Dandelion leaf Salad with Bacon and Avocado
When I hear dandelion leaf salad, all I think of is a visualization of myself and my family out in the middle of nowhere, running from some unforeseeable enemy. Maybe an alien, mountain lion, zombies??? We finally get some cover and are all hunched around together on the verge of starvation. Then one of glances down and sees a bright and fuzzy yellow flower proudly standing tall. One of us rips off a handful of leaves and holds them out in front of everyone suggesting the obvious. Looking at one another, we all begin thinking the same thing.. “Do I really have to eat this to survive”??
Idk why a post apocalyptic survival situation comes to mind… It just does.
But wait, maybe its because dandelion leaves really are the LAST thing I would even want to eat if I was on the verge of death. I could see myself thinking “at this point, death sounds better than eating a plant that can’t even die when its sprayed with toxic carcinogens”.
Ahh, am I being a bit dramatic or what… Dramatic, definitely dramatic 😉
Now that I’ve convinced you that it would be better to die than eat dandelion, I’m going to try to get you to believe that its maybe one of the best kept secrets for having a healthy diet in the 21st century!!!! Yes, you read that right.
Why eat Dandelion Leaves?
Well because, its either that, or die peacefully without the bitter aftertaste reminding me of the first time I bit into a lemon peel.
Okay okay, just kidding. It really isn’t all that bad. We’ve all had our fair share of bitter leafy greens like arugula, radicchio, and mustard greens before. If anything dandelion leaves tend to be on the milder side of some of these. Dandelion leaves, in my opinion, closely resemble arugula in flavor and red leaf lettuces in texture. So, not too bad. Some people are actually quite fond of the taste!
Our family on the other hand, doesn’t mind it. It’s defiantly not our favorites like spinach or romaine, but it adds a nice depth of flavor to a salad when mixed in with other greens. But this recipe feature solely dandelion leaves. The reason being what I’m about to discuss!
Dandelion has a plethora of health benefits! Its far superior to many other leafy green because of its high levels of antioxidants and vitamins such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron and choline!!! (source) And there’s a lot more! Below I go into the many benefits of dandelion and why it is something we try to consume regularly in our home.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a medical professional. The content here is for informational and entertainment purposes only. This is not medical advice This is not a medical opinion, or meant to prescribe treatment for any illness, disease or health related ailment of any kind. Seek out your own personal doctor or qualified health care provider for any questions or concerns regarding the use of dandelion.
Benefits of Dandelion Leaves
High in Fiber
Dandelion leaves have about 2 grams of fiber per one cup of leaves!! That’s not bad considering most lettuces has less than one gram per cup. Fiber is an essential part of our diets and greatly aids in the digestion process. Not having enough fiber in our diet increases inflammation: one of the main contributors to chronic disease. Fiber also helps to regulate our blood sugar levels as well.
Studies Show it could Support Liver Health
Our liver is so important when it comes to the health of our bodies. Its the bodies filter so to say, and to be honest, I need a filter “pick me up” with all the junk I’ve put into my body over the years.
Dandelion is rich in cell protecting properties which is great for our liver since it comes in contact with so many different destructive elements during its filtration process. In ancient medicine many cultures looked upon dandelion as a liver tonic. This tonic is caused by dandelions ability to ward off oxidative stress. (source) So if your wanting to add a food that possibly strengthens your liver, dandelion it that food!
Helps Fight Bacteria
Dandelion also has antiviral and antimicrobial properties that can help your body fight off different infections!! It could be eaten regularly to help build the immune system, or consumed specifically when you or someone you know is sick. Because dandelion has so many antioxidants and vitamins its a great natural medicinal plant to have around.
May Help Kill Cancer Cells!
Yes, I hear this every time and I’m shocked!! At first I thought this was some sort of made up, overly optimistic herbal medicine blabber. But when I joined the foraging community I started to read all about the different kinds of local plants that I could forage for, including dandelion! Upon further investigation I found that it was true that dandelion may help fight cancer.
There was a study done (here I put a link to that study) that found that when they treated cancer cells with dandelion extract, the extract staring killing the cancer cells within 48 hours. There are many other studies that show the effectiveness of dandelion when they comes in contact with cancer.
Turns out that dandelion is pretty awesome in terms of an overall healthy leafy green to add to your seasonal menu!! I hope you enjoyed learning about dandelions health benefits, below is my dandelion salad recipe that is sure convince you that dandelion really can taste good!!!
Ingredients
- 2 Avocados, cut in half, core and skin removed, then chopped.
- The juice from 1/2 a Lemon
- 1/4 cup of greek yogurt
- 4 cups Dandelion Leaves, washed and roughly chopped.
- 1 cup of chopped bacon
- 1 cup of shredded Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
How to Make the Salad
Dressing
- To make the dressing I start by halving an avocado and removing half of the flesh and placing it into a bowl along with the juice from half a lemon and a 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt.
- Mix the avocado in with the lemon juice and Greek yogurt until it forms a smooth texture. If you want to avoid all lumps this can be put into a small blender. I personally don’t mind if the avocado doesn’t completely mix into the dressing because I’ll be adding more avocado to the salad later on.
- Lastly add salt and pepper to taste. I do this by feel, but you could add 1/4 of tsp at a time of each to see what amount you prefer.
Salad
- For the salad I mix the dandelion leaves with the previously made dressing until each leaf is coated in dressing.
- Next, I toss in half the bacon, half of the Parmesan, and the rest of the avocado.
- The plate and serve with an extra sprinkling of bacon and Parmesan.
That’s it! A super simple dandelion salad that doesn’t make you wanna die while eating it ;))
If you liked this dandelion salad recipe and wanna know more about eating food that could be growing in your own backyard, local playground or State park, then check out more foraging post here: Forage for Dandelions, How to Forage for Wild Violets! For more recipes check out how to make your own bright purple Wild Violet Simple Syrup!!
Dandelion Leaf Salad with Avocado and Bacon
Equipment
- 1 Chefs Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Salad mixing bowl
- 1 Cheese Grater
Ingredients
- 2 whole Avocados cut in half, core and skin removed, then chopped.
- Juice of half a lemon
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- 4 cups Dandelion leaves, washed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup Chopped bacon
- 1 cup Shredded Parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Dressing
- To make the dressing I start by halving an avocado and removing half of the flesh and placing it into a small bowl along with the juice from half a lemon and a 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt.
- Mix the avocado in with the lemon juice and Greek yogurt until it forms a smooth texture with a fork. If you want to avoid all lumps this can be put into a small blender. I personally don't mind if the avocado doesn't completely mix into the dressing because I'll be adding more avocado to the salad later on so I don't notice a difference.
- Lastly add salt and pepper to taste. I do this by feel, but you could add 1/4 of tsp at a time of each to see what amount you prefer.
Salad
- For the salad I mix the dandelion leaves with the previously made dressing until each leaf is coated in dressing.
- Next, I toss in half the bacon, half of the Parmesan, and the rest of the avocado.
- The plate and serve with an extra sprinkling of bacon and Parmesan