Purslane and Avocado

We were at the Farmer's Market the other day looking for a green that we don't eat very often. Though we like the selection at Fairway Markets, which has such things as mustard greens and dandelion greens, we wanted some variety.

Last year for the first time we tried purslane. For a lot of folks, this is a pesky weed, but it happens to be full of vitamin C and omega 3 fatty acids. Despite the viney sections, it is quite tender.

I got creative and came up with the following recipe for dinner tonight.

The base is bulgur cooked in vegetable broth. On top of that is a layer of chopped walnuts, dry roasted in a pan until dark. A head of garlic was browned in olive oil, flax seeds added towards the end. The purslane was added to the garlic and flax seeds, cooked half and half with cilantro (we really like cilantro). This is layered on top of the bulgur and walnuts.

The avocado was diced, mixed with chili power, and placed on top of the purslane. Lime juice was then sprinkled over the top.

It was a really nice contrast of flavors and textures.