Category: Herbs

Foods that can boost your mood- Yippee and a smile!

It’s Fun Food Friday – and so today brings a post about Foods to Fight the Blues from the nice folks at EatingWell – where good taste meets good health. 

“Find out what foods can boost your mood and help fight depression.

One in twenty Americans suffers from depression. If you’re feeling blue—or want to ward off feeling that way—there are some foods to consider that might help. Studies have linked the foods on the following slides with helping people cope with the blues. Here are some to try. (As with any health condition, you should, of course, consult your healthcare provider for a full treatment plan.)  —Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor (read whole article here) ” – The slides and further information are on the following foods. 

  • Coffee
  • Salmon (Omega-3 fatty acids)
  • Saffron (long been used in traditional Persian medicine as a mood lifter)
  • Carbs
  • Chocolate (Hurrah for antioxidants may help lower levels of cortisol! )
Since we now know Saffron is a mood booster goodie…..

 Iberian-Style Sausage & Chicken Ragù

Julia-SAFFRON
Julia, Saffron and smiles all around! (click to see larger)

  http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/iberian_sausage_chicken_ragu.html

From EatingWell:  November/December 2009This hearty sausage and chicken ragu was inspired by a fabulous stew Bruce Aidells enjoyed when he was traveling in Spain. Serve it over a heartier pasta, such as whole-wheat penne, or gnocchi. Garnish with grated sheep’s-milk cheese, such as Manchego.***

About 8 cups, for 16 servings | Active Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces linguisa (Portuguese-style sausage) or Spanish-style chorizo, diced
  • 3 cups chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons Pimentón de la Vera (see Note**)
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 3 cups white wine
  • 4 cups diced seeded tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 generous pinch saffron threads (see Note)

Preparation

  1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to color, 5 to 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is quite soft.
  2. Sprinkle Pimentón de la Vera** (i.e Saffron) over the onion mixture; stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, salt and pepper; stir to coat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add wine and increase heat to high; cook until the wine is reduced by about a third, about 8 minutes.
  3. Stir in tomatoes, broth, parsley and saffron; reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is beginning to thicken, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Season with more pepper, if desired.

Nutrition

185 Calories; 7 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 38 mg Cholesterol; 7 g Carbohydrates; 16 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 230 mg Sodium; 312 mg Potassium 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving  Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 2 medium-fat meat
Nutrition Note: Vitamin A (20% daily value), Vitamin C (15% dv).

Tips & Notes

  • Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • ** Notes: Spain is known for its superb paprika called Pimentón de la Vera, which has a smoky flavor. Look for it in well-stocked supermarkets, gourmet-food shops or online at tienda.com.
  • The dried stigma from Crocus sativus, saffron adds flavor and golden color to a variety of Middle Eastern, African and European foods. Find it in the spice section of supermarkets, gourmet shops or at tienda.com. It will keep in an airtight container for several years.
  • *** Manchego (aged) = queso Manchego viejo   Notes:   Aged Manchego cheese is yellow and a terrific grating cheese.  Don’t confuse it with unaged Manchego cheese, which is almost white, semi-firm, and typically used as a melting cheese.   Substitutes: pecorino Romano OR other firm cheese OR nutritional yeast (This substitution works best if recipe calls for cheese to be sprinkled over a dish. Nutritional yeast is low in fat, high in protein and B vitamins, and it’s not made with any animal products.) from http://www.foodsubs.com/Chefirm.html

Fun Food Friday…Thai Stir Fry and Julia

I haven’t spoken with my friends over at The Growers Exchange for a while, so today we say “Hi” to them, give them a big thanks as well as a nod of appreciation for both the recipe below  (yeah Caroline!) and for the donation of 5% to Plant A Row For The Hungry, if you buy their FAB Herb kit, a perfect gift for your friend the gardener or chef! However, for this deal you must act this weekend. They just wrote me yesterday and said -“We’re also getting ready to roll out our new spring 2012 lineup on Monday, which means the end of our huge fall sale. Since we’re making room for spring, all of our 4″ herbs are only $3 until Sunday evening (except for Bay and Lemon Grass.)” GREAT DEALS for the Herb lovers of the world!

First the food……Caroline’s Thai Basil Stir Fry (From The Growers Exchange)

Julia_Thai and Herbs
Julia with the Thai Basil Stir fry on one hand and the Potted Herb Kit in the other.

“This is an easy recipe for even the worst cook out there! You can add whatever you like, flavor to your desired intensity and best of all, it’s super healthy and cheap to make! Try substituting your protein source if you’re not into tofu…chicken or shrimp will also work well!

  • Canola Oil (enough to coat the bottom of the wok)
  • 1 Pkg Organic Firm Tofu
  • 1 Bag Frozen Vegetables (I used a stir fry mix that included broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers and rice noodles)
  • 3 Spears Fresh Celery
  • 1  Carrot, Shaved
  • 1/4 Chopped Onion (or add to taste)
  • 1 Cup Crushed Peanuts
  • Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

Marinade  •1 Cup General Tso Sauce (I found this prepackaged at the grocery store)
• 1/2 Cup Thai Basil ‘Siam Queen’ (dried from fresh plants)  (Note from Julia, although it would not be nearly as exotic, or fun, you could use regular Basil)
• 2 Cloves Fresh Garlic

The  ‘Siam Queen’ Thai Basil I used was grown right here on our farm at The Growers Exchange! I salvaged one of the plants before it was done for the season and brought it home to experiment with. When I realized that my cats were going to eat it if I didn’t do something with it quickly, I snipped the stems at the soil level and dried the leafy stalks in my warm, dry pantry. (Our of their furry, destructive reach!) After it was dried, I placed it, stems and all, into a labeled zip lock baggie for later used. Removing the dried leaves were easy–just rub the sides of the bag together and they literally crumble from the stems into a perfect dried seasoning. Remove the stems and you have a delicious culinary herb with sweet, licorice and lemon flavored tones. Don’t be intimidated to use new herbs, as I was at first with this exotic Basil. Being so used to its Italian cousins, like the ‘Italian Large Leaf’ Basil, I was a bit pessimistic when planning my meal, since it was a new flavor. (‘Lemon Sweet Dani’ Basil, another lemon-anise flavored Basil, may also be a great flavor to add to your favorite Asian recipe)  Luckily, it turned out GREAT! Try using new culinary herbs in your recipes and you might surprise yourself as to the exciting new flavors you discover!
Instructions **This works best if your vegetables are either fresh or you have thawed your frozen veggies prior to cooking. Heat your wok on medium heat and add canola oil til it coats the bottom. While this is heating, slice tofu into even pieces and press excess water out. Add pressed tofu, General Tso sauce, 2 cloves of fresh garlic, and 1/2 of the Basil ‘Siam Queen’ to a bowl and let marinate. Make sure all pieces are coated. (You can also let your protein marinade over night which will make it more flavorful. Because tofu absorbs sauce or seasoning easily, it may not need as long to marinate. For chicken, shrimp or other proteins, they may take long to absorb the desired amount of flavor.)
Add a clove of garlic and the chopped onion to the heated canola oil in the wok and let them simmer for a minute to release their flavor. Then, add vegetable mix, chopped celery, crushed peanuts and season with the remaining ‘Siam Queen’ Basil and red pepper flakes. Let this simmer together, remaining on medium to low heat, and stir occasionally. Once mixture seems to be cooked thoroughly and there are no frozen pieces left, add marinated tofu. Stir and let cook for 3-5 minutes or until tofu has cooked through and mixture seems well combined and cooked. (The air in your kitchen should be brimming with aromas by now!) Top with shaved carrot and let simmer for another minute, but remove from heat before carrot is wilted. …Serve and top with more crushed peanut. You can also use an edible, aromatic herb like ‘Citrus Kitchen’ Mint as a great garnish. Eat and enjoy!” – Thanks Caroline! http://theexchange.thegrowers-exchange.com/carolines-thai-basil-stir-fry/ 

THE GREAT DEALS. If your Herbs did not make it inside, or they got a frost bite nibble, like mine did. You can purchase from The Growers Exchange a lovely Home For The Holidays Herb Garden Kit, it is even on Sale! (picture of it above in Julia’s right hand.) “Purchase this kit during our Fall shipping season and we’ll donate 5% of every sale to Plant A Row For the Hungry! …This custom culinary kit includes Bay, Prostrate Rosemary, English Thyme and Garden Sage – four all natural, farm fresh herbs that will compliment all of your favorite holiday dishes. Also included is a hand thrown clay pot, one bag of rich soil, four of our very own favorite family recipes, a gift card and decorative packaging —all topped with a big, bright bow…Not only is this a great gift for someone you love, but it also helps hungry families across America this holiday season. Every time you purchase this flavorful custom kit through our fall shipping season, we’ll donate 5% of each sale to Plant A Row For The Hungry.

LIST PRICE: $59.95   OUR PRICE: $49.95      YOU SAVE $10.00! ”
… and don’t forget about the $4.00 Herbs as well.   click here for web page to buy

Eat Well, Do Good and Be good!

See you all on Monday – have a great weekend, and don’t forget about Daylight Savings Time if you live in place that changes.

Wintering Herbs Indoors

OK, I admit it. I scurried as fast as I could, and in a rush brought ALL my herbs and tender plants in right before our freakish Halloween weekend snow storm!  Therefor, when this crossed my email this morning I was thrilled! Thank you so much to The Herb Companion, now I know better what I should have bothered with and what I could have ditched. My full windows will be happy to have some “disappear” and I will have an easier winter maintenance routine. You can read the full article on-line, it is called “Wintering Herbs Indoors: Save your favorite herbs by bringing them indoors for winter care, and enjoy fresh flavor throughout the season.” By Betsy Strauch.  Click http://www.herbcompanion.com/Gardening/Wintering-Herbs-Indoors-06.aspx#ixzz1cTQpG13P

Ron at a window
These all got a bit of "frost bite" - ugh. This is one of a few windows now populated with herbs. We will see if I can resuscitate them!

I have taken some highlights out that I found very useful. The article begins “Autumn. The harvest of herbs is winding down, and the frenzy of trying to stay ahead of the weeds has abated. It’s easy at this time of year to kick back, relax and forget about gardening until the new seed and nursery catalogs start arriving in January. Herb gardeners who live where winters are frost-free can get away with this, and so can those in more rugged climates who only grow annuals, such as dill, or tough perennials, such as garden sage. However that leaves a lot of gardeners unaccounted for, including those who grow rosemary, tender lavenders or other plants that will die at temperatures below 15 degrees, as well as those who have a yen for fresh herbs all winter. Those people (and I’m one of them) need to make some decisions now.

…forget about the annuals, such as summer savory, chervil, cilantro, borage and dill. Their lives are about over; if you want them indoors in winter, you can start new plants from seed… Don’t bother bringing in tough perennial culinary herbs whose dried leaves have good flavor — I’m thinking of sage, oregano and thyme — unless you think you can’t get along without the fresh leaves…Don’t bring in huge tender plants if you don’t have room for them, no matter how badly you need them for next year’s herb garden…Lastly, turn your back on diseased or pest-ridden plants…

Think cuttings…this is well into the article and worth reading if you are thinking about doing this. The section is called “DISASSEMBLING AN HERB.”

To read how she brings her plants in, well, you will have to go to the article! It is on page 2…Caring For The Plants Indoors– page 3, but I will tease you with… “As light levels diminished with the approach of winter, the herbs seemed to enter a holding pattern. None appeared to be growing, and only the rosemary offered many leaves for harvesting. I watered only when the soil became dry or nearly so. Sometimes I was a little late, and the pineapple sage wilted on several occasions, but they recovered well after being watered. I applied no fertilizer.”
(Note: This article originally appeared in the October/November 1993 issue of The Herb Companion.) By the way, this is a lovely magazine if you like Herbs. I throughly enjoy my copy each time it comes in the mail. 

Read more: http://www.herbcompanion.com/Gardening/Wintering-Herbs-Indoors-06.aspx?page=5#ixzz1cTQcXnkT

See you all on Friday for Fun Food Friday!

Fun Food Friday and Onion Soup

Art and Food…Do you love onions? We do! They are beautiful and add a sweetness to so many recipes. Fall feels like the beginning of hot soup weather….so… Fun Food Friday this week is Onion Soup! Milly and Tilly love to cook for greetings and gatherings. In case you don’t remember, they are the official greeting committee of Botaniumus. A lot of Onion Soup calls for beef booth, and that is just fine and dandy if you like that, and eat it, Milly and Tilly always wanting to include everyone, thought it would be nice to find a recipe and point out that Beef Stock IS interchangeable with Veggie Stock.

Milly Tilly and OnionsFrom “Jammie Oliver, beef stock/chick OR VEGGIE stock in this one. Towards the end he mentions “get hold of as many different types of onion for this soup as you can – you need about 1kg (about 2.25 pd.) in total. Sweat them gently and you’ll be amazed at all the flavours going on.” I can’t emphasize enough how great that can make onion soup. I tried it years ago and never looked back!

English onion soup with sage and cheddar (web site link)

© David Loftus photo credit
© David Loftus — Photo from Jamie Oliver Website

PDF Version: english onion soup with sage and cheddar | Jamie Oliver Recipes 

Ingredients

• a good knob of butter and olive oil
• a good handful of fresh sage leaves, 8 leaves reserved for serving
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 5 red onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 large white onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 banana shallots***, peeled and sliced (“regular’ shallots would be fine too – but I would add a few extras for banana shallots are larger-see bottom)
• 300g (1/2 to 3/4 pd) , trimmed, washed and sliced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 litres (2.11 quarts which is 8.5 cups ) good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
• 8 slices of good-quality stale bread, 2cm (about 3/4”) thick
• 200g (.44 pd) freshly grated Cheddar cheese
• Worcestershire sauce method

There’s something so incredibly humble about onion soup. It’s absolutely one of my favourites but unfortunately I only ever get to make it in the restaurant or for myself as the missus thinks she’s allergic to onions. (She’s not, because I whiz them up into loads of dishes without her knowing!)

If you have the opportunity, get hold of as many different types of onion for this soup as you can – you need about 1kg (approx. 2.25 pd.) in total. Sweat them gently and you’ll be amazed at all the flavours going on.

Put the butter, 2 glugs of olive oil, the sage and garlic into a thick-bottomed, non-stick pan. Stir everything round and add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, without colouring the vegetables too much. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes – your onions will become soft and golden. Stir occasionally so that nothing catches on the bottom. Having the patience to cook the onions slowly, slowly, gives you an incredible sweetness and an awesome flavour, so don’t be tempted to speed this bit up.

When your onions and leeks are lovely and silky, add the stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can skim any fat off the surface if you like, but I prefer to leave it because it adds good flavour.

Preheat the oven or grill to maximum. Toast your bread on both sides. Correct the seasoning of the soup. When it’s perfect, ladle it into individual heatproof serving bowls and place them on a baking tray. Tear toasted bread over each bowl to fit it like a lid. Feel free to push and dunk the bread into the soup a bit. Sprinkle with some grated Cheddar and drizzle over a little Worcestershire sauce.

Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place one on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven or under the grill to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the tray and carry it to the table. Enjoy.”

Thanks to JamieOliver.com for this one!

*** Banana shallots are a variety of shallots and are the largest under the shallot kingdom. A sandy soil and warmer conditions are ideal for growth of banana shallots. It is named such because of its size. They have a smooth, pale brown skin and are milder/ sweet subtle in flavour than other types. Since they are larger in size, they are easier to peel, chop and use in recipes when compared to their counterparts. …They are a perfect substitute for onions or shallots in recipes which call for a sweet subtle flavour.
· Use chopped banana shallots in soups, stocks, broths and sauces. 
· They are perfect for roasting with vegetables, meats etc. “

Again, please note that the origin of this recipe is Jammie Oliver. He has done great strides in the Healthy Eating Movement Thanks Jamie.

Jamie’s  “food philosophy”

My philosophy to food and healthy eating has always been about enjoying everything in a balanced, and sane way. Food is one of life’s greatest joys yet we’ve reached this really sad point where we’re turning food into the enemy, and something to be afraid of. I believe that when you use good ingredients to make pasta dishes, salads, stews, burgers, grilled vegetables, fruit salads, and even outrageous cakes, they all have a place in our diets. We just need to rediscover our common sense: if you want to curl up and eat macaroni and cheese every once in a while – that’s alright! Just have a sensible portion next to a fresh salad, and don’t eat a big old helping of chocolate cake afterwards.

Knowing how to cook means you’ll be able to turn all sorts of fresh ingredients into meals when they’re in season, at their best, and cheapest! Cooking this way will always be cheaper than buying processed food, not to mention better for you. And because you’ll be cooking a variety of lovely things, you’ll naturally start to find a sensible balance. Some days you’ll feel like making something light, and fresh, other days you’ll want something warming and hearty. If you’ve got to snack between meals, try to go for something healthy rather than loading up on chocolate or potato crisps. Basically, as long as we all recognize that treats should be treats, not a daily occurrence, we’ll be in a good place. So when I talk about having a ‘healthy’ approach to food, and eating better I’m talking about achieving that sense of balance: lots of the good stuff, loads of variety, and the odd indulgence every now and then.  –http://www.jamieoliver.com/philosophy

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipe-print.php?url=english-onion-soup-with-sage-cheddar&forward_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jamieoliver.com%2Frecipes%2Fvegetarian-recipes%2Fenglish-onion-soup-with-sage-cheddar