Just Be.Cos
POSTED BY Pink Ribbon Cooking / March 28, 2013
Romaine, a member of the Cos lettuce family, is a powerful ingredient, both for its culinary personality and its nutritional value.
Cos lettuce is a tight head lettuce with leaves that grow vertically around a center head. The leaves are elongated, with dark green to a slightly yellowish coloring and a central ridge or spine along the middle of the leaf.
Nutrition
Romaine has some amazing nutritional characteristics too; this lettuce contributes many vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and is an excellent source of fiber. Romaine also offers vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and copper.
Romaine also has protein and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. In fact 1 head of romaine offers 17% of your daily protein and 45% of your Omega 3 daily values.
A key factor in romaine’s nutrition is that it is extremely low in calories and has a high water volume.
Romaine, through its antioxidants, may offers cells some significant protection against cancer.
Culinary Applications
Romaine has long been the standard lettuce in a classic Caesar salad, but romaine actually has a variety of uses in the kitchen. Try some of these ideas
- Replace you sandwich bread with larger leaves of romaine
- Use it to scoop up your hummus
- Add it at the last minute to sautéed peas
- Chop it up and dress it with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top a baked flat bread or chicken with it
- Replace the celery in an ants on a log preparation
- Say goodbye to your corn taco shell and hello to romaine (Taco shell = 150 calories, 1 head of romaine = 106 calories, who has just one taco? You do the math)
