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Friday, May 29, 2009

Friday Food for Thought—Are There Flowers in My Salad?

This month I’ve been talking about things to make with edible flowers. Since salads are one of my favorite things, I decided to wrap up the month with a recipe that is quick, easy, nutritious and delicious.

To keep things simple, I buy baby salad greens that are pre-washed and ready to eat, and I support local growers whenever I can. Which usually means they’re organic, so that’s an added bonus. One of my family’s favorites is a “gourmet” blend of baby greens that includes nasturtiums and other flower petals. Very pretty.

To prepare the salad, put a generous handful of greens on each salad plate, drizzle on the dressing, and serve. What could be simpler?

I prefer a nice, light dressing that enhances rather than masks the delicate flavors of the flowers and the baby greens. This one is yummy, and only takes a couple of minutes to prepare.

Honey-Yogurt Dressing

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Put the ingredients in a bowl, whisk them together, and you’re good to go.

To jazz things up a little, add thin slices of apple or pear, a few craisins, some chopped pecans, cubes of mild cheese, or anything else your heart desires.

On a somewhat related note, have you ever tried to identify the various types of baby greens in a salad mix? Earthbound Farm has a fabulous ID chart. Check it out!

Until next time,
Lee

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of the most memorable wedding receptions I ever went to involved many food fiascos. First of all, there wasn't enough food (or the first people through the buffet line were greedy or the carvers were extremely generous) so the people at the end of the line got no protein.
This was not an auspicious sign for my Uncle Carnivore.
He was forced to eat salad.
Which included many beautiful greens, including nasturtium leaves, and their beautiful orange blossoms and then…
Unc's mouth twisted in perplexed horror. "Are those *pansies*?"

Watching him eat the little purple flowers was the funniest thing I've seen in years.

Rachel

Lee McKenzie said...

LOL! Thanks for sharing that story, Rachel. Poor old Uncle C must've been mighty hungry!