Note: Availability fluctuates throughout the year, please understand the described items below are educational. To confirm availability please inquire with us directly.
It’s so indispensable that it always seems to be on our shopping list! Beginning your meal with a salad made of crisp romaine lettuce you will add a variety of textures and flavours to your meal, as well as an enormous amount of nutritional value. Remember, the darkest green varieties provide the highest levels of Vitamin A!
A form of lettuce that grows in a head of long narrow leaves, involving a centre crunchy rib and a mild tangy flavour.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Thankfully available throughout the year. Select tightly packed heads with fresh, crisp, dark green outer leaves, golden yellow inner leaves free of brown spots that show no sign of wilting or blemishes.
Romaine lettuce should be refrigerated at very cold temperatures to keep its leaves crunchy, which is generally located in the rear and lowest shelf section of the refrigerator. Seal or wrap it securely in plastic or wrap in a tea towel and store in an airtight container to refrigerate for up to five days.
Just before using, remove the leaves, rinse in cold water, and spin or pat dry. Break into bite size pieces by hand.
It is an excellent lettuce for salads and sandwiches and is the preferred green for the ever-popular Caesar salad. Here’s a quick & zesty version: Break into bite-sized pieces by hand and toss with seasoned croutons, asiago cheese, tomatoes, and Caesar dressing. Try adding olives and feta for a Greek flare.
It’s fat-free! Romaine lettuce is a good source of vitamins C and A.
Romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup (35g) (raw, shredded)
Calories: 3.9
Protein: 0.45g
Carbohydrate: 0.66g
Total Fat: 0.056g
Fibre: 0.47g
*Good source of: Vitamin C (6.7mg), and Vitamin A (728 IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.
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Originally found on the Aegean island of Cos, one of Romaine’s names is “Cos lettuce.”
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Most varieties of lettuce release small amounts of a slightly bitter, white, milky liquid when their leaves are broken. This milk’s scientific name is Lactuca sativa derived from the Latin word for milk.