Bitter is Better Dandelion Salad
By Claire Georgiou, Reboot Naturopath, B.HSc ND
I went to a new (yippee) local farmers market on the weekend and grabbed a beautiful bunch of fresh organic dandelion. This herb is so fantastic for your health — it supports digestion, kidney health and liver health. While it’s quite bitter to taste, that’s also why it has so many special benefits. Anything bitter supports the production of digestive enzymes and bile production which can reduce bloating and discomfort. The bitter properties improve the nutrient absorption of the meal.
This salad is very simple and will work with many other fruit and vegetable additions! I used a fig balsamic to sweeten it a little and to balance out the bitterness, but feel free to use any variation of balsamic vinegar in your dressing. ENJOY!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (2 large handfuls) dandelion leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 red onion, slice
- 250g kumato baby tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
Balsamic Dressing:
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fig balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Wash all produce and prepare ingredients.
2. Add all the salad ingredients into a bowl.
3. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl then add over salad. Dress as you like (you may want more or less dressing) and toss well to coat salad evenly.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 - 4
Substitutions
- Dandelion leaves – kale, spinach, lettuce
- Kumato cherry tomatoes – any other tomato variety
- Red onion – any onion, leek or chives
- Cucumber – Green pepper, celery
- Olive oil – avocado oil, flaxseed or hemp seed oil
- Fig balsamic – pear, apple, blueberry or carmalised balsamic vinegar or just a plain balsamic or apple cider vinegar
Calories: 250
Fat: 22g
Trans Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 30mg
Carbohydrates: 14g
Fiber: 6g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 3g