SunShine Cookies made with Dandelion flowers

Here in Cali Dandelions are found year-round and can be part of a nutritious treat. Try these cookies they burst with flavor and can boost your immune system. 

1 Cup Applesauce (or the like)

1 Tablespoon soft Butter

15+ drops of doTerra Wild Orange Essential Oil 

1-1/2 Cup Sweetener (I used sugar, only because I'm running low on other choices)

6 eggs

1-1/2 Cups Dandelion Florets

3 Cups Whole Grains Flour

3 Cup Multi-Grain Oatmeal

1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds (or 0ther nuts)

I didn't have any but some Currants would be Awesome and some Carob (or chocolate) chips wouldn't have been bad, if you're into that.

So grab the kids, go out to the back yard and pick all the Dandelion flowers you can get. 1-2 cups of the flowers, with-out stems, will work fine. I like to toss the flowers around in a bowl to help get the little bugs off. Then I wash them, give them a light squeeze, and start pulling the petals out of the green. Hold the florets with one hand and pinch the green part hard with the other, give a little twist and that should do it... if not hand that one to the kids to work on and get another flower.

When the florets are prepared, preheat oven to 375°F. Blend applesauce  butter, EO and sweetener. Then beat in the eggs. Stir in the florets. Mix in the flour & oatmeal. Last add the sunflower seeds. Spoon the batter onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 11 minutes. They don't spread much so you can put them close together on the pan. Eat warm or cool also good with milk. 

Besides cookies I also like to put the flowers whole into my smoothies.

Dandelions get their name from the sharp lions tooth shape of their leaves.

Birdies Breakfast (or Millet Mush)

1 Cup Millet
4 Cups Water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup Currents (little raisins)
1 diced apple (I take off most skin, but not all)
sweeten to taste with Agave (or honey/sugar)
Cinnamon
cream (or milk)

heat saucepan over medium heat with water, salt, and millet. simmer about 30 minutes. use time to chop apples. When millet is done to your liking add currents and apples, I like my apples crisp so I take it off the heat and cover for a few minuets. Add flavorings, (cinnamon and any others you want) sweeteners, serve warm or hot, then pour on a little cream.

it is rice pudding like, I added a little butter.
it was quite good but my older hard cases didn't finish it.
and soaking any of your grains over night is always a good idea, or better yet sprout it!

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tonight we are having -I droped the Egg(s) Flower soup-

The basic recipe for Egg Drop Soup (also called Egg Flower Soup) is very simple; Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth or stock (I used better than bullion)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten (I found that I hade actually broken 5! so that's how many I used)
• 1-3 Tablespoons Arrowroot or cornstarch (optional)
• 1 -2 green onions, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger (this Really makes the soup)
• Soy sauce to taste
• A few drops of sesame oil (optional)

• Can of corn and peas with juice 

Preparation:

In a wok or saucepan, bring the 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Mix the 1 - 3 tablespoons of arrowroot with 1/2 cup cool water. stir into the boiling water. Add the ginger and sesame oil if using. Very slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly for one minute. To make thin streams or ribbons, gently stir until they form. Add your cans of corn and peas.
  Garnish with green onion and serve.
all the kids loved it, except my hard nut...

Rudy said it was the BEST soup I ever made :P

Creamed Nettles {Gream Soup}

Photo by Greg Fewer

Every spring I like to try something new from the yard, this year I tried the stinging nettles, I've been wanting to for long while. Nettles are very high in minerals, especially, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, silica, and iodine. They also provide chlorophyll and they're a good source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and B complex vitamins. Nettles have high levels of easily absorbable amino acids. They're ten percent protein, more than any other vegetable. They are also very easy to recognize, seeing as how they STING you.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4+ cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1+ cup milk (as needed)
• soup pot full of nettle leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• (optional) onions, mushrooms, zucchini, can of corn, leaks, cooked potatoes or yams, dash nutmeg, lemon pepper, cayenne, other herbs

Preparation:

Nettles: pick lots of leaves, spring of fall is best. wear gloves, wash & chop. Fill the pot with leaves wet from washing, cover, low heat for 10-20 min 'til leaves are wilted. next I put them in the blender with more water (1 cup) if needed, if I have zucchini, mushrooms, or other veggies I steam them with the nettles and put them in the blender, too, but I put the onion into the blender raw.

while steaming the nettles I melt the butter over low heat. Then blending the flour till smooth. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add blended nettles and veggies. Corn can be added now. Cover and cook stirring occasionally, until hot. Season with salt, pepper, and others of choice. let cool, serve.

My husband said it was good but tasted/smelled like fish, not sure where that came from?

The kids helped me pick the nettles so there were stems and even some roots nothing I had read said to just use the leaves so I left them in, BIG MISTAKE the stems didn't blend well so when I was eating I had to keep pulling out fibers and woody stems, and when carefully washing I must have missed a root or two because there was dirt in it... yum :/

But I thought the flavor was very good {I had 3 bowls} and would like to make it again.

Staizy's Limon {pan} Cakes

Real farm fresh eggs with beautiful dark spring yokes give a great yellow color to these limony pancakes.

3 Cups Whole Grain Flour
1/2 Cup Butter Milk Powder (0ptional)
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Sugar (or more if not T0Pping)
1/2 Cup Currants
~
4 Eggs
3 Cups Milk (or water)
Zest & Juice from 2 Limons
1/2 teaspoon Limon extract (0ptional)

Sift dry together, BEAT wet lightly, then MIX wet & dry together.
CoOK in butter on very HOT giddle, take care when turning they will be softer than most pancakes & brown quickly because of the sugar.
T0P with a light dusting of Powderd Sugar & Whipped Cream