Spring Garlic Mustard & Dandelion Green Vegan Frittatas
The search for the perfect wild edible breakfast in Spring has brought me here- to these delightful mini vegan frittatas filled with dandelion greens and invasive garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate), along with wild garlic and any of your other favorite foraged or store bought greens and herbs. Savory, creamy, eggy, tangy, and filled with garlic and onion flavors, these wild vegetable frittatas are delicious and nutritious. They are the perfect make-ahead breakfast, or a great protein packed snack to have around.
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Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
While I designed this recipe to be easily customizable to the wild edible plants that grow in your area, the wild green I used a lot in this recipe is garlic mustard (aka Alliaria petiolata). Garlic mustard is a fairly easily identifiable plant, and one of the first to come up in Spring. I use it for a couple reasons- firstly, it’s highly invasive in the Americas and is pushing out native species, so picking it isn’t hurting anyone. Secondly, it’s actually super nutritious and delicious! If weeds were allowed super-food status, garlic mustard would probably get the crown. This leafy green is surprisingly high in protein and fiber, as well as containing high levels of several micronutrients such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, omega 3 fatty acids, manganese, iron, zinc and vitamin E. While I don’t really eat garlic mustard for it’s health benefits, they shouldn’t be overlooked as this wild and invasive plant is basically like a pack of free multivitamins, littering the sides of roads, woods and lawns. Although you should try not to eat anything too close to a road- car exhaust might not have the same nutrition that the garlic mustard does.
Why You Should Eat Invasive Species
Everyone should eat invasive species! They’re free, nutritious, and really shouldn’t be here. Because these species have started to edge out native plants, leading to their endangerment, removing and eating these invasive species is actually beneficial rather than being harmful. Garlic mustard is a particularly successful species, as it is able to secrete chemical compounds that suppress the growth of other plants, and native animals (like deer) aren’t interested in eating them. But as they say, “If you can’t beat them, eat them”. Clearly we can’t eat as many wild greens as the white-tailed deer, but we can do our part in reducing invasive species and allowing native species to return, and that change can start on our plates.
Other Invasive Species and Recipes
- Japanese Knotweed Salsa
- Wild Garlic Mustard Tartlets
- Strawberry and Japanese Knotweed Crisp
- Sour Japanese Knotweed Soup
Foraging Spring Plants- Dandelion Greens, Wild Garlic, and Others
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
I live in a fairly snowy climate, and while there are a few edible plant and fungi species available in winter, they’re aren’t too many. In addition, foraging requires a slower pace and keen observation, neither of which are particularly appealing when the temperatures are below freezing. So when Spring finally comes around, I’m itching to get foraging. Some of the first edible leaves I see are garlic mustard and dandelion greens, which is why both plants made it into these vegetable frittatas. This isn’t an extensive foraging guide, but it should give you an idea of what to look for.
Identifying Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolate)
Identifying garlic mustard isn’t too hard, but it can become confusing by the fact that this plant has a two year life-cycle, and the first and second years look fairly different (although both are edible). The first year plant comes in rosettes of kidney-shaped, scalloped leaves that have a distinct smell of garlic when crushed. These leaves come up earlier in the spring, and once you learn to ID them you’ll see them everywhere. After an initial burst of single leaf seedlings, they’ll start to grow in large clusters or rosettes. If you’re a new or less confident forager, I recommend sticking to the second year plants as they have more identifiable features. The second year plants grow to about 2-3 feet tall, and bloom in the spring with small, white blossoms with four petals each. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stem, and are sharper, and more spiky than the first year growth. All parts of this plant (leaves, root, stem and flowers) are edible.
Identifying Dandelion Greens
Identifying dandelion greens should be fairly simple, as most of us have been exposed to them our entire lives. The yellow flowers or white globular seeding flowers are very recognizable. The leaves are fairly long and hairless, toothy, notched leaves. Like the garlic mustard, they form a rosette around a central root. The leaves, flower and root of the dandelion are edible, although the leaves are my favorite part. They can be somewhat bitter, but are less bitter once cooked.
How to Make this Vegetable Frittata
Once you have your greens in hand (and don’t forget, you can always supplement with store-bought greens) you can make your vegan frittatas. To do this we make a batter using chickpea flour, tofu, and other spices and flavors by adding them all to a blender and combining well. Next your dandelion greens and other veggies are sautéed, using store-bought garlic and onion to add to the flavor. After cooking the greens for a few minutes to remove the moisture they can be folded into the batter for the vegetable frittatas. After about half an hour in the oven, they’re cooked!
Chickpea Flour Vegan Frittata
The bulk of these frittatas are held together by chickpea flour, a protein-filled bean product that has a flavor somewhat similar to eggs. The texture of the vegetable frittata is modified a little by adding some tofu, which makes the resulting frittatas a little more moist and springy (without it your vegan frittatas will be a little dry and dense). Garbanzo bean flour (also sometimes called besan or gram flour) is gluten-free and high in protein and fiber. It’s ideal for this recipe because it produces a sticky batter that cooks into a surprisingly light muffin, and the chickpea taste is somewhat reminiscent of eggs.
*As a side note, while some of my images feature snowdrop flowers (such as the one below) they are placed there for decorative purposes only and are not intended to suggest their edibility. Snowdrops are toxic to humans and should not be ingested!
Spring Garlic Mustard & Dandelion Greens Vegan Frittatas
Ingredients
- 8 oz. firm tofu, drained
- 1 ¾ cup chickpea flour (aka besan)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. turmeric powder (optional, for color)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ small onion, diced
- 2+ cups of freshly picked, washed, and chopped wild greens, such as garlic mustard, dandelion greens, wild garlic, chickweed, stinging nettles, etc.
- Vegetable oil, for cooking.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Use vegetable oil to grease 12 muffin tins, and set aside.
- Add the tofu, chickpea flour, olive oil, nutritional yeast, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, turmeric, salt and pepper, along with 1 cup water to a blender and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides and blend again, before transferring to a mixing bowl and setting aside.
- Heat a little oil on medium heat in a medium-sized skillet, and add the minced garlic. Sauté for a minute until fragrant, then add your diced onions. After that has cooked for another minute or two, add your wild greens. Sauté, stirring often, for just a couple minutes until the greens have wilted and lost water, then remove from the heat. Add the cooked greens directly to the chickpea batter, and fold to mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 greased muffin tins. Place in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until the tops of the frittatas are semi-glossy and starting to crack, and they feel fairly sturdy when you gently press down on them. Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
Suggested Variations:
1. When sautéing the garlic, add the roots of 3-4 garlic mustard plants, well cleaned and minced, for a delicious horseradish bite.
2. Add chunks of vegan cheese to the frittatas for delicious melty goodness.
3. If you are only able to find a small amount of foraged greens, or would rather not use foraged greens, substitute store bought options such as spinach, parsley, basil, kale, or other greens and herbs.
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Let’s hear from you…
- Do you like garlic mustard? Did you have any idea how healthy it was for you?
- Other than garlic mustard, wild garlic, and dandelion greens, what other early spring plants would you like to try in these vegetable frittatas?
- Have you used chickpea flour before? What did you make?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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