FRESH DANDELION GREENS ~ CLEANED AND READY TO EAT!
It's been a meatless week here on the farm. I made a delicious quinoa casserole the other night and stuffed in into acorn squash halves and baked them until golden brown. It was delicious and so healthy. Very little fat, and lots of protein and nutrients. Tonight I enjoyed a helping of sauteed kale. I first sauteed onion, fresh garlic and ginger, and added rice vinegar and a touch of balsamic at the end. Kale is another power packed food that is so good for you. I had a veggie burger along side the kale. The guys had grilled brats and pasta salad.
If you would like to try the quinoa casserole here is how I made it. First cook 1 c. of quinoa in 2 c. water until water is absorbed. Saute 2 diced carrots, some mushrooms and onion until slightly cooked. Add this to the quionoa along with 1 c. peas and 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese. The recipe calls for 1 c. milk and 1 c. sour cream. I didn't want it to be too 'soupy' so I skipped the milk. I would normally use yogurt, but I had some sour cream to used up in the fridge so I used that. After cooking the squash for 1/2 hour at 350 upside down on parchment paper, I turned it over and added the casserole to the squash and topped with a small amount of cheese. To conserve on the fat content the cheese could be omitted.
I then returned it to the oven for another 15 minutes or so. It was hearty and delicious!
This weekend I'll cook a dish of dandelion. My dad would always go out this time of the year and dig a big bunch of greens and call me and say "I have dandelion, will you come cook them for us?" My mom was a great cook, but for some reason he would call me and ask me this. I think it was because he knew how much I liked eating them! I make a sour sauce and add some bacon for flavor. Of course, this is not a meatless dish, but it's packed with goodness. Dandelions are very good for your liver and gall bladder. In fact, friends of ours have parakeets that had a liver condition and they were prescribed dandelion root to give the birds! Interesting, huh!
We don't use fertilizer on our lawn and don't have dogs anymore, so we are safe to just go out in the yard and dig these. This is a sure sign that spring is here!
What does a dandelion taste like? Can you eat them all spring and summer? Are there any parts of the plant that aren't safe or don't taste good?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to try them but I don't know if it would be safe to forage at the park. I don't _think_ they use pesticides...but I'd hate to be wrong and get sick.
Someday I'll have to talk my mother-in-law into letting me dig up the dandelions in her lawn.