Recipe | Wild Greens | How to Cook Dandelion Greens & Recipes

How to Cook Dandelion Greens & Recipes

By Virginia Wright

Recipe: How to Cook Dandelion Greens

SummaryThere are various ways to cook dandelion greens, an edible weed, this post includes two of them- plain with butter or olive oil and tossed with bacon. When I make these recipes I use dandelions out of my yard that has not been treated with any chemicals. Also, I use organic butter, organic extra-virgin olive oil, organic hot red pepper flakes, and uncured nitrite and nitrate-free bacon with no artificial preservatives.

Ingredients

  • Dandelion Greens
  • Bacon
  • Hot Red Pepper Flakes
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Butter
  • Olive oil

Instructions 

  1. Gather, wash, and cook greens.
  2. Drain cooked dandelion greens well.
  3. Serve with butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
  4. Dash of salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. For serving dandelion greens w/ bacon & hot red pepper flake follow directions for cooking dandelion greens.
  6. Cut-up bacon in 1-inch pieces, cook well.
  7. Add drained dandelion greens to bacon, toss.
  8. Add a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes.
  9. Dash of salt and pepper, to taste.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s) 

The number of servings (yield): Depends on the number of greens you gather.

How to Cook 

A handful of Greens © Virginia Wright

 

Shopping Bag of Greens © Virginia Wright

Dandelion Greens – Wrap your hand around the dandelion greens and make your cut at the base of the plant.

About Dandelion Greens – Pick a Bag Full In the spring of the year dandelion greens are found everywhere you look. It’s one of the first edible weeds that you can eat from the blossom (head) to the root.  

It’s a simple wild green to fix and can be used in many ways. Everything from tea to sauteing the roots. To get started, go find your dandelion patch– First, wrap your hand around the dandelion greens and make your first cut at the base of the plant. I use sharp kitchen scissors and cut leaves enough to fill a plastic shopping bag full.

Every spring, we harvest this “free” delectable wild green when there isn’t anything else growing. Once I get our bag of greens, I clean one side of the kitchen sink, then fill it with cold water. The leaves are placed in the water and cleaned by swishing them well. I use a very large kettle with a lid to put greens in.

DSCF2800
Wash greens thoroughly. © Virginia Wright

You can just taste the healthiness in these wild greens, and is a great edible weed that you can forage for in early spring!

Dandelion Greens w/ Bacon & Hot Red Pepper Flakes 

Follow all the same directions for cutting, cleaning, and cooking your greens. Drain. You should have about 4-cups of greens once boiled down.

Cut-up bacon in 1-inch pieces to cook
dandelion greens in. © Virginia Wright

Cut-up bacon in small 1-inch square pieces, fry until done.

Take your 4-cups of well-drained dandelion greens and place them in the frypan with cooked bacon and grease; toss.

Serving Suggestion: Serve dandelion greens hot; with a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt and pepper.

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 © 2012-2020  Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Recipe| Vegetables |Organic Sautéed Kale

Recipe: Organic Sautéed Kale

SummaryOrganic kale sautéed in olive oil is a great veggie and easy to make. Top sautéed kale with a drizzle of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Fresh Kale

Fresh Kale, OrganicIngredients

  • 1 bunch of kale
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped fine
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 Tsp red pepper flakes
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 2 wedges of lemon

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, add olive and garlic. Cook on medium-high heat until garlic is tender.
  2. Add loosely cut kale in sections all over bottom of pan. Pour 1/2 boiling water over the top of the kale, toss, and cover. Cook kale for about five minutes.
  3. Uncover, continue cooking until water has evaporated, then salt and pepper kale to taste.
  4. Serve with a drizzle of fresh lemon over the top.

Preparation time: 15 – 20  minute(s)

Cooking time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 3-4

My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 10 review(s)

Cooking tip:

Rinse kale in cold water, and pat dry. Use kitchen scissors to cut, or tear kale with your hands. Use both leaves and stems for the recipe.

Not all Olive Oil is Manufactured Equal
Cooking with a “good” olive oil is important because– olive oil stands up well to high heat (frying temperatures). However, do not cook (above its smoke point) as it can make food taste bad.

This is a good link to refer to about olive oil from the Olive Oil Source, the site is everything olive oil:

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/page/heating-olive-oil

Buying Organically
Wherever you can, buy “Organic.” In most all the recipes I develop and post, I substitute non-organic ingredients for ORGANIC ingredients. When you shop at your local farmers market, if the produce is not marked Organic, ask them if it is organically-grown. It is okay to ask! It is your right to know what you put in your mouth or not.

What “Organically Grown” Means

Produce that is organically grown and processed uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides during the growing process.

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/organics.htm

National Organic Program

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop

Enjoy this Sauteed Kale Recipe! 

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Disclaimer: The websites (pages), that I mention in my articles, does not mean an endorsement by me. Nor does it constitute an endorsement by the other website, or me (Virginia Wright). I have independently written this article with recipe as a freelance writer.

© 2012 Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.