Still Crazy about Purslane

squeeze lime on purslane, potato, dill, cucumber salad

When I posted my blog on purslane, I had no idea it would get such a huge response. Enthusiastic conversations sprouted up on several facebook pages. Apparently, purslane is a thing. People all over the world gather this healthy, versatile, edible "weed." (Purslane has more omega 3 than most green veggies.)  We have been experimenting with it ever since. Here's a few easy recipes I came up with. 

If you pick the tops off the purslane they grow back! 

One of my favorite concoctions is purslane, potato, cucumber, and dill salad. We like it so much that we served it at our 4th of July BBQ. There was some purslane left from my neighborhood foraging, but after a few days it was starting to get a little wilted. Purslane always tastes best when fresh. So I planted the remaining plants (roots and all) in the garden. I managed to pick a small handful of purslane from those that had grown back from a recent harvest. (If you leave part of the plant intact they grow back!) I avoided any that had flowers budding because I knew from experience that they would be bitter.

wash carefully

Be sure you wash the purslane well or your will have some unwanted crunchy dirt in your salad. We also found a cute garden beetle in there. If you wash them over a bowl you can catch the little black seeds and pour them where you want purslane to grow in your yard. I like to pour them around plants I already water. 

coarsely chopping purslane leaves and stems

Cut off the roots. Then dice the purslane, stems and all. The stems have a slightly lemony, parsley taste. They add a nice crisp bite to the salad. Feel free to leave the healthy peelings on the cucumber and potatoes. (Though I peeled the cuke so that the purslane would stand out more.) You can also add some diced green onion, but being a newlywed, I still opt for kissable breath.

ingredients for purslane salad (except lime)

PURSLANE, POTATO, CUCUMBER, DILL SALAD

1 bunch of purslane (coarsely diced)
1 small bunch of fresh dill (leaves finely diced)
5-6 medium yellow potatoes (cut in wedges, cooked and chilled)
1 cucumber (cut in wedges)
3 tablespoons sour cream
the juice of 1/2 of a lime or lemon

Stir all the ingredients together. Serve chilled. Craveable!

One purslane fan suggested that you can sauté the purslane (with stems) and add it to an omelet. (Dan  tried this dish and said you don't even have to sauté the purslane first.)

I had some leftover pesto so I decided to try it as a scramble. I sautéed the purslane in 2 tablespoons of pesto (sautéing it until the purslane was tender.)

I added a couple of wedges of canned artichoke. Then I scrambled in 4 eggs and topped it with crumbled feta cheese. Yummy!

PESTO PURSLANE SCRAMBLE

1 bunch of purslane (chopped)
2 tablespoons of pesto (or more to taste)
4 eggs
1-2 wedges of canned artichoke diced (optional)
crumbled feta cheese

pesto purslane scramble and home fries 

SMOTHERED GREEN CHILE AND PURSLANE BREAKFAST BURRITO (for two)

2-3 medium potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
olive oil for frying
1 small can of diced green chiles
3-4 eggs
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
tortillas

GREEN CHILE PURSLANE SAUCE
small bunch of purslane (coarsely diced)
1/2 of a 15 oz can of green chile enchilada sauce

Fry home fries in oil. When cooked, sauté diced green chiles, scramble in eggs, melt cheese on top. Roll up in a tortilla.

In a small saucepan, add purslane to green chile sauce. Simmer until purslane is tender. Pour over burrito.

green chile and purslane smothered breakfast burrito 

There are so many cool recipes I'd like to try, like adding purslane to lentil soup in place of spinach or adding it into a Greek style quinoa salad. You can pretty much add it in place of leafy veggies in most recipes. 

It's a great way for vegetarians to get their omega 3. Purslane has the highest level of alpha-linolenic which is an omega 3 fatty acid essential for human nutrition compared to any leafy green vegetable. A 100 g sample of purslane contains 300–400 mg of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

More information at: 

Obsessed with Purslane

  Enjoy!