Stop the war-fare on dandelions and pick up your trowel! Consider a (chemical-free) yard of dandelions a free lunch instead of a pest. Dandelions are so healthful they are used as medicine with herbalists. Rich in vitamins A, C, B, folic acid, iron, calcium, and zinc to name a few, these greens are packed with nutrition! They also promote digestive and liver health and are perfect for a spring-time body cleanse. So before you reach for your Roundup, look at this and other recipes:
After I harvested 2 armfuls of dandelions I soaked them in a tub of hose water for the initial rinse. Then I brought them inside to cut the root and separate the leaves from flowers. I soaked the leaves again in a sink of cold water to wash off the rest of the dirt.
With any tough/bitter green it is advisable to blanch. This eases the bitterness (however, bitter is a vital and missing component to our western diet!) and makes it easier to chew and digest. Dump the greens in a small amount of boiling water for a minute or two then drain in colander. I then rough chopped them and put back in the pot with a little extra virgin olive oil.
At this point, you can go in many directions: Sautee with onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sautee with ginger, garlic, honey, and tarmari. Toss with a yummy thai peanut sauce. Or, what I did was toss with other greens I had in the fridge (organic spinach from Morgan and baby romaines) with this delicious dressing recipe from 'Feeding the Whole Family' by Cynthia Lair:
1/2 pound tofu
1 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (only if using blender, food processor will chop for you)
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs lime juice
2 tsp tamari or shoyu
1/4 cup water (less or more as needed)
Blend in blender or food processor until smooth and use on greens, salads, pasta or as a dip!
We ate our dandelion green salad with leftover lentils and rice from Taco night! But this salad is a great side dish for any meal/meat especially fish.
Saturday night TACOS with great friends
It was so nice to sit on the patio in the sun with some beautiful company, and I am so glad they stayed for dinner! Rice and lentil tacos seemed perfect-- easy to prepare and easy for people to grab themselves. Think of the rice and lentils as the 'meat' and then add whatever fixin's your family likes.
I seasoned my rice/lentil mix like mujadara; with a lot of cumin and garlic powder. You could add a taco season packet (as long as there is no msg or other nasties!), use fresh herbs, or add curry for a totally different flavor.
Making lentils with rice is as easy as adding lentils to your rice! I used green/brown (or standard 'regular' lentils), but you can use any type. Use equal parts rice and lentils and make as you would rice: 2 parts water to 1 grain, add seasonings, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover until water soaked up and done.
While that is cooking, chop all your taco toppings. I love avocado, salsa, lime, cheese, onion, and then any other fresh vegetable that needs eaten in your fridge!
[Remember when shopping for tortillas to buy corn, or find trans-fat free wheat tortillas. Which means no 'hydrogenated oil' in the ingredient list.]
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