A Salad of Sunflower Greens with Sidra
Salad was the heart of this delicious lunch I had just over a week ago in Washington D.C. with Sidra Forman. Sidra has a way with greens, be it growing them, arranging them or cooking them, and among her many accomplishments is her work with Bob Greene on The Best Life Diet Cookbook.
Sunflower greens made up the backbone of Sidra's salad, and I was smitten with these large crunchy sprouts which she mixed with thinly sliced radishes, raw baby turnips and Jerusalem artichokes, freshly shelled fava beans and a whole host of herbs gathered directly from her garden.
I found sunflower greens the next day at Greener Pastures, which sells both sunflower and buckwheat greens along with wheat grass and cat grass from a yellow school bus at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. There I learned I could eat them sprinkled with fresh chopped garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, for a quick healthy snack instead of, say, potato chips.
I'm making salads with sunflower greens every chance I get. I've tried them with blanched asparagus, cubed tomatoes, and always thinly sliced radishes. This may be the year I break down and buy a mandoline.
Sunflower greens are packed with nutrients, so however you eat them--in a salad, as a snack, or on a sandwich--be sure not to miss them! In Seattle you can find sunflower greens at farmers markets in Ballard, the University District, and West Seattle.
--Tracy Schneider
Mike on June 02, 2009 at 06:04 AM
Love the salads. Tanx.
Philippine Lechon on August 24, 2009 at 11:28 PM
I found this recipe when I was searching(from fearless kitchen)
"Sunflower Sprout Salad with Cashew Dressing"
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bulb green garlic
2/3 cup Lemony Vegetable Broth (or other stock or broth, the original called for chicken)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons smooth cashew butter
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 9-oz packages fresh Chinese-style noodles (I like Nasoya brand.)
2 packages sunflower sprouts
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup (2/3 bunch) cilantro, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sesame oil
1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in the mini-prep and process to a sauce-type consistency.
2. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse well with very cold water.
3. Put the noodles in the serving bowl.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well.
5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well again. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
I also wanna try your recipe and I'm going to add your recipe to my "recipe notebook"..anyway,thank you for sharing.
seth