❊~Some See a weed, Others See A Wish~❊
Dandelion Stories
A collection of short stories about the dandelion flower.
Dandelion Benefits
The health benefits of dandelion for different ailments.
Dandelion Recipes
Recipes that use dandelion roots, leaves or flowers.
Dandelion Recipes
Fried Dandelion Flowers
Dandelion Potato Salad
Dandelion Greens and Citrus Salad
Dandelion Green Gumbo with Good Thyme Rice
Cream Of Dandelion Soup
Dandelion Greens Soup
Warm Dandelion and Bacon Salad
Dandelion Pesto
Dandelion Greens Salad
Eggs and Dandelion Greens
Holiday Dandelion Greens & Lima Bean Tacos
Dandelion Root Hot Chocolate
Dandelion Gelatin (Dandy Jello-Mold!)
Dandelion Petal Sorbet
Dandelion And Burdock Shandy Drink
Raw Vegan Dandelion Stuffing or Dip
Dandelion Flower Cupcakes
Fried Dandelion Flowers
What You'll Need:
* About 20 dandelion yellow flower heads
(remove the stalks and green parts)
*Olive Oil for frying
*1 beaten egg*2 Tbsp polenta (cornmeal)
*Pinch of dried thyme and oregano
*Pinch of salt and ground black pepper
1. Rinse the dandelion flowers and gently dry
2. Place frying pan over medium heat, and when hot, add a thin layer of oil to the pan.
3. Mix the polenta (cornmeal) with the salt, black pepper, dried oregano and dried thyme
4. Dip the flowers first in the beaten egg, and then in the seasoned polenta.
5. Fry the flowers in batches, stalk side up, for around 3 minutes or until a golden color.
6. Remove from pan and drain.
7. You can also use any different herbs to suit your taste, or you can even dip the flowers in the egg batter and deep fry them.
8. A great snack that serves about 2-3 people.
Dandelion Potato Salad
What You'll Need:
* 2 cups of fresh dandelion greens
* 2 cups of potatoes
* 2 hard boiled eggs (coarsely chopped after)
* 2 spring onions (scallions), whites and greens, chopped
* 1 tbsp. pickled dandelion buds (regular capers can be substituted)
* 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
* 3/4 cup canola or olive oil
* 1/4 cup vinegar (lingonberry, white balsamic, or
Dandelion Vinegar
)
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. black pepper
* 1 tsp. caraway seeds
* fresh dandelion blossoms to garnish
1. Place the dandelion leaves in ice water to cover and allow to sit for 1-2 hours. Drain, then dry.
2. Thoroughly scrub the potatos and then place in a pot with enough water to cover by 1 inch.
3. Bring potatos to a boil, then reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook until fork-tender (about 20-25 minutes).
4. Drain, and cool to room temperature, then cut into quarter sized pieces.
5. To prepare the viniagrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and caraway seeds.
6. Lightly toss together the dandelion greens, potatos, hard-boiled egg pieces, onions, pickled dandelion buds, and mint leaves in a large bowl.
7. Drizzle the viniagrette to taste and serve.
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Dandelion Green and Citrus Salad
What You'll Need:
* 1 bunch of dandelion greens, washed, dried and trimmed
* 1 pink grapefruit, segmented
* 1 orange, segmented
* 1 lime, juice and zest
* 2 tsps of honey
* 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
* 2 tbsps olive oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced
* 1 tsp salt
1. For the dressing, whisk together the honey, lime juice and zest, smoked paprika, salt and olive oil in a bowl.
2. Cut the dandelion greens in half and transfer to the bowl with the dressing. Toss the greens with the dressing and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the dandelions greens to a platter and top with the grapefruit and orange segments, pecan halves, and the red onion slices.
4. Serve and Enjoy!
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Cream Of Dandelion Soup
What You'll Need:
4 cups chopped dandelion leaves
2 cups flower petals
2 cups buds
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 cup chopped leeks or onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water or veggie/chicken stock
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon curry powder or turmeric
2 cups whole milk or milk substitute
Gently boil dandelion leaves in 6 cups water. Pour off bitter water and boil gently a second time, pouring off the bitter water.
In a heavy soup pot, saute leeks and garlic in butter or oil till translucent. Add 4 cups water or stock, leaves, flower petals, buds and salt. Simmer gently for about 45 minutes.
Add milk and simmer a few minutes more to meld the flavors. Season to taste. Garnish with flower petals.
Adapted from rosesprodigalgarden.org/recipes/dandelionrecipes.html.
*Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
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Oven Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
What You'll Need:
serves 6
4 pounds tomatoes, woody stems removed, sliced into big chunks
1 head of garlic, peeled but cloves left whole
1/4 cup olive oil
2 ounces basil
1/2 t salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 c veggie stock (I like to use 1 cup of warm water with 1 tsp of Better Than Boullion No Chicken)
Preheat oven to 250°.
Line a large baking sheet (with sides) with parchment paper.
Place tomatoes, garlic, and basil on the sheet as shown in pictures. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place veggies into the oven and roast for 3 hours (yes, THREE hours—this helps the flavors develop and stay nice and mellow!).
The veggies will wilt and produce a fair amount of liquid.
Carefully remove tray from the oven and transfer the veggies and liquid into a high powered blender (alternately you can place in a pot and use your immersion blender).
Holding the parchment paper carefully, use it to pour the liquid into the blender. Add the veggie stock and carefully blend (watch out for splatters—it will be hot!).
Adjust seasoning to taste.
You can transfer this to a pot on the stovetop and simmer over a low heat until serving time if you want, but it is ready to serve as is! Enjoy!
https://www.frieddandelions.com/oven-roasted-tomato-basil-soup/
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Dandelion Soup
What You'll Need:
* 1 Pound Dandelion Greens
* 1 Cup of Water
* 4 Cups Chicken Stock
*1 Teaspoon (tsp) Chopped Basil
* 1 Cup Cream
* 1 Egg Yolk
* Croutons
1. Wash dandelion greens in warm water to remove dirt particles.
2. Combine with cold water in soup kettle and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Drain.
4. Press through food mill and return to kettle. Add stock and basil and simmer 10 minutes.
5. In separate bowl combine cream and egg yolk. Spoon ½ cup hot stock into cream mixture, blend with whisk, and return to kettle.
6. Heat but do not boil. Garnish with croutons. (Also good cold.)
Source: Old Farmers Almanac
Also See: [Cream of Dandelion Soup]
Warm Dandelion and Bacon Salad
What You'll Need:
* 9-10 ounces of fresh dandelion greens
* 5 ounces of potatos
* 5 ounces of pork belly (uncured, unseasoned bacon)
* 1 shallot, finely minced* 1 medium yellow onion, finely minced
* 2 tbsps of red wine vinegar
* salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash the dandelion leaves. Use smaller leaves preferably, but if using larger leaves, tear them in halves or thirds.
2. Boil the potatoes (unpeeled) for about 20-30 minutes until done. Peel and mash.
3. Cut the pork belly into 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces. Sauté them in a small pan until crisped. Keep pork in pan and set aside for now.
4. Using a heavy or cast iron skillet, add the dandelion leaces, smashed potatoes, shallot and onion.
5. On low heat, begin to cook the mixture, stirring frequently. The dandelion leaves will begin to wilt quickly in the heat.
6. While the mixture above is beginning to cook, reheat the skillet that contains the crisped pork belly. When warm, add the vinegar, stirring frequently to cermelize the pork and vinegar. (about 1-2 minutes time).
7. Add the pork to the dandelion mixture, along with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine and serve immediately.
Make homemade dandelion Vinegar
Dandelion Pesto
What You'll Need:
* 1 large bunch of dandelion greens, washed and roughly chopped
* 1/2 cup of walnuts* 1/4 cup of olive oil
* 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
* 5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled
* salt to taste
* French bread or crackers to spread pesto on
1. Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until texture is smooth and creamy. Add a dash of water if you need the pesto thinner.
2. To make crostinis for your pesto, toast the slices of french bread or use the crackers as the base.
3. Spread with a thin layer of dandelion pesto, and top with a slice of machego, parmesan or romano cheese.
4. Warm in oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
5. Serve and Enjoy!
Dandelion Petal Sorbet
What You'll Need:
* 1 quart of fresh dandelion blossoms
* 3 cups of water* 1/2 cup of sugar* 1/2 cup of mild honey
* 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1. Immediately after picking the dandelion blossoms, snip off the yellow portions of the petals from the green calyx (the big, tubular part that holds the petals), leaving the bitter white bottoms of the petals still attached to the calyx. Discard the calyxes.
2. Heat the water, sugar and honey in a small saucepan.
3. Once the syrup mix comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the yellow petals. (the faster you get the petals in the syprup the sweeter your sorbet will be).
4. Cover and let steep for at least one hour.
5. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve.
6. Stir the lemon juice into the syrup mixture.
7. Place in a covered container in the refrigerator to chill overnight (for at least 8 hours).
8. After chilling overnight, freeze the cooled syrup mixture in an ice cream maker. (You can also freeze the mixture on a baking sheet until solid and then puree it in a strong blender).9. Once your ice cream maker has finished the process, freeze the sorbet ina covered container to store for no less than 3 days. Remove the sorbet from the freezer 15-20 minutes before serving to make scooping easier.
Make homemade dandelion Honey Syrup!
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Dandelion Green Gumbo with Good Thyme Rice
Recipe Courtesy of Rachael Ray (30 minute meals) What You'll Need:
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup white rice, such as Carolina brand
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 ribs celery from the heart, chopped with greens
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/3 palm full
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bottle pale beer
3 to 6 teaspoons hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot) medium to spicy heat level
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 (15-ounce) can petite diced, crushed or stewed tomatoes
4 to 5 cups, 2 bundles, dandelion greens, stemmed and chopped *[the Best part!]
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 scallions, finely chopped
Instruction
Heat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and rice. Toast rice 2 minutes, add 2 cups stock and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook 18 minutes or until tender.
Heat a soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and 2 tablespoons butter to the pot. When butter melts into oil, add garlic, celery, bell pepper and onion and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook to soften veggies, 5 minutes. Add bay leaf and flour and cook the flour another minute. Stir in the beer and reduce the liquid by half, a minute or so. Add hot sauce, Worcestershire and tomatoes. Add 1 quart stock to the pot, stir in the greens and season with nutmeg. Raise heat to bring to a quick boil then simmer 15 minutes until greens are no longer bitter. Adjust seasonings, to taste.
Uncover rice and add lemon zest and scallions. Remove the thyme stems and fluff rice with a fork. Remove bay from gumbo. Scoop up gumbo and top with scoops of rice and serve.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/dandelion-green-gumbo-with-good-thyme-rice-recipe-1946297
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Dandelion Greens Salad
What You'll Need:
1 bunch dandelion greens, washed, drained and trimmed
3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1 handful fresh dill
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instruction
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss together.
Some things are made to be simple
https://www.abeautifulplate.com/sauteed-dandelion-greens-with-eggs/
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Dandelion Greens with Eggs
What You'll Need:
4 cups chopped dandelion greens, thick stems removed (about 1-2 large bunches)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, clarified butter, or ghee
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
4 large eggs
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instruction
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chopped dandelion greens and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the greens thoroughly, using a wooden spoon to drain and press out as much liquid as possible.
While the beans are cooking, make the salsa verde. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped tomatillos, red onion, jalapeños, cilantro, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and the juice of 2 limes. Stir to combine and reserve. This makes about 2 cups salsa.
Melt the butter or ghee in a 10-inch sauté pan set over medium heat. Sauté the leeks until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the drained dandelion greens one handful at a time. Cook each handful until wilted, then add more.
When the greens are wilted, crack the eggs into the pan on top of the greens. Top with feta cheese and cook uncovered until the whites of the eggs are set, about 5 minutes.
https://www.abeautifulplate.com/sauteed-dandelion-greens-with-eggs/
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Dandelion Gelatin
One Dandy Jello Mold! What You'll Need:
2 Cups Dandelion Flower Tea* OR 1 Cup Dandelion Tea Plus One Cup Organic Apple Juice
2 Tblsp Organic Beef Gelatin flavorless
1/4 cup raw sugar or coconut sugar
1/4 cup honey
Dash of Turmeric for color - optional
Instruction Put the tea* Or the tea/juice combination into a saucepan. Add gelatin and let bloom**; stir in to combine. Bring to a simmer on medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes - don't let it go too long or will get clumpy. Add honey and test sweetness until it makes you happy. Place into gelatin mold, ice cube tray, glass baking dish, whatever! Refrigerate for 4-6 hours OR for better results, leave in fridge overnight. https://homesteadlady.com/dandelion-gelatin-childrens-garden/
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Dandelion Root Hot Chocolate
What You'll Need:
4 cups water
3 tablespoons organic dandelion root
3 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon
pinch organic cayenne pepper
7 tablespoons raw honey
Instruction
Bring water and dandelion root to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. (An herbal decoction.)
Stir in remaining ingredients.
(Optional) Top with honey whipped cream.
https://jillshomeremedies.com/2016/11/dandelion-root-hot-chocolate.html
More Recipes Coming Soon!
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Christmas Dandelion Greens & Lima Bean Tacos
https://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-greensrec26bmar26-story.html What You'll Need:
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped (a generous cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried Christmas lima beans
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
4 tomatillos, finely chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 jalapeños, minced
1 large bunch cilantro, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Juice of 2 limes, plus wedges for garnish
2 bunches dandelion greens, cleaned and roughly chopped, about 8 cups
18 corn tortillas
Instruction
In a 3-quart soup pot or cast-iron casserole (with a lid that fits), heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions and garlic over medium-low heat until softened, about 10 minutes.
After the vegetables are soft, add the dried beans and water to cover, about 3 cups. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid, stirring occasionally. After 45 minutes, add the black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and additional water if necessary to keep the beans covered. Cover and continue to cook until the beans are soft, again stirring occasionally, another 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the beans are tender, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. This makes about 6 cups cooked beans.Adjust seasonings, to taste.
While the beans are cooking, make the salsa verde. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped tomatillos, red onion, jalapeños, cilantro, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and the juice of 2 limes. Stir to combine and reserve. This makes about 2 cups salsa.
Place the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chopped dandelion greens to the pan with a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat the tortillas over an open flame or in a griddle or sauté pan on high heat, turning them over so that both sides are hot and lightly toasted. Assemble the tacos by arranging the grilled tortillas on individual plates or on a platter. Place about one-third cup of beans onto each tortilla, top with about one-fourth cup wilted greens and salsa verde to taste. Squeeze a wedge of lime over each taco (or serve with lime wedges) and serve immediately.
Each taco: 176 calories; 7 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 96 mg. sodium.
Average Time: 2 Hours
Serves: About One Dozen Tacos
https://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-greensrec26bmar26-story.html
More Recipes Coming Soon!