans)
5. Sunchoke and Swiss Chard Farro Risotto: This rustic risotto is a symphony of complementary flavors. Mushrooms and sunchokes have a very similar flavor profile, in that they’re both earthy and somewhat meaty. The two pair perfectly with nutty farro for a hearty, wholesome vegan dish. (via Le Petit Eats)
6. Sunchoke Spinach Dip: Although they look nothing alike, sunchokes and artichokes do share a similar flavor. Try using them interchangeably in your favorite recipes, like spinach and artichoke dip. Since sunchokes have a much smoother texture, you’ll actually get a creamier dip that can easily be spread on bread and crackers. (via The Hungry Hounds)
7. Roasted Sunchoke and Chestnut Mushroom Penne With Arugula: Prepping for this dish will be like a foodie scavenger hunt. Bonus points if you can find sunchokes and chestnut mushrooms in the same store. If you can’t get your hands on chestnut mushrooms, substituting your favorite fungus is totally fine. But no skimping on the sunchokes; they’re the best part. (via Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes)
8. Roasted Sunchoke and Barley Bowl With Za’atar Tahini Sauce: The contrasting textures of this dish alone make it one to bookmark. The toothsome barley, tender sunchokes and chewy mushrooms are a simple yet interesting cast of ingredients. The star of the show is the Middle Eastern-spiced sauce drizzled on top of everything at the end. Be sure to make extra for future salad endeavors. (via Feasting at Home)
9. Crispy Shredded Sunchoke Pizza With Goat Cheese and Fried Figs: If you’re not sure how everyone will react to their first sunchoke experience, try shredding them with a box grater like you would for hash browns. That way, they’re evenly distributed and the flavor doesn’t stand out too much. TBH, serving anything on a pizza is a great way to break the ice when introducing a new ingredient. (via Kristin’s Kitchen)
10. Creamy Roasted Sunchoke and Sage Dip: Roasting the sunchokes before pureeing them into the dip gives them a deep, rich flavor. Serve with crudités or pita chips, just as you would your favorite hummus. (via A Clean Bake)
11. Jerusalem Artichoke and Thyme Soufflé: Sunchokes have the opportunity to really shine in this uncomplicated soufflé. Modestly flavored with aged cheddar and thyme, these would be a perfect choice for a weekend brunch party where you want to show off your culinary skills. (via Craving Greens)
12. Jerusalem Artichokes and Orecchiette: You may be tempted to peel the outside of your sunchokes, because they look quite similar to ginger. Their skin is actually pretty thin in comparison, and it actually helps them to retain their crispness when roasting or sautéing, so go ahead and leave it on. For a quick weeknight dinner, add your sunchokes to cooked pasta with a hefty helping of parsley, butter, salt and pepper. (via Happy Yolks)
13. Sunchokes With Garlic Mojo: This flavorful side dish would be lovely served alongside a Sunday roast or a simply seasoned rack of lamb. The sweet roasted garlic mojo enhances the flavors of each of the ingredients without overpowering them — especially the supple roasted sunchokes. (via Wild Greens and Sardines)
14. Pasta With Sunchokes, Mushrooms and Artichoke Sage Sauce: If there are three ingredients sunchokes love the most, it’s mushrooms, artichokes and sage. This drool-worthy pasta dish has all those elements and then some, making a comforting meal that perfectly showcases the sunchoke. (via Feasting at Home)
Follow us on Pinterest for more easy + delicious recipe ideas.
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures