Purslane and Garbanzo Salad

If you read my blog much, well - I'm amazed that you keep coming back.
No, I'm glad you're here. So have you noticed my frequent references to purslane?

I promise I'm not quite a weed-growing hippie farmer, but I've been fascinated with purslane for several years and finally this summer I'm growing my own. Safely in a large pot so it doesn't escape and take over my back yard which I guess it CAN do, though I've never seen it around here. (That's the only weeds I grow, promise!)

Here is the best use of my little purslane leaves so far!! I don't usually rave about nutrition, I'm all about "Does it TASTE good?"... but this salad tastes good AND it's loaded!

Wonderfully refreshing, packed with protein, good fats in the avocado, iron and calcium in the arugula, and as I've reminded everyone repeatedly, LOADS of Omega 3's from our lovely purslane!

Due to the evil Blogger-demons refusing to upload my pictures at the moment, I'll just leave you lovelies with this recipe and strictest instructions to rush out and raid your neighbors purslane-patch and make this salad tonight! You don't need no picture!

Purslane Salad with Garbanzos
(Chick-Peas) and Arugula

1 cup drained cooked or canned garbanzos/chickpeas
1 - 2 teaspoons capers (Please use these. Don't say you don't like them.)
1 avocado, cubed
3 cloves garlic or to taste, pressed or minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
3 cups baby arugula leaves
1 cup purslane leaves

1. In a bowl, combine garbanzos, capers, garlic and scallion. Add olive oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Gently toss in avocado cubes.
2. Mix arugula and purslane leaves. Top with garbanzo mixture. Oh, and if you're not vegan? Some crumbled feta cheese (*gasp*!!) would be awesome here I imagine!!

Rosemary Lemon-Glazed New Potatoes

Goodies from the Farmer's Market including some of my favorites: Purslane, tiny new potatoes, Rainier cherries and a Walla Walla Sweet onion (you should buy no other onion!).

















Here's what I did with the potatoes:

Rosemary-Lemon Glazed Potatoes

2 lbs. new potatoes, halved or cubed (depending on size)
1 Tbsp. olive oil or as needed
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbs. dry powdered vegetarian "chicken-flavor" bullion
2 - 3 garlic cloves
handful FRESH rosemary - stripped off stem
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1/4 tsp lemon zest (very finely grated skin)

Toss potatoes with oil and pan fry in non-stick-skillet on med. high until one or two sides start to brown.

Mix broth powder with water and pour over potatoes, and bring to a simmer.
Cover skillet and briskly simmer, shaking skillet occasionally, until potatoes are tender and most of water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.

Blend rosemary, garlic and lemon juice in food processor until very fine, (not a puree). Stir in lemon zest and toss potatoes with mixture.

Put potatoes back over med-low heat just long enough for garlic to cook but not burn. (2 min. or so).

(You could also toss the potatoes with olive oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary and oven roast them, but this method is quicker and heats the kitchen less.)

I also harvested some arugula and these beautiful radishes from my garden and made a simple salad with a kick! Arugula, radishes and purslane with a Lemon-Dijon vinaigrette. Perfect for a hot afternoon. I'm really loving arugula lately, what's your favorite way to use it?

Purslane Potato Salad

I did a little happy dance when I finally found purslane at the Farmers Market this weekend! (My kids thought I was insane; Well, I am, but that's another post entirely).

My wonderful and always-knowledgeable friend Froggy got me turned onto the stuff. OK, he grew some last summer and even though I never got to sample his gardening skills, he impressed me with the nutritional benefits and all, so I'd been dying to try it!

First of all, yes, I know, I know... purslane is a weed! The most common weed in the United States in fact. It supposedly grows EVERYWHERE from Alaska to Death Valley! But evidently not in MY back yard. Yet.

Weed or not, it's suddenly cropping up in upscale restaurants, trendy markets and produce stands - another new "Superfood" if you will. (Excellent post here by fellow blogger Bazu on Superfood trends - love it, LOVE it!!)

Anyway. I digress.

Purslane has been eaten as a vegetable and used as a medicinal herb in many other countries for centuries. It's not a "new" food, folks!

A couple historical notes I found interesting (because I'm such a foodie-history-geek that way):

-- In England in the seventeenth century, the cooks of Charles II were required to add its leaves to all salads to help the king with his well known digestive ailments.

-- An 18th century pharmacology list from Scotland recommends it "...to cool heat in the liver and be excellent for hot agues, all paines in the head, want of sleep or the frenzy, haemorrhages and to ward off evil."

-- The ancient Greek physician and botanist Dioscorides recognized its medicinal powers as anti-inflammatory and analgesic as well as soothing to the digestion. He also is quoted as saying that "it reduces the desire to fornicate". Hmmmmmm....

OK, besides all that utterly FASCINATING information - we now know purslane is high in essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6, pectin (known to lower cholesterol), fiber, antioxidants (protection from free radicals that damage & destroy healthy cells), and coenzyme Q10. To name a few.

Pretty good stuff, huh?

So what does it taste like? I guess like slightly "lemony" spinach, but not as tangy as online reports seemed to indicate it would be.

We really liked it raw, though there's a lot of recipes for cooking it too. I wonder if the nutritional benefits would diminish if cooked? No matter, I had a ton of ideas for using it, but ended up putting it in a basic potato salad.

Even though the picture looks like potato goo, trust me, it was incredible! I won't want potato salad any other way from now on!

Purslane Potato Salad

4 large Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes

1 cup of Vegannaise
1 cup celery, sliced thin
1/2 red onion, diced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I don't like "yellow" potato salad so I use less!)

6 radishes, sliced

1 cup coarsely chopped purslane, leaves and tender stems

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Peel (often I don't peel them) , cube, and boil potatoes until soft and fork tender.

Drain and let cool. Put potatoes in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix well, taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Chill and serve. The flavors blend and taste best if chilled over night.