Dandelion salad: benefits and harms

Dandelion salad is a tasty, healthy dish, affordable and easy to prepare. In the cuisines of many nations, the product takes pride of place, has long traditions and many options. The specific composition of dandelion requires a special approach during culinary processing, but with the right approach it guarantees the salad an original, memorable taste.

What are the benefits of salad with dandelion leaves?

Considered a weed, the herb has many advantages, and its vitamin composition can compete with most salad vegetables.A common flower, common in city flower beds and forests, appearing again and again even on arable land, it is not perceived as a food product and rarely ends up in salads. But its value has been proven by many years of use in folk medicine and proven scientifically.

Bitterness is imparted to dandelion leaves by special substances - glycosides. Two types of taraxacin (bitter and waxy) give the plant a specific taste, which scares off lovers of fresh greens, but does not pose any threat to human health. It is these compounds that distinguish dandelion as a unique medicinal plant.

Taraxacins, entering the human body, force the liver to produce substances that can restore cartilage tissue and renew synovial fluid. Thus, dandelion is the only edible herb that directly affects joint health.

Any recipe for dandelion salad carries benefits and harm, according to the complex chemical composition of the medicinal herb. The undoubted value of such dishes lies in their rich vitamin and mineral composition. The foliage of the plant accumulates ascorbic acid, vitamins A, E, K, protein, polyunsaturated fats, light carbohydrates, antioxidants, phosphorus, and iron. Dandelion roots are rich in iodine and inulin.

The pigments that give grass its rich green color are phyto-enzymes that can act in the body like its own hormones. Thanks to their action, many processes in the body are normalized, fatigue is reduced, cardiac activity is regulated, the blood formula is restored, and the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and liver is regulated.

Medicinal properties of dandelion leaves:

• choleretic;
• diaphoretic and diuretic;
• analgesic, anti-inflammatory;
• antiviral, bactericidal, anthelmintic;
• antisclerotic, nootropic;
• immunostimulating.

Salad made from medicinal herbs increases milk production, therefore it is indicated for nutrition during lactation. For the baby, such a mother’s diet does not pose an allergic risk, but strengthens the immune system, regulates digestion, and makes sleep restful.

The presence of taraxic acid in dandelion allows us to classify salads from the plant as cancer prevention products. The substance, entering the body, inhibits the growth of malignant and benign formations. The ability of dandelion to reduce blood glucose levels makes it possible to use salads in a diet for diabetes.

The benefits of dandelion salad for weight loss

The calorie content of the green part of the dandelion does not exceed 38 kcal per 100 g of leaf mass. Properly prepared and seasoned salads from the plant not only do not threaten the deposition of excess weight, but stimulate the body to process accumulated fats.

The weight loss effect of regular use of dandelion leaves in salads is achieved due to the following properties of the herb:

• stimulation of intestinal function, elimination of constipation, stagnation of waste materials;
• reduction of slagging, removal of toxins;
• normalization of metabolic processes, acceleration of metabolism;
• increased urine flow, which relieves swelling and promotes rapid cleansing;
• stimulating the secretion of the stomach and gall bladder, which improves food digestion.

Against the backdrop of a decrease in sugar levels and the breakdown of “bad” cholesterol, excess weight loss occurs more easily, which is effective even for diabetics.

How to make dandelion salad

The best specimens for salad are considered to be dandelion leaves collected before flowering, taken from the center of the rosette. Ideally, small green plates do not need cutting and processing. The medicinal herb used in cooking has a specific taste, which, however, goes well with other products.

Recipe rules for dandelion salad:

1. Leaves, flowers, and roots of the plant are used for culinary processing. Peeled roots for salads are fried or pickled; flowers and green parts are prepared in the same way.
2. Dandelion goes well with other salad greens: mint, nettle, parsley, dill, basil. It dilutes well in combination dishes of any vegetables, and is especially expressive against the background of the neutral taste of cucumbers and zucchini.
3. The versatility of the plant allows it to be included in sweet, salty, and spicy mixtures. Dandelion goes well with fruits, cottage cheese, salted and unleavened cheese, boiled or smoked meat.
4. Salad dressings perform different functions: lemon juice additionally neutralizes bitterness, sour cream or yogurt makes the taste softer, mustard oil adds sharpness and piquancy, dressings with honey are original and can also enhance the beneficial effect of dandelions on the blood composition.

Sunflower, pumpkin, olive, flaxseed or sesame oils in the composition not only add different delicate shades of taste, but also improve the absorption of nutrients. To obtain a balanced taste, it is recommended to steep the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.

How to prepare dandelion leaves for salad

An important condition for the usefulness of any salad is the quality of the products. In order not to cause harm to the body instead of benefit, dandelions must be correctly collected in a suitable place, and also properly processed before cooking.

Rules for collecting and preparing dandelions for salad:

1. The leaves should be green, evenly colored, without spots or colored blotches. Spoiled raw materials can cause indigestion, vomiting, and diarrhea.
2. May leaves have the least bitterness. Young greens may not require additional processing at all.
3. Summer dandelions are just as beneficial as spring dandelions, but you will need to get rid of the bitter aftertaste.
4. Only salads made from dandelions collected away from roads and enterprises will be beneficial.

After collecting the leaves, they are sorted out, washed with cold running water, and left to air dry. Soft, young plates, without pronounced venation, do not need to be trimmed or soaked, so as not to lose a small amount of piquant bitterness.

Large, mature leaves should be kept in the following solution before use: 2 tbsp. l. table salt per 1 liter of cold water. Soaking time varies from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the degree of maturity of the leaves. Salt removes bitterness and dissolves it in water. Prepared greens can be chopped for salad.

Chinese dandelion salad with sesame seeds

The dish turns out to be light and healthy; it can be consumed by diabetics and included in diets for weight loss. Chinese dandelion salad has a bright flavor and is especially good with sweet and spicy sauces. Adding plant roots to the recipe makes the composition even more saturated with useful substances, although only the green parts of the plant can be used.

Ingredients:

• dandelion leaf – 100 g;
• dandelion root – 50 g;
• green or chives – 50 g;
• sweet pepper – 1 pc.;
• vegetable oil (preferably olive);
• sesame – 30 g.

There is almost no salt in original Chinese salads. Its role is played by soy sauce, which gives any dish a national flavor. To obtain a universal salad dressing, mix equal parts of vegetable oil (in this case, sesame oil), soy sauce, wine vinegar, mustard with whole grains.

Preparation:

1. Prepared dandelion leaves are coarsely chopped or torn by hand.
2. If you decide to use the root, it is pre-soaked along with the herbs.
3. The root is washed, peeled, cut into strips, and lightly fried in olive oil.
4. Chop the onion and cut the bell pepper into strips.
5. Combine all ingredients in one salad bowl.
6. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle thickly with sesame seeds.

The dish is ready to serve immediately after cooking. The proposed dressing is suitable for any salads. Its composition is adjusted to taste by changing the proportions of ingredients. If desired, add honey to soften the taste or chili pepper for spiciness. The mixture prepared in advance can be stored in the refrigerator and used as needed.

Chinese dandelion salad with peanuts

A Chinese flavor is given to the salad by dressing with soy sauce, to which an original ingredient is added to add spiciness - Chinese pepper paste with peanuts and sesame seeds. If desired, this mixture can be replaced with the universal sauce described in the previous recipe.

Compound:

• dandelion leaves - a small bunch (up to 150 g);
• arugula - in equal proportions with dandelion greens;
• young cucumber (with tender peel, undeveloped seeds) – 1 pc.;
• peanuts (whole or chopped) – 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The cucumber is cut into strips without removing the peel.
2. Washed and dried arugula is cut into large pieces.
3. Dandelion leaves are cut lengthwise into long pieces or torn by hand. Young sprouts are added whole.
4. The peanuts are dried in a frying pan until a nutty aroma appears.
5. The green ingredients are combined in one bowl, poured over with a spicy-sweet dressing and generously sprinkled with nuts.

The recipe for Chinese Dandelion Peanut Salad becomes the basis for other dishes by adding or replacing some ingredients. Replacing the sauce also dramatically changes the taste of the dish. Often, if peanuts are intolerant, they are replaced with pine nuts, which does not change the cooking method, and is also considered a variation of the classic recipe.

Dandelion and walnut salad

Another way to combine the tangy flavors of spring greens with sweet notes and nuts. By seasoning a salad with local ingredients and Chinese sauces, you always get a fresh, bright taste.

Compound:

• soaked dandelion leaves – 150 g;
• medium sweet apple – 1 pc.;
• walnuts, shelled – 50 g;
• sesame - to taste.

For refueling, take in equal parts (1 tbsp.l.) the following ingredients: liquid honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, vegetable oil. All components are mixed until smooth.

Preparing the salad:

1. Place chopped dandelion leaves and thin apple slices into a deep bowl.
2. Sprinkle the mixture with lemon juice to preserve the color of the fruit pulp.
3. Pour over the sauce and mix lightly to ensure even coverage.

Sprinkle chopped nuts on each serving separately before serving. It is permissible to add various spices to the sauce to obtain unexpected flavor combinations: turmeric, coriander, ginger. In this recipe, it is recommended to avoid only hot pepper or mustard.

Dandelion salad with bacon

The dish is considered a classic example of French cuisine. The original salad recipe contains smoked bacon, but it can be successfully replaced with fried bacon. In this case, the pieces from the frying pan are placed on a napkin to remove excess fat, and dandelion root, fried after the meat, can be added to the composition.

Ingredients:

• bacon – 300 g;
• dandelion greens – 200 g;
• garlic – 1 large clove;
• unrefined oil - 3 tbsp. l.;
• vinegar (preferably balsamic) – 1 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

1. The prepared dandelion greens are coarsely torn and placed on the bottom of a salad bowl.
2. The meat product is cut into strips or thin strips.
3. Dry smoked bacon in a hot dry frying pan. Raw meat is fried until cooked.
4. The cooled bacon is placed on top of the dandelion leaves.

The sauce is mixed in a separate bowl from vinegar, oil, crushed garlic into a pulp. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve without stirring. The dish can be sprinkled with white breadcrumbs, nuts or seeds.

Dandelion salad: recipe with cottage cheese and fruits

An unexpected combination of products gives a bright, tasty result. This salad is a great way to introduce dandelions to children. The recipe will require several blooming flowers.

Ingredients:

• peaches – 3 pcs. or dense apricots – 5 pcs.;
• cherries (fresh or frozen) – 200 g;
• raspberries, currants and other berries –50 g;
• low-fat crumbly cottage cheese – 250 g;
• dandelion greens – 200 g.

For the sauce, mix 1 tbsp. l. refined oil, honey, citrus juice (lemon, lime, orange). The berries are wiped and combined with the resulting mass.

Preparation:

1. Washed, dried peaches and cherries are pitted and cut as desired.
2. The curd mass is mixed with fruit, adding petals torn from one of the dandelion flowers.
3. The soaked leaves are placed whole on a dish. The curd mass is placed on top.
4. Pour the berry sauce generously over the dish and decorate with the remaining flowers.

Fruits can be replaced with apples, soft pears, and canned pineapples. You can use any favorite syrup as a topping.

Dandelion, cabbage and egg salad

The composition of the salad is more classic and familiar. As a dressing, use a few spoons of sour cream or unleavened yogurt if you want to get an absolutely dietary product.

Ingredients:

• dandelion leaves – 100 g;
• fresh cucumber – 1 pc.;
• white or Chinese cabbage – 300 g;
• boiled eggs – 2 pcs.;
• onion (small) – 1 pc.

Cooking method:

1. Finely chop the cabbage. Cut the soaked dandelion greens lengthwise into strips. Cut the cucumber into thin slices.
2. Cut the onion into half rings and marinate with vinegar.
3. Place vegetables and leaves in a salad bowl, season with sour cream, salt and mix.
4. Place pickled onions and slices of boiled eggs on top.

You can omit the onion from the recipe or season the salad with vegetable oil and crushed garlic.

Dandelion and cucumber salad recipe

Another easy, dietary recipe with extremely low calorie content. For the salad, choose young cucumbers from which you do not need to peel.

Compound:

• dandelion (leaves) – 200 g;
• medium-sized cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
• green onions - a small bunch;
• celery - to taste;
• spices.

Preparing the salad does not take much time. Cucumbers and greens are cut as desired. The leaves are torn into small fragments by hand. Mix the salad, pour it with a small amount of any vegetable oil. Celery is added as desired, by peeling the top layer and cutting the vegetable into strips.

Recipe for dandelion leaf salad with carrots and lemon juice

A bright, healthy salad is obtained by adding fresh carrots. Its sweetish taste perfectly sets off the spicy bitterness of dandelion. An even more appetizing look is obtained by adding the yellow petals of one flower to the salad.

Ingredients:

• dandelion (leaves) – 100 g;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• juice from ½ lemon;
• unrefined oil - 1 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Raw carrots are grated on a grater with large holes. Dandelion greens are chopped randomly.
2. Pour lemon juice, vegetable oil over the salad, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir and let sit for about 20 minutes.

You can serve this salad right away. But the dish can sit perfectly in the refrigerator for about a day, gaining flavor.

Healthy dandelion salad with nettles

The exceptional benefits of dandelion can be supplemented by using another vitamin-rich plant as the basis for the salad - nettle. Young grass tops are less hot, but still require preliminary preparation.

To get rid of stinging hairs on the leaves and stems, it is not necessary to blanch the nettle; just pour boiling water over it and place it in a colander. This reduces the pungency, retaining more nutrients.

Ingredients for vitamin salad:

• dandelion leaves – 300 g;
• nettle tops – 300 g;
• green onions and garlic feathers - 50 g each;
• fresh cucumber – 1 pc.;
• boiled egg – 1 pc.;
• sour cream – 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. Scalded nettles and soaked dandelion leaves are finely chopped.
2. Finely chop the egg, cut the cucumber into cubes.
3. Green onions and garlic are thoroughly chopped with a knife.
4. All ingredients are mixed in one bowl, salted and seasoned with sour cream.

A salad recipe with nettles and dandelions is useful to include in the diet of people who are weakened after serious illnesses or who have been on a strict diet for a long time.

Salad of dandelion leaves, sorrel and plantain

A very healthy vitamin dish can be prepared from the first spring greens, using equal parts of fresh leaves of the following crops:

• nettle;
• sorrel;
• dandelion;
• plantain;
• whine.

Add any available greens to the salad: onions, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil. For 0.5 kg of green mass take 2 boiled eggs and 30 ml of any vegetable oil.

Preparation:

1. The dandelions are soaked, the nettles are scalded, and all other greens are washed well under running water.
2. Leaves and aromatic herbs are finely chopped with a knife or passed through a meat grinder.
3. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool, peel and cut into slices.
4. The green mass is salted, seasoned with oil, mixed and placed on a plate for serving.
5. The dish is served with egg slices placed on the salad and garnished with dandelion flowers.

In addition to the fortifying effect and the ability to stimulate the immune system, spring herbs have a positive effect on the functioning of the stomach and help cleanse the body.

Dandelion salad with cheese and egg

Vitamin dishes with dandelions have many options. A hearty, tasty salad is prepared according to the recipe with cheese, apple and egg. Use 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream as a dressing.

Ingredients:

• boiled chicken eggs – 2 pcs. (or 4 quail);
• large dandelion leaves – 200 g;
• hard cheese – from 50 to 100 g;
• sweet apple – 1 pc.;
• sesame seeds – 3 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. Dandelion greens are prepared as standard and finely chopped.
2. Boiled eggs are finely chopped, cheese is grated on a coarse grater.
3. Peel the apple, remove the core, and cut the pulp into cubes.
4. Sesame grains are heated in a frying pan until creamy.
5. All ingredients are poured into a deep bowl, poured with sour cream, and mixed.

The finished salad is served in portioned dishes, generously sprinkled with sesame seeds. Salt the dish should be done with caution. If the hard cheese is of a salty variety, it may be enough to balance the flavor.

Korean dandelion salad

The Korean version of dandelion salad is prepared similarly to carrot-cha with the addition of vinegar.

Required Products:

• young dandelion leaves – ½ kg;
• raw carrots – about 200 g;
• sweet thin-walled pepper – 1 pc.;
• rice vinegar – 6 tbsp. l. or regular table - 3 tbsp. l.;
• vegetable oil – 6 tbsp. l.;
• soy sauce – 3 tbsp. l.;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• red pepper (hot) – ½ tsp;
• ground paprika – 1 tbsp. l.;
• sesame – 3 tbsp. l.;
• salt – ½ tsp.

Preparation:

1. Thinly sliced ​​carrots and sweet peppers are mixed with soaked dandelion leaves.
2. Grind the garlic into a paste, add chopped onions, add paprika, red pepper, and sesame seeds to the mixture.
3. Add soy sauce, vinegar, vegetable oil to the salad dressing and mix thoroughly.
4. In a large container, mix and crush a salad mixture of leaves, carrots with aromatic dressing.
5. Cover the container with a lid and leave the mixture in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours.

The marinated salad is served sprinkled with sesame seeds. The snack does not lose its properties for up to 5 days. The most balanced taste is observed after 2 days of infusion. The salad is stored in the refrigerator, placed in a food container with a tight lid.

Restrictions and contraindications

Despite all the usefulness of fresh dandelion leaves and salads based on them, there are several strict medical contraindications to such dishes:

• the presence of stones in the gall bladder, due to the risk of blockage of the ducts;
• gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum due to increased acidity;
• allergies to carotenes, individual intolerance to dandelions or any products in the salad.

Salad with dandelions, prepared in Chinese or Korean with a lot of spices, vinegar, and hot seasonings, is not recommended for any disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and hypertension. For such disorders, use recipes with gentle ingredients, a minimum of salt, and no spicy additives.

Conclusion

Dandelion salad can be considered not only a vitamin dish, but also a medicine. However, even such a useful product can cause harm to the body if the raw materials are collected in contaminated places or used stale.All the benefits of salads, soups, sauces from dandelion leaves and roots can be obtained on the first day after collection.

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