Dandelion salad not only tastes delicious, but is also insanely healthy. Test the superfood yourself and convince yourself of our 4 quick recipes.
Spring at last! Get outdoors and just enjoy. But nature can be explored not only with the eyes. You can also eat a lot of it. The perfect example is dandelions.
While other lettuces are still waiting, the dandelion is already sprouting.
Fresh, juicy, delicious and full of vitamins, the native wild herb on inexperienced herbalists dandelion is easy to collect and recognize.
Table of contents
Why is dandelion salad healthy?
There are not many foods that contain as many vital substances as fresh dandelion. You can find in it vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. As a home remedy, it is used to strengthen the liver and produce more bile.
The fresher the processed herbs, the healthier dandelion salad.
It grows in meadows, along roadsides, between paving stones or on house facades and is often paid little attention to and not infrequently dismissed simply as an annoying weed.
It is a true all-rounder: Dandelion detoxifies our body, gives us power after the long winter and tastes really delicious. He should not be missing on the menu when it comes to edible wild herbs goes.
What's in the dandelion?
The wild herb, which you may know by the name "dandelion", provides our body with many important vital substances and minerals.
Dandelion contains:
- 4x as much vitamin A
- 9x as much vitamin C
- 4x as much vitamin E
- 8x as much calcium
- 4x as much magnesium
- 3x as much iron
- and almost 2x as much protein
like normal lettuce.
The bitter substances in dandelion cause your body to produce more saliva and stomach acid. It promotes the release of digestive hormones and enzymes. This stimulates bile production. That's why dandelion stimulates our appetite and gets our digestion going.
The flavonoids and potassium in the wild herb can have a mild diuretic effect.
Dandelion extract is found in many blood cleansing and purifying teas.
Dandelion, by the way, is used for digestive problems, in fact, it has a very positive effect on our digestive organs. It helps against flatulence, bloating and has an antispasmodic effect.
Yummy: How to make soup from wild herbs!
Where to find dandelion salad?
Sporadically at a market. Usually you have to collect the herbs for dandelion salad yourself in meadows, at the edge of the forest and house facades. Already at the beginning of March you can discover the first leaves. The smaller they are, the more intense and healthy.
Attention: Dogs often stray in the park - you know what I mean. I wouldn't eat in the fields or by the roadside either. Here, pesticides and exhaust fumes can spoil your appetite. Perfectly suitable are secluded meadows when hiking and forest edges.
How about a delicious spread with wild herbs?
What does it look like?
The great thing is that even inexperienced amateur herb collectors can easily recognize dandelion. It has no poisonous doppelganger! Its leaves are unmistakable and resemble the teeth of a lion. That's where its name comes from.
The leaves of the dandelion are elongated and light to dark green. The bright yellow flowers are among the first splashes of color after the long winter.
You can see a lot more info and recipes here:
Collect dandelion salad
If you collect the leaves wisely, you will have less work later. You need a bowl and a sharp knife. The most vitamin-rich plants are said to be those that have not yet bloomed or are about to bloom.
It is best to cut off the leaves one by one. This way you collect the least amount of soil. A handful of beautiful juicy leaves is enough per serving. Especially for beginners, because you have to get used to the slightly bitter taste.
Once you've collected the leaves for your dandelion salad, it's time to clean them. Put the leaves in the bowl and pour cold water on them. Leave them in the water for 15 minutes.
If this is too bitter for you, you can also cut the dandelion leaves into 3-4 cm strips. Then the bitter substances are flushed out of the leaves even better.
After 15 minutes, drain and drain. And then you can choose one of our dandelion salad recipes. :)
Dandelion salad with spring flowers
I present you here my favorite recipe. And then a few ideas for other variations. You can also combine them with each other as you like.
You'll find detailed instructions for this recipe here, and a quick version at the end of the post for those in a hurry. If you are unsure about the edible spring flowers, you can use read very much about it here.
Ingredients
- 100 grams of dandelion (about 2 handfuls)
- 4-5 radishes
- Small carrot
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Fresh daisies and violets
Also: sharp knife, cutting board and a jar with screw cap
1. prepare dandelion
Wash the dandelion thoroughly after collecting it. Clean it from soil and dry spots. If the leaves are very dirty, it is worth rinsing each one individually.
Put the dandelion whole in cold water and leave it in for about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. radishes and carrots
Wash the radishes and carrots thoroughly. Remove the green from the radishes and peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler.
Finely grate the carrot with a vegetable grater. Cut the radishes into fine slices.
Now take the dandelion out of the water. Tip: Your flowers will enjoy the nutrient-rich water in which the dandelion was soaked. Do not pour it away!
3. cut the dandelion
Depending on the size of the leaves, it may be worth cutting the dandelion into small pieces. However, do not put it into the water afterwards, because the healthy ingredients disappear.
Put the dandelions, radishes and shredded carrots in a bowl. Mix them with your hands. If you like, you can now mix in a bit of green salad to mask the bitterness of the dandelion a bit.
4. prepare the dressing
Put apple cider vinegar and pumpkin seed oil in a jar with a screw cap. Shake the dressing until the ingredients combine well and become slightly creamy. You can also use a whisk for this or a Blender* use.
Pour the dressing on the salad, add salt and mix the ingredients together. At the very end, sprinkle daisies and violet blossoms on the salad.
Goes with this: a wholemeal bread or a grain roll.
Other dandelion salad recipe ideas
Or how about egg, potato and bacon?
Dandelion salad with egg
Ingredients
- Fresh dandelion
- 1 hard boiled egg
- Spring flowers
- Aceto balsamico and sunflower oil
While the dandelion is in the water, boil a waxy egg. Then cut the egg for your dandelion salad into slices. You have caught it perfectly when the yolk is still a little liquid.
Marinate the dandelion with vinegar and oil and mix in the egg. If you like, you can add a few flowers.
Very tasty with it: A wholemeal bread with cottage cheese spread.
Dandelion salad with bacon cubes
Perfect for those who like it spicy.
Ingredients
- Fresh dandelion
- Diced bacon
- Radish
- Dandelion flowers
- Yogurt dressing
Fry the bacon cubes well in a pan. Now marinate the dandelion leaves together with bacon, radishes and flowers. Mix well and you're done.
Dandelion salad with potato
Ingredients
- Fresh dandelion
- One floury potato
- One tomato
- Fresh cress
- Olive oil and wine vinegar
Peel the potato while it is still warm after cooking. Cut it into small slices and mix them with the dandelion leaves. Stir in cress and tomato. Now add vinegar, oil and salt to taste. Done.
It tastes especially delicious when the potato is lukewarm.
And here, as promised, is the short version of my favorite recipe with exact nutritional information.
Dandelion salad with fresh spring flowers
Ingredients
- 100 g Dandelion leaves
- 5 Radish
- 1 Carrot
- 1 TL Apple cider vinegar
- 1 EL Pumpkin seed oil
- 1/2 TL Salt
- 1 EL Edible flowers
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 board
- 1 salad bowl
Anleitung
- Wash the dandelion, soak it in water.100 g dandelion leaves
- Cut radishes into small pieces and grate the carrot.5 Radishes, 1 carrot
- Mix apple cider vinegar and pumpkin seed oil to make a marinade.1 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil
- Mix all the ingredients together. Stir in the dressing and finally sprinkle the spring flowers on the salad.1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tablespoon edible flowers
Nährwerte
Our conclusion
Dandelion is not only beautiful to look at, but can provide many good services to our body. It detoxifies us and provides us with many important vital substances. Reach for a dandelion salad more often and do something good for your body.
Have fun making it and enjoy!
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