Jun 11, 2014 |
Joys of Chickweed in the Kitchen For a plant, the humble little Chickweed is extremely high in PROTEIN – 15-20%. The highly nourishing leaves are also a good source of calcium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. Also, very high in Vitamin C and iron. Chickweed can be used in salads, soups or stir fries. It makes great pesto. Chickweed can be added to sandwiches (a little like alfalfa sprouts texture-wise) and used in scrambled eggs. No cooking required as it is light and soft and easy to eat...
Jun 11, 2014 |
Cooking with Three Cornered Leek A prized edible weed in the UK, three-cornered leek has a subtle flavour like leek or spring onion. An amazing allium which can be found growing fresh in Autumn and Winter when many other alliums die back eg., chives, or are just starting to grow, eg., garlic. You can work hard growing spring onions or nature grows three cornered leek for you! Leaves can be chopped like spring onions or garlic chives. As the season progresses the white bulbs can be harvested and used like onions. The flower buds, after the flowers have finished, can be pickled and used instead of capers. Use in ‘smooth soup’s like broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke, potato – or on mashed potato or potato salad. Make ‘incredible’ pesto, or, in home-made bread to impart a subtle oniony flavour. Contains sulphur compounds (which give them their onion flavour) and when added to the diet on a regular basis they … help reduce blood cholesterol levels, act as a tonic to the digestive system and also tonify the circulatory...
Jun 11, 2014 |
Green Smoothie Strictly, the basic recipe is to take a blender and fill it with roughly 1/3 green leafy vegetables and 2/3 fruit, plus water. For the serious green smoothyist, the ultimate idea is to eat only raw fruit and veg. For those of us still a little hooked on dairy, or maybe for something less ‘serious’ for the kids, try this variation which is a winner at our house: Banana / Honey / Milk + Just about any ANY edible green leafies! Yummy options include dandelion leaves, silverbeet, kale, nettles (really! you don’t need to cook them), mallow, sticky weed or sow thistle – or any combination of these. Any green leafy edible weeds are good except perhaps the oniony tasting ones. We try other wacky things in our smoothies. Huge winner is spiced, poached quince – just add a tablespoon or so for a very sophisticated smoothy! Stewed apple is great. Or pop in a bit of juice – apple, orange, grapefruit or if you have juiced some carrots and celery or something else, add a bit of the juice to your smoothy. If you don’t have bananas for that nice thick smoothy texture we all love, try a couple of spoonfuls of oatmeal (uncooked, silly!), Alternatively, some linseed or almond meal. Yoghurt is great and good for the digestive system. Basically, let your imagination run wild with smoothies. We are currently adding Yacon juice to ours – Peruvian Ground Apple some call it. Sweet and great for diabetics or anyone who wants a good, natural sugar. Stewed rhubarb can be delicious...
Jun 11, 2014 |
Pumpkin Leaves with Crushed Peanut Sauce Stir-fry pumpkin leaves in peanut oil (or olive oil) for a minute. Put the lid on and allow to steam for 5 minutes. Add tomato puree or sugo and a handful of crushed roasted peanuts. Stir and let simmer for five minutes. Season with salt and...
Jun 11, 2014 |
Nettle With Fetta and Preserved Lemon Steam Nettles lightly, just a couple of minutes. They will wilt like spinach and lose their sting entirely (really!). Place in a serving bowl, splash generously with good olive oil, crumble fetta over and toss lightly. Salt and pepper to taste and...
