Spring salads - lente salades (GF-DF-SF-V)

Nature is holding its breath.

It is too cold and too dry after the long winter for the new sprouts to grow; everywhere I walk in nature I see just  tiny little starters of spring greens. Most of the cleansing herbs that grow around us are still in hiding; only a few nettles are starting to come up, the dandelion and the plantain only on some sunny spots, the birches show some buds, but no leaves yet.

We all long for spring!

From my window I see a family of rabbits, they have already 2 youngsters outside, they are really hungry, there isn’t any grass growing yet. I fear for their survival. The water birds are not nesting yet. Really, nature is on a hold. For weeks and weeks there is a strong north-eastern wind blowing, the winter migrating birds are staying in the south, they cannot cross the Pyrenees.

I feel the same. I am waiting for some juice to get flowing again. I feel restless, can’t sit behind my desk, concentrate well ( I cannot find the pictures of the grated salad below;-), I want to get out, to breathe in sun and new life. To get rid of the winter blues, I go out every day to walk, to get going, to keep my body supple. Besides my daily yoga this helps a lot, but now the time arrives that my body wants to get rid of all the heavy materials and expose to some natural warmth. My skin is dry and achy, my body wants to nourish from fresh food.

The other day I picked some, not much, just 2 handfuls of nettle tops and made this simple salad, with some Turkish rocket and mustard greens and a tangy dressing. Just to get the idea of spring.

Detox salad

2 handfuls of freshly picked dandelion leaves/flowers, plantain, nettle leaves, chickweed, etc.

2 handfuls of rocket or other mustard greens

1 spring onion or wild garlic leaves

Make a nice basic dressing:

2 tbsp first pressing olive oil

1-2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp mustard

Pepper and salt

Fresh herbs

Mix everything well ( in a small pot with lid) and add to the salad leaves. Eat and enjoy the freshness of spring.

You can also add some roasted pumpkin cubes and goat’s cheese to enrich salad.

Another salad that I eat now is a grated winter root salad, very juicy:

Grated salad with celeriac and carrot

 (picture will follow)

For the dressing mix together:

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

pepper and salt

maybe add some:

freshly chopped coriander or parsley

chopped walnuts or roasted pumpkin seeds

grated horseradish

a scoop of nice mustard

grated beetroot, at the very last moment added for a super yummie taste and divine looks

Grate a small celeriac  and a big winter carrot roughly, mix with your hand and add the dressing. Let it rest and come to taste for at least half an hour!

Zoals ik noemde hierboven groeit er nog nauwelijks enig lentegroen buiten, maar als je goed kijkt en zoekt, op een schone plek, dan kun je al wel wat plukken.

Detox salade

2 handjesvol versgeplukte brandnetel topjes, paardenbloem blad en bloem, weegbree blaadjes, duizendblad, etc.

2 handjesvol rucola of andere mosterdgroen

1 lente uitje of wat blaadjes daslook

Maak een simpele dressing van :

2 el eerste persing olijfolie

1-2 el azijn of citroensap

1 tl mosterd

Peper en zout

Verse kruiden

Mix alles goed door elkaar (in een potje) en giet over de salade.

Eet smakelijk van dit bordje lente!

Nog lekkerder kun je het maken door wat geroosterde pompoenblokjes en stukjes geitenkaas toe te voegen!

Een andere heerlijke salade die ik nu eet is gemaakt van wintergroentes. Geraspt dus erg sappig:

geraspte selderijknol-wortel salade

 (foto volgt)

voor de dressing meng je in een potje:

2 el citroensap

2 el olijfolie

1 tl honing

1 el verse tijmblaadjes

peper en zout

Toevoegingen naar keuze:

Vers gehakte koriander of peterselie

Gehakte walnoten of geroosterde pompoenpitten

Geraspte mierikswortel

Lekkere mosterd

Geraspte biet op het laatst voor een prachtig kleurig effect

Rasp een kleine selderijknol en een flinke winterwortel op de grove rasp. Meng met de hand en voeg de dressing toe. Proef en laat zeker ½ uur intrekken.