Woah, just under 2 weeks away from the first CSA pick-up. Josh also planted a nice looking bed of lettuce and it's looking like it will be ready very soon too. Lettuce is an awesome food to fill up on - especially in the summer when it's too hot in the house to cook. It's fresh and cooling, low in calories, and your can play around with lots of different ingredients to give a lettuce it's own personality. I did a little research and found out that lettuce was first cultivated by the Egyptians, and primarily used its seed to produce oil. I also discovered that lettuce is a great source of vitamins A, C, K, as well as folate and potassium. But, if you're looking for nutrition - iceberg lettuce is 96% water. Better choices include
romaine, which is still crunchy, or
red leaf lettuce - which is mild but has some texture, or
arugula - which has a bit of a bite, as well as some anti-cancerous properties since it is officially part of the cruciferous family (kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc.) Or if you really want to take it up a notch, add kale or swiss chard to your salad. These leaves are a little tougher but can be boiled or steamed to soften them up.
The general rule for selecting leafy greens is looking for darker color and more open leaves. The darker the color and open shape allow the leaf to absorb more light, which means they can synthesize more vitamins and antioxidants.
If you're really looking to keep things light and healthy on your salad, be careful how you dress it. Lighter vinaigrettes, walnuts and sunflower seeds can be a great option.
Tired of salad? Use the leaves to make a wrap for a sandwich or a taco. A bowl of lettuce and blueberries also makes a great summer breakfast or snack.
I came across this website - has lots of delicious looking recipes.
http://recipes.terra-organics.com/ I found a recipe for cucumber kiwi salad with blueberries - sounds amazing!
We'd love to hear your favorite salad ingredients or other ways to eat your lettuce. Leave a comment below with a recipe idea or a link.
Ooh, so many salad combinations. I love goat cheese on mine, almost always tomatoes and something crunchy. I'm making chive flower vinegar to use for vinaigrettes.
ReplyDeleteMmm! Maybe we can get you to share your chive flower vinegar vinaigrette recipe... never had that before. :)
ReplyDeleteSuper easy. Here's where I got the vinegar recipe:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foodinjars.com/2012/05/recipe-reminder-chive-blossom-vinegar/
The link to the recipe is under the picture of the gorgeous pink vinegar.
I had a bottle of dijon mustard that was almost empty so I filled it almost to the top with half and half vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. A little real salt, fresh ground black pepper and a bit of honey to taste. Shake well.