My Great-Grandmother, Arizona Henry, was mostly tolerant of my healthy eating until I told her to get rid of the bacon grease. I remember telling my Grandma to throw away the bacon grease because it was a saturated fat and it would clog her arteries. She was shocked that I would say such a thing. I could tell by the look on her face that she was having none of my healthy eating when it came to bacon or bacon grease, as she politely told me that there better be no bacon grease wasted at her house or the wooden spoon would come out of the drawer.
One of her favorite meals was her egg and wilted lettuce salad, one of her first garden meals harvested in the spring. She would teach me how to cut the spring lettuce so it would keep growing during the lettuce season. She also taught me that when the white milky substance came out, it could be too bitter to eat. She had a favorite sharp butcher knife for cutting the lettuce.
Lettuce is about 95 % water and can hydrate the body. It is also a good source of vitamin A, which can help protect your eyes. There is a small amount of vitamin C and iron in lettuce. I like to use lettuce as a substitute for bread to cut down on carbohydrates.
Egg & Wilted Lettuce Salad
1 head of leaf lettuce, chopped
5 spring onions, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
Dressing
½ cup bacon grease
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
- Heat dressing ingredients
- Pour warm dressing over lettuce
- Stir and serve promptly
Stacy Schultz is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, a former Morgan County Commissioner and is the author of “It’s Stacy’s Grandma ‘Zona’s recipes” and “Great Grandma Zona’s Wisdom & recipes: Comfort food made easy.” She has been in healthcare for 35 years at War Memorial Hospital.
