Toast with Radishes & Dandelion Greens

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)

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