Foods You Aren't Eating, But Should Be

If you want to try something a bit different in your salad but aren't feeling very adventurous, then look no further than your backyard. Dandelions are dismissed by most people as an irritating weed that needs to be eradicated from their beloved lawn. However, if you find them when they are growing fresh in springtime, that irritation could actually become a revelation. Dandelion greens are full of great vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which probably explains why they have historically been considered medicinal.

The leaves actually have a slightly bitter flavor, so they do best when mixed with other leaves or lightly cooked with seasonings. For a simple dish, just wash some greens then dry them and remove the stems. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add some crushed garlic, and cook for a minute or so. Throw in your greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

If you don't have a yard to pick from, dandelion greens are becoming available at supermarkets like Whole Foods and farmers markets. Care should be taken if harvesting greens from public spaces, as it will be hard to know if the area has been treated with weed killer, which will definitely leave a bad taste in your mouth, if not worse.

One person's trash is another person's ... delicious and healthy meal.

Dried plums (as prunes have recently become known) come with some unfortunate baggage. Despite their truly impressive nutritional advantages, prunes have become unfortunately associated with old people and constipation. But their convenient laxative properties are just a very small part of a much larger, much tastier resume.

Prunes can help protect against such maladies as osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and more, all while keeping you regular. And all this comes with a delicious, sweet taste at only 30 calories each, making them a perfect healthy treat. They also work fantastically as part of a serious entree, capable of successfully accompanying things like duck, as well as holding their own on the dessert menu.

For a delicious treat, fold some grated Lancashire cheese (or similar) and a prune into a small package using filo pastry. Brush all over with butter and repeat until you have as many as you need. Place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, then serve and enjoy.

Opah is not the misspelled name of a talk show host, but rather an obscure and very useful fish found in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Opah are biologically interesting because they were the first warm-blooded fish to be discovered, and they're culinarily interesting because they can be made to taste like almost anything.

Lacking the usual fishy flavor, they can be eaten as sushi, ground and made into burgers, seasoned and cooked like steak or pork, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Until recently, opah catches were unpredictable. Opah were accidentally caught with other fish like tuna, which they seem to like hanging out with. However, the supply has become more stable, so the chances of coming across it in a store are getting better. If you do happen upon a chunk, don't worry about what to make with it, just snap it up. Opah is so flexible that you'll have no trouble finding a recipe for it. It also doesn't need to be complicated, as the fish is good enough to enjoy as it is. This simple recipe calls for covering a few fillets with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then searing in a hot pan for 3 to 4 minutes a side ... and that's it.

Mackerel is almost the opposite of the multi-talented opah, in that it is fishy, oily, and tastes best really fresh. But even though you can't make it taste like steak or turn it into burgers, it still has plenty to offer. It is also full of good stuff like omega-3 fatty acids, and since it is dismissed by most consumers, it can often be found very cheap. However, it really doesn't last long once it is out of the water, so it either has to be frozen quickly or eaten. Despite its short shelf life, if you can get really fresh mackerel and cook it promptly by poaching or grilling with the skin on, you will keep it moist, enhance the flavor, and rarely be disappointed.

The flavor of mackerel is so good on its own that you don't need to do much to get the best out of it. Just make a few cuts in the flesh and place on a preheated and oiled grill for 2 to 3 minutes a side. When it's done, brush with garlic butter, add a splash of lime juice, and feast. Super simple, affordable, and packed with flavor, mackerel is something of a one-trick pony — but it's a really, really good trick.

If you're a fan of cabbage or broccoli, then you have to try kohlrabi. It is a member of the Brassica family and offers all the Brassica nutritional advantages. However, this member has a pretty thick skin that has to be removed before eating. Once the skin is gone, however, you're left with the delicious flesh. It's just a bit sweeter than broccoli or cabbage and has been described as "a cross between apples and very mild baby turnips." It tastes just as good raw as cooked. You can eat the green leaves or the flesh in the bulb of the plant. In fact, as well as giving you an extra contribution to your dinner, green leaves attached to the bulb when you are looking to buy is a good sign that the vegetable is still fresh and good to eat.

You can roast it like any other vegetable, or you can chop it up and put it in soup. It's equally good raw, adding a sweet crunch to salads. Not bad for something you could spray-paint silver and sell as a Sputnik action toy.

If you've ever wracked your brains trying to think of something new to serve for Sunday lunch, then think no further, because the answer is in the question. Popular culture might have you believe that eating brains is the preserve of zombies, but nothing could be further from the truth — so long as we're talking about animal brains.

Animal grey matter is full of valuable nutrition that you would be foolish to turn your nose up at, not to mention a generous helping of protein that will keep you enthusiastically stumbling and groaning along the road of life. About the only downside to brains (and we're not talking about the yuck factor) is that brains are fairly high in cholesterol, so you shouldn't be stuffing yourself on a regular basis if you do get a taste for it. A common concern for people who face the possibility of eating brains is the issue of mad cows and prions, often associated with the eating of brains, but you should have no fear. Humans have been consuming animal brains for a very, very long time, and the practice continues in Europe. It was even fairly common in the U.S. until the turn of the 20th century when cheaper, more convenient sources of animal protein overtook it.

The thing about cooking brains is you have to be careful. Unlike muscle tissue that spends its life bouncing about and stretching, brains spend their living years surrounded by solid armor, which means you can't toss them on a hot grill like a thick steak and expect them to do anything other than disintegrate. A good way to introduce yourself and others to eating thinking-sponge is this recipe for deep-fried brains, since you can probably neglect to tell people what's inside if you expect a negative reaction. Start out by poaching the brains for 6 minutes with peppercorns and herbs: this helps to firm up the otherwise soft brains and prepare them for the next bit. After removing the brains and letting them cool, break up into 2-inch chunks. Roll the chunks in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs, then deep fry at 350 degrees for 3 minutes. Drain and serve with sauce.

Another ingredient that has a long history in Asia but is struggling to gain acceptance in the West is seaweed. Ocean salad contains many nutrients, but the one it's really good for is iodine, which is important for a healthy thyroid.

Incorporating seaweed into your diet can be as easy as going to your local Asian grocery store and picking up a bag of ready-made seaweed chips. But if you're feeling a little more adventurous, there's a whole ocean of possibilities to explore. Seaweed can be used in salads, soups, wrapped around sushi, or as already mentioned, just toasted and seasoned for a crunchy snack.

For an easy-peasy introduction to the possibilities of seaweed, start with some dulse seaweed, either fresh or dehydrated (which should be rehydrated before using), and fry it in oil until crispy. Drain well and sprinkle over popcorn. If you need a particularly gentle introduction to the benefits of seaweed cuisine, there are varieties of dulse which are said to taste like bacon when fried, perfect for the dedicated pork addict in your household.

If all food you have read about so far seems like just too much work to be bothered with, then perhaps this one is for you. Flaxseed isn't something that will form the centerpiece of a main meal, and unlike other more common seeds you can't really just eat it as it comes. Flaxseed in its original, straight-from-the-wild guise is mostly indigestible for humans. To gain access to the remarkable nutritional content, the seeds need to be ground. This can be done with a pestle and mortar, but better results will be achieved if you use an electric coffee grinder or something similar. Once the seed is ground, it's just a matter of adding it to whatever you happen to be making. Bread, pancakes, muffins, smoothies, and soup all make perfect targets for a flax-based nutrition bomb, and since it takes almost no effort there's really no excuse not to. The only drawback to using flaxseed is the relatively short shelf life once ground, but if you've got any sense, you'll use it too fast for that to ever become an issue.

Liver is another part of the animal that is all too often overlooked in the USA — but as ever, that's a mistake. Liver is rich, unbelievably nutritious, and full of flavor, and to do anything other than savor it in a delicious meal is nothing short of a crime.

There are many ways to enjoy liver (life would not be complete without pate), but a great way to bring out the essential qualities of this special organ is with an old fashioned English dish of liver and onions.

Start by placing some sliced beef liver in a bowl of milk and leave to soak for a couple of hours. Slice some onions and gently cook them in butter over medium heat until they soften, then remove from the pan and add more butter. Remove liver from the milk and coat with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat on the butter, then fry the liver until brown on both sides. Return the onions to the pan and continue cooking for a little while then serve. You can't go wrong pairing this with some simple mashed potatoes. A glass of red wine and some good company won't do any harm either, unless you're looking forward to leftovers.