Leek is not very popular in our latitudes. Meanwhile, he is very much appreciated and loved in the Mediterranean countries. This vegetable has a unique taste, sweet and spicy flavor allows you to use it as a fragrant seasoning. Salads, first and second courses are prepared from leeks, and stuffed for pies. In addition, it is useful for a figure and is inexpensive.
The benefits of leeks and contraindications
Due to the rich chemical composition, leeks are actively used in folk medicine. Judging by consumer reviews, with regular use of leek salad or other dishes based on it, you can get rid of depression, improve digestion, increase hemoglobin, improve memory, increase the body's defenses, normalize blood pressure, and increase sex drive. In addition, the vegetable is useful for gout, rheumatism, pathologies of the cardiovascular system, respiratory diseases, is a good tool for the prevention of oncology, slows the growth of malignant neoplasms.
It is important to consider that the vegetable contains a small amount of oxalate. People who have a tendency to form kidney stones should eat onion dishes carefully. In addition, the vegetable has a significant amount of nickel in its composition, so it is contraindicated for people who are allergic to nickel and its compounds.
How to choose a vegetable
Leek can be purchased at the supermarket or in the market, but it is important to be able to choose it correctly. Particular attention should be paid to the appearance of the plant: its stems should be elastic, the rhizome should be snow-white and slightly moist, the bright leaves should be dark green.
Leek Salads: Recipes
Most often, this vegetable is used to make salads. Such a dish will be appropriate both on an everyday and a holiday table. Recipes for making leek salad suggest its use in raw form.
Vegetable oils are suitable as dressing, you can also take sour cream, cream, natural yogurt. For a salad, it is better to choose a vegetable with thin delicate leaves.
Previously, onions need to be cleaned and prepared. For this:
- cut the root and about 5 mm of the white part that is adjacent to it;
- remove flaccid and crushed leaves;
- cut the vegetable lengthwise and rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove sand.
Salad with Crab Sticks
Crab salad with leek combines sweet and salty, which makes its taste original.
Essential Ingredients:
- canned crab sticks and pineapples - 200 g each;
- 150 g leeks;
- two hard-boiled eggs;
- low-fat sour cream and natural yogurt (2 tbsp. each);
- salt and spices to taste.
How to cook:
- onions need to be cut into slices, disassemble into rings;
- cut crab sticks, eggs and pineapples into small pieces;
- combine all the components, add dressing from yogurt and sour cream, spices and mix well.
Salad with Leek and Egg
You will need:
- 2 pcs. leeks;
- 2 eggs;
- sour cream;
- 1 apple
To prepare the plant, cut the eggs together with the greens in circles. Lay the ingredients in layers on a dish. Sour cream is mixed with grated apple, pour salad with this dressing. As decoration, you can use the remaining greens of leeks.
Tomato Salad
Have to take:
- 1 PC. leeks;
- 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
- a bunch of fresh mint;
- 4 ripe and juicy tomatoes;
- a pinch of salt.
Cooking:
- wash and cut the tomatoes;
- cut the white part of the onion in the form of rings;
- finely chopped mint;
- combine everything, season with olive oil and salt.
Salad with Orange, Avocado and Leek
Cooking salad is not difficult. You will need an orange, avocado, leek (white part), celery stalks (2 pcs). The ingredients need to be cut and mixed, seasoned with vegetable oil. To improve the taste, you can add sesame seeds fried to a golden color.
Salad with Stewed Vegetables and Olives
To make a salad you need to take:
- half a kilogram of the white part of leek and celery stalks;
- one onion;
- potatoes (2-3 pieces);
- pitted olives (jar of 200 g);
- juice of one lemon;
- olive oil for dressing (half a glass);
- salt, spices to taste.
How to prepare a salad:
- onions and celery are thoroughly washed and cut into pieces of 2 cm;
- peeled potatoes are cut large;
- onions are peeled and chopped, fried in oil over low heat, add pieces of potato, celery and leek;
- pour a glass of hot water and, reducing the fire, stew the vegetables under the lid for 20 minutes, then another 10 minutes without a lid;
- add salt and spices, olives and cook for another 10 minutes;
- shifting the dish into a plate, season with lemon juice.
New Potato Salad
You will need:
- 5 tubers of new potatoes;
- 1 bell pepper;
- 100 g of the white portion of leek;
- lime juice;
- honey;
- 1 cup yogurt without filler;
- 15 g mustard;
- greenery.
Leek salad is prepared as follows:
- peel potatoes, cut into slices and boil in salted water;
- chop leek and parsley;
- chopped pepper in the form of straws;
- mix yogurt with lime juice, honey and mustard;
- combine vegetables and pour dressing, mix.
Salad with apples and cabbage
To prepare such a salad, you need to cut the onion into thin circles, add the same amount of chopped apples, chopped cabbage, grated carrots. Grind and add lemon balm, tarragon, basil. Season salad with mayonnaise.
Spicy Vegetarian Salad
Have to take:
- 2 eggs;
- greens of leeks, wild garlic and spinach;
- dressing mayonnaise.
To make a salad:
- hard-boiled eggs, then cut into cubes;
- chop greens;
- combine everything, season with mayonnaise and mix thoroughly;
- put a slide on a plate and decorate with wild garlic and quarters eggs.
Chicken Salad
Have to take:
Cooking method:
- lower cauliflower inflorescences into boiling water for a quarter of an hour, fold in a colander;
- bake chicken breast, cut into cubes;
- leek, celery, carrot, pepper cut into strips;
- blanch celery and onions in boiling water for five minutes, lay in a colander;
- mix sour cream, lemon juice, yogurt, spices and chopped herbs;
- connect all components, pour with dressing.
Leek is a unique vegetable that contains many useful components that support the normal functioning of all organs and systems. In addition, it has one amazing feature. As it is stored, the vitamin C content in it only increases. Therefore, it is very useful to use leek salads, the recipes of which are described above, in autumn and winter.