Purslane - is this super weed growing in your garden?

Purslane is a common weed found in most of our yards and gardens.  I call it a superweed, not because it is unmanageable, but because it is a nutritional powerhouse!

Check out these nutrition facts:

-purslane has more omega-3 fatty acids (in the form of ALA) than any other plant food.  100 grams of fresh purslane contains 350 mg of ALA.  Increasing our intake of omega-3's has been linked to better heart health and decreased systemic inflammation.

-it is a good source of many vitamins and minerals including vitamins C and E, riboflavin, beta carotene, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium and calcium.

-purslane is also high in dietary fiber, contains antioxidants and is reported to contain compounds which help with depression.

Purslane growing among the thyme and rosemary.

In my garden, I practice selective weeding.  I'll pull other weeds and leave the purslane to grow.  It is actually beneficial to the surrounding plants as it provides a great edible ground cover which helps retain soil moisture and prevents other weeds from taking over.  It grows low to the ground so it doesn't impede my other plants from getting the sunlight they need - and it's such a cute and happy looking plant!

Purslane is an annual plant that reseeds itself each year.  The seedlings will appear when the soil warms to 76 degrees F.  The plant will grow in just about any soil conditions, even in the cracks of the sidewalk, and the seeds can remain viable in undisturbed soil for more than 30 years.  I will allow some of my purslane to flower and go to seed to ensure that I will have more purslane next year.

I think purslane is delicious.  It has a mildly tart lemony flavor. I eat purslane straight from the garden sometimes, but most of the time I'll add it to a salad along with other greens.  (Only harvest purslane in areas which you know have not been chemically treated.)  The leaves, tender stems and flowers are all edible.  Just pinch off the stems, or pull the entire plant and cut off the roots if you are trying to control the plant.  

I added olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the bowl of purslane in the photo at the top of this post and ate it all!  It can also be added to potato salad, soups, or anywhere you would use spinach or other greens.

In the case of purslane,  I'm happy to ask my kids, "have you eaten your weed today?"

Purslane as ground cover under my tomato plants.

Sources:

http://www.naturalhealth-solutions.net/healthy-eating/powerhouse-of-nutrition-purslane

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html

http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/native-plants-and-wildflowers/purslane-an-edible-groundcover/a/31791

Healthy Colorful Coleslaw

With the arrival of summer and the season of barbecue, I thought I would share my favorite recipe for healthy colorful coleslaw.   Serve alongside burgers or pulled pork.  Happy Summer!

Coleslaw
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking
Makes 8 servings

1/2 cup mayonnaise (homemade or storebought mayo made with avocado oil or olive oil is ideal)
1 Tablespoon raw honey
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
4 cups shredded green and/or red cabbage
2 tablespoons sweet or red onion, grated (add more or less to taste- I often omit the onions altogether)
2 carrots, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, honey, cider vinegar, and celery seed.

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, onion, and carrot.  Add the dressing, salt and pepper to taste and toss well.

Delicious Soft Flatbread

I love this soft flatbread. It's one of the easiest yeast breads you can make. You don't even need to turn on the oven, so it's a great bread to make when the weather is hot.

Wraps are wonderful if you need a quick and healthy dinner before the kids rush off to their activities after school. And the bonus - no forks required! You can fill a wrap with just about anything - salads like Greek Salad with Chicken or Fattoush, grilled steak and vegetables, the fixins for burritos or any leftovers you have lying around. Still warm from the pan, the wrap and fillings make a delicious combination. I hope you try it!

Soft Flatbread
adapted from the King Arthur Flour website

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup potato flour OR 1/2 cup potato buds or flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast

1) Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth (it will be very dry). Cover the bowl and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

2) In a separate bowl, using a fork, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and the remaining 1 cup of flour with the salt, oil and yeast until a crumbly mixture forms.

3) Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes by hand to form a soft dough. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary and keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled to prevent sticking.

4) Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour.

5) Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. The dough may be wrapped or placed in a baggie and then refrigerated or frozen after dividing if desired. Bring to room temperature before starting the next step.

6) Roll each piece into a 7"- to 8"-circle (a rolling pin helps here), and dry-fry them (fry without oil) over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out.

7) Transfer the cooked breads to a rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately (recommended), or cool completely before storing in a plastic bag.

Fattoush {Middle Eastern Chopped Salad}

I beg your pardon! Fat what?

Fattoush is not a fat anything, but a delicious salad made with chopped vegetables like tomatoes and cucumber, feta cheese, olives, herbs, and grilled pita wedges. It's the Arabic version of the Italian Panzanella salad. It's also the perfect summertime salad to serve alongside some grilled chicken or kebabs. This version of fattoush includes some grilled zucchini and red pepper strips, but you could easily leave those out if you want. If you have some purslane handy, throw some of that in as well! This is an awesome salad.

Grilled Zucchini and Bell Pepper Fattoush

as seen at Yum Yum originally from Epicurious

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

On the grill
3 medium orange or red bell peppers (about 1 pound), stemmed, seeded, quartered
4 to 5 slender zucchini (about 1 pound), trimmed, cut lengthwise in half
2 (5- to 6-inch) pita breads, each cut horizontally into 2 disks, or two 6x4x1/2-inch slices country white bread
Olive oil (for grilling)

For the dish
1 (8-ounce) cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 cherry tomatoes, each halved
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup (scant) pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 4-ounce piece feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (scant 1 cup)
Ground sumac (I omitted)

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush peppers, zucchini, and bread on both sides with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Grill peppers and zucchini until slightly charred and just tender, turning often, about 6 minutes. Transfer vegetables to foil-lined baking sheet. Grill bread until lightly charred and just crisp, turning often, about 3 minutes. Transfer to sheet with vegetables and cool. Tear bread into 1-inch pieces. Vegetables and bread can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Cut peppers lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut zucchini lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in large bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, olives, mint, and cilantro and toss to combine. Add bread pieces. Whisk 1/2 cup oil, lemon juice, cumin, and sumac, if using, in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat. Add feta and gently mix into salad.
Transfer salad to large bowl. Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Hummus and Veggie Wrap

I am deviating from the sweet side of Marzipan to bring you a sample of what I like to eat when I'm not licking the batter from the bowl. These wraps are amazing and they're vegetarian and I like them so much that I've eaten one for lunch every day this week! And I served them at the girls' Confirmation/Communion Party. All of the ingredients were purchased at Costco but I know you can find them at your well-stocked supermarket as well.

Whole Wheat Hummus and Veggie Wraps

Makes one wrap

Ingredients:

Whole wheat lavash wrap

3 tablespoons of your favorite hummus - I used the Pine Nut Hummus by Sabra from Costco

a handful of Organic Baby Lettuce leaves

a handful of Diced Seedless Cucumber

a handful of Diced Tomatoes, seeds removed

a sprinkling of thinly sliced scallions (aka green onions), to taste

a sprinkling of crumbled Feta Cheese

Place the wrap on your work surface with the long side toward you. Spread with entire wrap with hummus and sprinkle with the other ingredients, leaving a border without filling along the far end. A little goes a long way, and too much filling will make it hard to wrap up. Starting with the edge closest to you, start rolling the wrap tightly. Cut in half and enjoy a healthy, delicious lunch!

Cranberry Walnut Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite salads. It's a quick salad that requires no chopping of veggies and can be on the table in no time. It's sweet and tart and just plain delicious. Toast up some crusty bread and have yourself and healthy and delicious lunch!

Cranberry Walnut Salad

Spring Greens Mix (I use Earthbound Farms)

dried cranberries

walnuts, crumbled with your hands

crumbled blue cheese

Place all ingredients in a bowl in the amounts you desire. Now that was easy!

Vinaigrette

from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar, or your favorite vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. While whisking, add the olive oil, a little at a time, until the dressing tastes balanced. Toss with your salad and serve immediately.

Pecan Chicken Salad

If you're looking for an unusual and delicious chicken salad, try this one. I found the recipe in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette a few years back and it's been one of my favorites ever since. The recipe came from the California Table Grape Commission - the grapes give it just the right sweetness and the basil is a nice twist. It's even better after it's mixed together and chilled for a while in the fridge. It gives the flavors a chance come together.

Pecan Chicken Salad
from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette

2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups seedless grapes, cut in half

1/2 cup (or less to taste) diced celery

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

2 T fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup (I use less) mayonnaise

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 T lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 2 hours.

Chicken Salad, originally uploaded by deanna23.

Greek Salad

The summer following my junior year of college, I took the trip of a lifetime and traveled all through Europe with 3 friends. We were gone for 3 1/2 weeks, stayed in youth hostels, and traveled by Eurail with everything we needed on our backs.

We toured Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Greece. We visited the Anne Frank House, climbed the hill to the castle Neuschwanstein, took a cruise down the Rhine River, saw The Vatican, and Michelangelo's David. We even took the touristy yet beautiful Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg. In Heidelberg, Germany is where I first experienced Marzipan (covered in chocolate) and it remains one of my favorite confections - so much so that I named my blog after the yummy sweetened almond paste!

By the time we got to Greece (our last stop before returning home), we were "all toured out" and exhausted. All we wanted to do was relax on the beach, never mind that we were blocks away from the ruins of The Parthenon. I have barely any pictures from Greece in my photo album, but the memories that stay in my mind from Athens have to do with the food. In Greece, I tasted the most delicious Greek food. In particular, I remember the rice pudding and the greatest Greek Salad I have ever tasted. It could be that it was in Europe that my love affair with food started. I finally found a recipe for rice pudding that takes me back there and I found this terrific recipe for Greek Salad. I made it the other night with chicken I had marinated briefly in some of the dressing and grilled. εύγευστος! (Delicious!)


Greek Salad
From Food Network Kitchens
Ingredients
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably Greek
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce (about 1 pound), trimmed of tough stems and torn into bite-sized pieces
6 ounces calamata olives, about 1 cup
1/2 pound Feta cheese, crumbled
1 English (seedless) cucumber, trimmed, cut into 1 inch chunks
12 ounces vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained
1 green pepper, trimmed, seeded, and diced
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, and oil. Stir in the oregano and pepper to taste. Set aside.

When ready to serve: In a large bowl lightly toss the lettuce with some of the dressing. Divide the lettuce among 4 salad bowls. Scatter the olives, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and peppers over the top of the greens. Serve and pass the remaining dressing at the table.

Dandelion - Weed or Delicacy?

Once in a while, "our organic farmer" will throw into the box something unusual that will usually sit in the refrigerator way too long before I send it out to the compost.  It used to be beets or Swiss chard, but now these are some of my very favorite foods. This time, it was fresh spring dandelion greens - the common "weed".  I usually make this salad with mesclun and/or arugula but I was out of those and the big bag of dandelions sitting in my refrigerator for almost too long beckoned. It was surprisingly good!  I've done a little research on this weed and found that it is a very nutritious and detoxifying food.  Could it be that I will anticipate the dandelion harvest each spring from now on?

Dandelion Beet Salad

dandelion Greens or any flavorful greens such as mesclun/arugula
cooked beets
blue cheese, goat cheese or feta cheese
walnuts, lightly toasted
salt and pepper
olive oil or walnut oil
champagne or balsamic vinegar