Watercress Salad

Watercress is considered as a highly nutritious vegetable and has been considered as a boon herb by many health experts. It has miraculous powers which can help in treatment of many nutritional diseases. A member of the cabbage family, watercress is regarded as one of the most nutritious vegetables for consumption. The fact that it's beneficial for the body makes watercress salad an important item of almost every balanced diet. This vegetable was first found in Asia and Europe, but due to the advancements in farming it's now cultivated in other continents as well.

Many leading medical institutions claim that, daily consumption of this salad can help prevent DNA damage which is considered as a potential cause for cancer. As I've mentioned before, watercress is a member of the cabbage family which also includes other green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, kale, collards, turnip greens and kohlrabi. You can find watercress along the banks of rivers and slow running streams. This salad recipe is perfect for people who want to detoxify and remove all the toxins and it's a must have dish in a detox diet.

How to make Watercress Salad

Here's a small short and simple recipe of a watercress salad. This is easy to make and can be served with dinner or can be used as an alternative for people who are tired of having the same old diet soups, sandwiches and using the same old ingredients.

Ingredients

• Soy sauce, 4 tsp
• Rice vinegar, ½ cup
• Grated sweet onion, 1 tbsp
• Watercress, 6 cups
• Vegetable oil, 2 tbsp
• Ripe avocado
• Sugar, 1 tbsp
• Grated and peeled Gala apple, 1 cup

Preparation
Take a bowl and add onion, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Mix well until you see the sugar getting dissolved and then add oil and stir. Now toss in the watercress with, apple and avocado and mix gently. For a better taste serve chilled.

Watercress Salad and Salmon

Ingredients

• Grape fruit, 1
• Olive oil, ½ cup
• 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed
• Bay leaves, 3
• Thinly sliced cucumber, 2
• Sugar, 1 tbsp
• Rice vinegar, ½ cup
• Kosher salt, ½ tsp
• Trimmed watercress, 1 bunch
• Cooked white rice, 2 cups

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375°F and place the salmon in a glass baking dish. Fill half the baking dish with water and add bay leaves. Now place this baking dish in the oven and bake till 15 minutes. Now let it cool. Take a separate bowl and cut the grapefruit in medium pieces and take out the juice. Add in vinegar, salt, sugar and oil to the juice and mix well. Now take a resealable plastic bag and pour all but 1 tbsp of the juice mixture. Add the salmon fillets in this bag and keep it for refrigeration for an hour. Now take out the bag and add all the ingredients in a serving bowl and garnish it with cucumber, watercress and add in the rice and mix well.

Watercress Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• Ripe lime juiced,1
• A bunch watercress, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• Coarsely chopped heart of romaine, 1
• Chopped sprigs of fresh mint, 4
• Chopped handful of flat-leaf parsley
• Extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp
• Sugar, 1 tbsp
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Take a salad bowl and add watercress, mint, parsley and romaine; mix well. Now for the salad dressing recipe separate dressing bowl and pour lime juice, sugar and oil, pour this dressing over the salad and season it with salt and pepper.

Watercress Salad Nutrition Facts

Now after listing some tasty and delicious recipes, it's time we know some nutritional benefits about this amazing herb.

• It's very helpful in normalizing blood pressure and levels of cholesterol in the body. It prevents erectile dysfunction, increases fertility in women and enhances breast milk production.
• It also helps in sharpening your memory which is very necessary for today's youth. It has a high content of two well-known carotenoids; lutein and zeaxanthin. Watercress is also considered very beneficial for eyes.
• It helps in removal of toxins by aiding in smooth digestion.
• People who are suffering from various gum problems should eat raw watercress.
• If you are a victim of various skin problems, then watercress is a natural remedy for you. Health experts often recommend watercress salad for acne as it offers a permanent solution due to its high nutritional content.
• Watercress juice is recommended for people suffering from frequent drowsiness and muscle pains.

So these were some nutritional facts and watercress salad recipes for health conscious people. Watercress can be grown very easily and can be harvested all the 12 months of the year. Other than salads, watercress juice and sandwiches are also recommended for people suffering from various digestion and cardiovascular problems. I hope this article on various watercress salad types was helpful and you will start including this nutritional herb in your daily diet and reap its benefits for years to come.