I’ll never forget the first time I bit into a radish. I was in Sunday school and I was maybe seven or eight. I’m not sure if they ate radishes in Bible times, but for whatever reason that morning’s lesson involved passing around new raw foods to try. I don’t remember much else about that day except the shockingly bitter taste that I couldn’t get out of my mouth until my family picked up Dunkin’ Donuts on the way home.
I spent years picking radishes out of salads until I slowly came to love the crunch and slightly bitter bite – especially when thinly sliced, pickled or roasted. I’ve never done the buttered radish thing until now – except these are “olive oiled,” finished with a squeeze of lemon, and piled on toast with sautéed dandelion greens.
I made a creamy vegan spread out of herbs and sunflower seeds, although if that sounds like too much trouble, ricotta would be a simple sub.
There’s no need to finish these off with doughnuts this time, although if you’re craving something sweet afterward, I won’t judge. Here’s a recipe.
Toast with Radishes & Dandelion Greens
- drizzle of olive oil or a pat of butter
- ¼ cup chopped spring onions or scallions
- handful of radishes, sliced in half
- ½ bunch dandelion greens (6-8 leaves)
- ¼ cup frozen edamame, thawed and chopped
- 4-6 slices grainy bread, toasted
- pinch of red pepper flakes - optional
- salt and pepper
- 1¼ cup hulled sunflower seeds, soaked & drained*
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus a bit of zest
- 1 cup water (more as needed)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- handful of fresh herbs - basil, mint or dill (save a few to put on top)
- Make the sunflower seed spread by blending sunflower seeds, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, water and salt until smooth. Add herbs and blend again. Chill until ready to use.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, add onions, radishes salt and pepper, cook for a few minutes, then add a few tablespoons of water, cover and let steam until radishes are tender but still have a bite, about 5 minutes.
- When the radishes are nearly done, add the dandelion greens and a big squeeze of lemon. Cook until the greens are just barely wilted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Top toasted bread with sunflower seed spread, radishes, greens, chopped edamame and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Store sunflower spread in the fridge for up to 4 days (stir if it separates).
Pinning this for later!! The sunflower seed spread looks to die for 🙂