Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Dandelion deliciousness

Dandelions. They're a huge problem in Hutchinson this year.

About 30 minutes ago, I told The Hutchinson News Facebook friends to "like" if their yards are full of the yellow flower weeds. Now there are more than 60 "likes."

My yard is also full. I pull them and they come back. It was actually EXTREMELY annoying, until I found this recipe.

Apparently dandelions are edible. Bob Colladay suggested making dandelion wine. I thought he was joking until I found this recipe. Who knew?!?!

Apparently they're good for you. The roots are antiviral. They can help stabilize blood sugars, according to foodscout.org.They help with digestion, lower cholestoral, detoxifying the liver... and ladies, they help with bloating during... that time.

Dandelion greens are incorporated into a lot of recipes. Food Network's Emeril Lagasse is known for throwing in a few greens with his dishes - BAM!

But when I found this recipe for dandelion pancakes, I was intrigued. Dandelion flowers are not as nutritious, but they are still edible.

Oh, and a tip from pretty much everyone - don't pick your dandelions too close to the road or where dogs might have "marked" them. Also find dandelions that have not been sprayed.

Dandelion Pancakes
3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup milk (1 cup for looser batter)
1 egg
About 30 dandelion flower heads
a pinch of salt
Coconut oil for frying

In a small bowl, mix the flour with cornmeal and then add milk and egg. Whisk to combine. Mix in dandelion flowers and salt to the batter. Heat 2-3 Tbsp. of oil in a skillet. When it's hot, drop rounded spoonfulls of dandelion batter into the oil.
Cook the pancakes on one side until brown, and then flip over nad cook on the other side. When they're brown on both sides, remove them from the skillet and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.
Serve with your favorite topping.

- Winnie Abramson on her blog Healthy Green Kitchen, healthygreenkitchen.com. She used organic ingredients in her blog, so feel free to try those.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Restaurant feedback

I got a letter from the Wheatland Cafe the other day. The restaurant was the featured Kristen in the Kitchen restaurant in February.
Darrell, Shannon, Harold and Sally Bauer said the story and video has brought the positive response from the restaurant.
They said the restaurant had several calls from Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma, Ulysses, Hutchinson, Emporia, Liberal, Medicine Lodge and Claflin. It helped them sell five of their cookbooks, and several called just to say they made the cinnamon rolls.
The Sunday buffet was "extra busy" on March 4, the Sunday after the column ran. Several people told the Bauers they read the article and came to try it out.
It's so nice to hear feedback on how the show benefits restaurants. People are these restaurants work hard and deserve an extra pat on the back. It's great to have the opportunity to give them a little credit.
If you have a restaurant you think would be a good fit for Kristen in the Kitchen, please let me know.
Either shoot me an email at kroderick@hutchnews.com or call me at (620) 694-5700 ext. 331. I have a few restaurants in mind, but I love to feature the mom and pop restaurants people might otherwise not know about.