Watercress is loved by summer residents because it ripens earlier than other vegetable crops. Greens are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber and are most often used in salads. Since the plant is absolutely unpretentious, it is grown even on windowsills, thereby supplying fresh greens to the table all year round.
Useful properties of watercress
The plant is rich in vitamins and minerals, fiber, essential oils, alkaloids, glycosides and various minerals. The high content of the entire series of vitamin B allows watercress to normalize the state of the nervous system, gently get out of stressful conditions and depression.
By eating this plant, you help your body to normalize the digestive process and equalize blood pressure.
The content in watercress of a certain amount of carotene, vitamins A, E, PP, B has a positive effect on the optic nerve of the eye, strengthens the eyeball. As a prophylaxis against cataracts, doctors recommend more often include salad in the diet.
For medicinal purposes, watercress is used as a diuretic for severe edema, for mastopathy and oncology as a prophylactic agent, as medicinal dressings for acne, dandruff. The high content of iodine in lettuce leaves helps to maintain the normal functioning of the thyroid gland with regular use.
In combination with other vegetables and even fruits, watercress makes it easier to get rid of excess body fat during diets, as it quickly saturates the body and has a very low calorie content. In cosmetology, watercress oil and tinctures are used to care for the skin of the face and hair. An extract from this plant is included in anti-inflammatory masks and serums.
Rejuvenating Watercress Face Mask
For cooking you will need:
- gruel from watercress leaves - 2 tablespoons;
- curdled milk - 2 tablespoons
To obtain gruel, lettuce leaves must be thoroughly rinsed and then grinded in a mortar. Take the required amount of the resulting gruel, add yogurt to it, mix the composition thoroughly and apply it on the face. Keep the mask for 10 minutes and then remove it by rinsing with warm water. Next, you can wipe your face with an ice cube or rinse your skin with colder water. Such a mask will help the skin to be nourished with vitamins, relieve puffiness and give the face a fresh and healthy look.
Watercress greens are widely used in cooking, both fresh and in various soups, pie fillings, seasonings for appetizers and hot dishes. The slightly bitter spicy taste of the plant vaguely resembles the taste of horseradish, only more delicate. Combining lettuce leaves with sweet and sour fruits can be a great snack that can be served with fish or meat.
Green salad
To prepare this cold snack you will need:
- watercress - 100 g;
- kiwi - 2 pcs.;
- avocado - 1 pc.;
- arugula - 70 g;
- lemon - ½ pc.;
- natural honey - 1 tsp;
- pine nuts - 1/3 st.;
- "French" mustard with whole grain - 1 tsp;
- olive oil - 30 ml.
Watercress and arugula leaves must be thoroughly rinsed and dried, then torn by hand and placed in a salad bowl. Avocados and kiwis should be peeled. Remove the core from the avocado and cut the fruit into small cubes. Kiwi can be cut into circles first and then cut into several more pieces.
The lemon fruit should be washed, wiped off and a little zest should be removed with a fine grater (1 tsp). Then you need to cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one part into a separate bowl. In the same bowl, add a spoonful of mustard with whole grains and melted natural honey, mix the sauce well, then add olive oil to it and mix well again.
Sprinkle green salad with peeled pine nuts and season with sweet and sour hot sauce. You can serve the appetizer with meat or fish.
