Last Updated on
Dandelions get a bad rap. We poison this pretty yellow-flowered “weed” to make our lawns look perfect when really, we should be eating them. They’re a free, nutritious food that’s easy to pick and readily available. With only 25 calories in a cup of raw greens, they’re a great addition to salad, stir fry, omelets and frittatas, and as the base ingredient in a side dish.
TIP: Choose upright plants with greens that form a mound. Flattened plants are usually bitter.
Dandelions were a horrible green forced into kids who hated them when I was growing up. We ate them from spring through summer, and the more we ate the worst they seemed to taste…with good reason.
TIP: Choose plants that haven’t formed buds for the sweetest greens. The more developed the flower is the more bitter the greens are likely to be. Early spring greens are the best. Use the unopened buds for dandelion capers.
My go-to simple recipe for spring dandelions isn’t really a recipe. Try this. Mix together one big handful of dandelion greens, fresh green garlic (amount to taste), thin slices of onion and mushrooms, about a tablespoon sesame oil, and a handful of cashews. Did I miss something you like? Toss it into the mix. Sauté in a little sesame oil until the dandelion greens begin to wilt. Make a well in the center and add an egg. Wait 30 to 60 seconds after you add the egg, then turn off the heat. Splash with a little soy sauce. If you want the egg to cook all the way through you’ll want to add a cover to retain heat. When cooking is done you should be able to slide the entire meal onto the plate in one piece.
TIP: Harvest greens that haven’t been walked on, and avoid areas frequented by pets or sprayed with fertilizer and pesticides.
Dandelion Greens and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Pesto isn’t always basil and pine nuts. This recipe with dandelion greens and pumpkin seeds is fantastic. You can exchange pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds, pine nuts, walnuts or another nut you like. I like to serve this with crispy sesame crackers or tortilla chips.
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
- 3/4 C unhulled raw pumpkin seeds
- 3 garlic gloves, minced
- 1/3 C freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 C dandelion greens, loosely packed
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roast the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet for five minutes. Set aside to cool.
In your food processor, mix the garlic and pumpkin seeds until smooth. Use the pulse setting. Add Parmesan cheese, dandelion greens, and lemon juice. Process until well mixed, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. Stop the processor every now and again to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Expect the mixture to be thick. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Mix until the pesto is smooth. Stir in salt by hand.
It will store in the refrigerator for two to three days, a little longer if you place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the pesto. You may freeze it for at least three months.
TIP: Avoid dandelion greens that grow beside the road and other places vehicles travel.
Dandelion Muffins
These muffins are surprisingly good. It takes longer to pick and clean the dandelion petals than it does to make the muffins. Choose new flowers; if they’re showing signs of going to seed they’ll be tougher and slightly bitter. You’ll need approximately 110 to 125 dandelion flowers. To clean the flowers, pull the petals from the base and discard the base. Watch for insects.
Ingredients
- 2 C flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ C whole milk or Half ‘n Half
- 1/3 C honey
- ¼ C butter, melted (margarine does not work well for this recipe)
- 1 ½ C dandelion petals, cleaned and dry (do not wash).
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Butter 12 cups in a muffin tin. In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, Half ‘n Half, melted butter, honey and vanilla. Mix gently by hand until well mixed. Stir in dandelion blossoms, and then add the flour mixture. Don’t over stir, stop as soon as the mixture is moist. Spoon the batter into the buttered muffin tins, filling them three-quarters of the way. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for five to seven minutes so they pull away from the muffin cups easily. I like these with butter, honey or maple syrup. Makes one dozen.
I don’t tell anyone what’s in the muffin until after they’ve had a bite or two as long as I know they don’t have allergies. You can entice most anyone into a muffin if you mix a little condensed milk, powdered sugar and vanilla together and drizzle it over the muffins.
TIP: The easiest way to clean dandelion flowers is to turn the flower over and snip off the receptacle with a pair of scissors. You’ll have to pull out on a few bracts.
You can dip flowers in tempura or another light batter and deep fry them. Fast food restaurants can’t top these “fries.”
Go ahead! Try them. Dandelions are probably better than you think!
