I’ve always had a curios­ity about the greens I watched my father eat his whole life. My mother steamed or sautéd them with but­ter, salt and pep­per and I would watch him eat a plate­ful, grate­ful that I was not required to par­take of the limp, green blob that would make any child run in the oppo­site direction.

Now that I’m older and my palate is more devel­oped, I finally decided to take the plunge. To my sur­prise, dan­de­lion greens are delight­ful – much more than the dreaded weed that so many lawn own­ers try to erad­i­cate. The fact is, dan­de­lion greens are the most nutri­tious leafy veg­etable you can eat. A huge source of Vit­a­min A and K, they also pro­vide cal­cium and iron to your diet. This rel­a­tive of the sun­flower sup­ports diges­tion, reduces swelling and inflam­ma­tion and even treats viruses.

We had this dish tonight for din­ner along­side a Roasted Chicken and a green salad. Lots of greens, but my kids gob­bled it up. The chicken and salad, that is. I think work­ing dan­de­lion greens into their diet is going to take a bit of maneu­ver­ing, but I’m deter­mined! Enjoy.

Prep time: 5 min­utes
Total time: 20 min­utes
Yield: 2 servings

1 bunch dan­de­lion greens
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 yel­low onion, chopped
1 clove gar­lic, diced
salt & pep­per to taste
sprin­kling of parme­san cheese

1. Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
2. Rinse greens and cut stems off. Slice leaves into 1″ strips and add to boil­ing water. Reduce heat and sim­mer for 10 minutes.
3. While greens are sim­mer­ing, heat olive oil in skil­let and sauté onion until translu­cent, about 7 min­utes. Add gar­lic and sauté for another minute, then set aside.
4. Drain greens and add to skil­let of onions and gar­lic, on medium heat. Cook for 5 min­utes to com­bine fla­vors. Add salt & pep­per to taste. Sprin­kle with parme­san cheese, optional.