Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) is a perennial plant with yellow flowers and long leaves. It belongs to Asteraceae family. The name of this plant comes from the Old French and means “the lion’s tooth”. Since ancient times people used dandelion greens for foods and medicine. Dandelion benefits were mentioned for the first time in the tenth century. The leaves of dandelion plant have been a part of Chinese, Sephardic, Korean, Greek cuisines. Today you can find hundreds of easy dandelion recipes. Slightly tangy and bitter leaves can be used as alternative to salad greens or spinach in different ways and dishes. The root of the plant is used to make a nice caffeine-free alternative to coffee. Flowers are used to make wine and even jam. Also leaves and flowers can be used to prepare very delicious and useful tea. There are many dandelion tea benefits as the leaves are rich in vitamins A, C, K, iron, manganese, and calcium.
Benefits of dandelion tea and dandelion greens are numerous and here you can see a list of them. Dandelion helps to easy the following symptoms:
- loss of appetite;
- eczema;
- joint pain;
- muscle pain;
- stomach upset;
- bruises;
- liver problems;
- bile.
For most adults dandelion is safe, when used in food or medicinal amounts. Pregnant and breast-feeding women are recommended to consult a doctor before using this plant.
If you are interested in cooking something easy with dandelion, here is dandelion greens recipe that you will probably like. It will take only 10 minutes.
DANDELION SAUCE
Ingredients:
- dandelion greens;
- tomatoes;
- olive oil;
- salt, pepper (lemon juice).
How to cook?
Heat the olive oil, add tomatoes and cook them for 5minutes. Then add dandelion greens. Cook them for 3-5 minutes with tomatoes, add salt, pepper and lemon juice if you like. Your sauce is ready! You can add it to pasta with your favorite cheese and olives.