Dandelion Greens

Yeah, you heard right. Dandelion greens.  Now when  you work on your lawn you can kill two birds with one stone because those ubiquitous weeds that plague your lawns are actually very healthy for you.

The whole plant, root, leaves & bloom provide so much nutrition for severe illnesses that are so common in the United States.  On top of that  there's actually a coffee substitute that can be made by roasting the roots. Different people have easier methods of  roasting the roots, I'd recommend looking at several pages.  The pretty yellow blooms have actually been used for fritters.  But for now let's just stick to the leaves.

Here they are in my default greens recipe with onions, garlic & some soy sauce.

Cooked male dandelion greens.

Now I'm not one for bitter flavors but even though dandelions greens are bitter, they're not offensive.  I found them enjoyable enough that I will eat them again.

I've read that they're not bitter if you pick them in the spring before the flower appears & the leaves mature.  I had just learned about them in the late summer so the ones pictured above were picked after the flowers bloomed.

I recommend them.  If bitter flavors don't suit your pallet, I'd try mixing them with other greens first as there really is nothing like eating well for free.

And just a word of caution, if you're going to pick dandelions from somewhere other than your own property, first make sure that they're not sprayed with chemicals (check with the owner).

Now I don't know how true the following is BUT I was told to only eat the male leaves (the ones that look like lion's teeth).  I wasn't told why, so I did some homework on it & this is what I found...

1. None of the pages I investigated made any reference to leaf genders.
2. All the pages I investigated only showed male leaves for consuming.
3. The only pages that showed female leaves were for illustration about dandelions only.  There were no references regarding consuming dandelions.

There's LOTS of information online on the nutritional value & all the medical benefits contained in these weeds.  For something that's so readily available I'd wager that it would be worth your time to google it.

Purslane

As I was sharing my discoveries about Red Root to a friend (this time from Barbados), she pointed out another common root that is also edible.  I swear, more than anything, multiculturalism has benefited my diet this year.  If I wanted to learn about edible weeds growing all around me & how to cook them I'd probably have to pay for a book or a class.

Well boys and girls, today's lesson is about a common weed that is eaten in not just Barbados, but in India, Mexico & the Mediterranean as well and from what I've read is extremely rich in omega 3 fatty acids which is something that every vegetarian & vegan should take note of.

PURSLANE, also known as

• Pursley
• Pusley
• Portulaca &
• Little hogweed prefers warm dry weather but grows just about everywhere.

They say that just about everyone has it on their property and that it tolerates just about every kind of soil.  If you can't see it then it's probably just dormant.  Purslane seeds require sunlight to germinate.  Cultivate the soil as underground seeds have been known to live for up to forty years underground and it's probable that it will germinate & grow.

I slightly steamed & somewhat sautéed it.  I don't like to fully cook my greens as they say that it keeps the vitamins better this way.
Unfortunately I got the very last of it as it is the end of the season for Purslane.  It comes out a lot in the spring.  I did get a bit of flavor and a whole lot of crunch.  It had a lovely nutty feel.

I've also been told that it's good raw in salads.


I've googled info on Purslane if you're interested...
http://herbgardens.about.com/od/culinary/p/Purslane-What-Is-Purslane.htm
http://www.gardenguides.com/863-purslane-weed.html
http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/native-plants-and-wildflowers/purslane-an-edible-groundcover/a/31791/

Red Root

RED ROOT

A friend offered me cooked leafy greens I thought was spinach. Much to my surprise it wasn't spinach at all. She called it Red Root, a weed that is more thought of in the west as a problem for gardeners & livestock owners. I'd never heard of it before and overlooked it as just another inedible weed growing on dunghills. I am also told that Red Root is expensive especially in the big cities. Expensive & free... I couldn't resist.



Here it is on a dung heap.

First I washed & steamed it. Oh, the aroma that it gave when I lifted the lid was wonderful.
(Oh and incase you're wondering, that light colored twig looking thing is, its Japanese Knotweed.)
 

 
Then  sautéed it with other vegetables...

 then wrapped it in a chapati.

It cooks just like spinach and tastes delicious. 

I will start blanching it for the winter.  It's worth it.

I couldn't help but to google it to see what it's medicinal benefits are. (As all things in nature possess.)

"Red Root herb grows in temperate climates and makes a great tea, in fact during wartime it was used as a tea substitute. Plus it can be taken as tincture and also in capsules and it works great for asthma, bronchiole diseases, and coughs too. The root is very astringent making it a good mouthwash for oral ulcers. Also works well for improving lymphatic circulation and thus helps with edema… and problems related to the spleen and liver… and now Red Root has been used for the treatment of prostate enlargement. Red Root also works well for internal bleeding and also healing skin lesions. Plus Red Root is a good antispasmodic and also helps relax and sooth away tension, and it’s a good antiviral and antibacterial agent, and Red Root is a powerful antioxidant."  http://paulhaider.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/health-benefits-of-red-root/

"Adenoid Enlargement, Asthma, Bronchitis, Cough, Cysts, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Dysmenorrhea, Epstein-barr Virus, Fatigue, Fever, Headache, Hemorrhoids, Hepatitis, Hodgkin's Disease, Lymphatic Congestion, Mononucleosis, Nosebleeds, Sore Throat, Spleen Enlargement, Testicular Hydrocele, Tick Fever, Tonsillitis, Tumors" http://theherbalfarm.blogspot.ca/2008/01/red-root.html

Herb Dressing

A friend shared this recipe she got from "Soul Veg", a restaurant in Georgia.  It's not just good on salad but on plain rice as well.
HERB DRESSING

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of soy milk
• 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp. of Italian seasoning.

Blend Together with...

• 2 cups of oil

Mix all the ingredients in a blender and add the oil last or it will not mix properly.

*It tends to separate rather quickly so shake before every use.

Polenta

Again, this is a recipe that I got from an industrial kitchen so it's a recipe for 60 servings.  You'll have to divide the ingredients by 5.  & by the way, this is a little on the greasy side, I like cutting the margarine by 1/4 to 1/2 a cup

Polenta

Polenta topped with vegan Parmesan.

ingredients:

• 20 cups of water
• 5 tsp. of salt
• 5 cups of cornmeal
• 1 cup of margarine
• 1 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (vegan Parmesan recipe below)

Vegan Parmesan Cheese:

• 4 cups of sesame seeds (blended fine)
• 4 cups of brewers yeast
• 3 Tbsp. of onion powder
• 3 Tbsp. of garlic powder
• 6 Tbsp. of chicken seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice

1, Parmesan Cheese: blend sesame seeds & brewers yeast flakes until fine.  Take out of the blender & combine the onion powder, garlic powder, chicken seasoning & lemon juice.

2, Cornmeal: bring water salt & margarine to a full boil.  Slowly wisk in the cornmeal & parmesan cheese.  Bring to a full boil over moderate heat.  Turn off the heat & let it sit for a good 15 - 20 minutes.

3, Put it into a greased pie plate, cover loosely & chill for at least 1 hour to harden.*

4, Turn Polenta over onto a cookie sheet.  Brush with margarine & bake until lightly brown. (convection oven - 350 degrees for 45 minutes / gas oven - 400 degrees for 1 hour.)

* option - Instead of pouring it into a pie plate, a lot of people prefer it spread flatter over a cooking sheet before it hardens.

Teriyaki

I came across this is a REALLY GOOD teriyaki sauce that's so easy to make.  I, personally, like it on rice vermicelli noodles with stir fried veggies.  It was given to me by a friend.

TERIYAKI SAUCE

• 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of soy sauce
• 1 tsp. of ginger
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 Tbsp. of sesame seed oil

Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake baby.  The longer you let it sit, the better the flavors mix.  Sometimes I use it right away.  After the noodles have softened you can finish cooking it all together in a skillet or just serve the teriyaki on the side.