Category: Summer

Summertime=Delectable Marinades for Grilled Veggies!

Got your grill on? Grilling in the summer means a less hot kitchen, giving your A.C. a break and therefore lowering your cooling bill. More $$ in for you and less pollutants out for the environment. If you grill with local foods you are supporting your local growers and using less fossil fuel to move the food around. So fire up that grill, get your forks and knifes out and get ready to enjoy summertime marinated vegetables on the grill!

6 (5 +1) Amazing Marinades for Grilled Vegetables

Todays post is taken mostly from  Care2.com (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-marinades-for-grilled-vegetables.html ) written and originally posted by Melissa Breyer Jun 20, 2011. Read all the way thru for the last recipe from www.edibleparadise.comis not be missed!  (Lemon Herb Marinade)

Grilled Veggies“5 Marinades for Grilled Vegetables: Who says non-meat eaters can’t have any fun with a grill? The culture of barbecue may be obsessively carne-centric, but I’ve known many a vegetarian who can perform magic with hot coals, some sauce and a squash. I’ve thrown together plenty of vegetable marinades in my day, here are a few of my favorites. The chemistry is simple–mix the marinade up and let your vegetables marinate in a shallow dish from between 30 minutes to an hour before grilling. For larger quantities, double the ingredients.

Spicy Orange & Cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes		Asian

2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Brown Sugar & Bourbon

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper		Lemon & Garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Maple & Wasabi
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon wasabi”		 (Thanks to Melissa Breyer who  is senior editor of Healthy and Green Living and writes about food. She creates new recipes that are posted daily to Care2.com, a natural lifestyles social network & website with 10 million members.  If you have not discovered Care2.com now is the time!)

I want to continue our HERB conversation and uses:
so… here is a great HERB Marinade – This seems to be a FAB Find of a Website as well! It is called EDIBLE PARADISE – (Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets,
Cooking seasonally from the farmers markets.)  http://www.edibleparadise.com/
The website is FULL of great info. and beautiful images. As they say “Edible Paradise celebrates the year-round abundance of the highest quality, freshest food grown on the Central Coast by our family farmers at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets. If you enjoy preparing and eating locally grown food, this blog is for you!” (Note: I am on the “other coast” and I still think this blog is for me!) The recipe below is from them.

♦Lemon Herb Marinade: Chef Andrew Cohen

INGREDIENTS:
3 cloves garlic, peeled and de-germed
1 shallot, peeled and diced coarsely
2 lemons, juiced
Pinch of salt ~ 1/8 teaspoon
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, most of the stems discarded
2 tablespoons each fresh oregano, marjoram, mint and/or basil, leaves only
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, leaves only
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only
1/4 cup olive oil

METHOD:
Place the garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, and lemon juice into a blender and puree.
Add the herbs and blend just until chopped. Bits of leaves should still be discernible.

With the motor running, drizzle in the oil to mix well. Do not take too much time doing this or your herbs will cook from the friction and your marinade will be dull and tired tasting.

Immerse item to be cooked in marinade and let soak not more than an hour and a half. Fish not more than an hour. The reason behind this is that the citric acid of the lemon juice will “cook” the food before you get it to the grill.

Use on chicken, fish, and vegetables. You can even use it on beef. The marinade can be used as a sauce also. Before immersing the item to be marinated, remove a little and set aside until you wish to eat. Then, if you wish, you can add a little extra virgin olive oil to the marinade and use it as a sauce or dip for the finished item.

SOURCE: Chef Andrew Cohen

http://www.edibleparadise.com/marinades-sauces-and-condiments/124-marinades-and-bbq-sauces/470-lemon-herb-marinade.html

Summertime, and the living is easy … as well as scrumptious

Continuing on Summertime theme… this week is summertime FOODS, always a fun topic. Summer seems in part to be in about the food, specifically the fresh produce and veggies. Easy to find everywhere, fun to find at your local outdoor markets! Keep it local folks- support your local farmer (especially the organic ones) and your community will be better off for your actions.

Monday, today, we will start the week off with HERBS – hopefully your herb garden is flourishing by now. My mint is taking over already! (see photo!) MintThese wonderful words are from Kathy Weber: Wedge Wood Flowers: Herbs for culinary, medicinal and ceremonial use: She is one of the fabulous growers at the Whole Foods Farmers Market in Garden City on Tuesdays! There are 2 recipes (bottom of page.) One is from Kathy and the other is from Linda Nunes- the Healthy Eating specialist at Garden City Center Whole Foods. She made us this luscious salad last week as the taste sampler food for the day. Want to know what is being made this Tuesday? Sorry, it’s a secret you will have to come on down to see/taste for yourselves!

“Now that is it summer in our area, the farmers markets are filling up with fresh greens, strawberries, peas and herbs. All of these wonderful offerings from the fields will give us an early summer salad just right for us.
Snipping herbs regularly helps the herb plants grow bushy and full and provides more for us to use. Pinch the tops of the plants to prevent flowering and going to seed. If that happens, the flavor becomes bitter.  That is another reason why snipping herbs daily is a good idea.  If you have more herbs that you can use, dry the sprigs on a paper towel and store for cooking.
Use herbs in the summer to bring out the flavor in meals. Here are some tips where using herbs.  Use dried herbs when cooking sauces and soups. Dried herbs have more intense flavors.  Use fresh herbs in salads, as a garnish in soups or sauces, and add sprigs of parsley or basil in a sandwich. Then taste how good that is! (Note, from Ronfleur and Liz- put a bit of mint on my turkey wrap { turkey, a touch of low-fat feta dressing, lettuce and a sprinkle of mint} and it was WONDERFUL! ) 
Plan to enjoy the early summer time enjoying all the bounty provided to us and know that more is soon to come to us from the fields.”
Kathy learned to love herbs from her parents.  Her father lovingly tended his herb garden and often brought in lettuce, scallions, and parsley for a salad for supper.  Her mother loved to make herb tea from herbs that she dried for the winter and so she grew up understanding how to grow herbs and health benefits they provide. Currently she is studying to become a herbalist with Susan Clements. Learning to make tinctures, salves, and creams.
She has combined all her knowledge of herbs and turned it into a business,
Wedge Wood Flowers: offering a wide variety of herbs for culinary, medicinal and ceremonial use. “I love to help folks, learn to grow and use herbs. Along with my herbs, I make cold pressed soap using essential oils and clays. I often use herbs in making soap.  This year I can be found at farmers markets, Pawtuxet Village, on Sat., Whole Foods University Heights and Cranston on Mon and Tues. I also will be at Washington Co Fail in Aug, Woodstock Fair, and Hebron Fair in Conn. I can also be found at various festivals and harvest fairs. Information on where I will be can be found on my Facebook page, Wedgewood Flowers.”  Kathy’s email is wdgewood89@aol.comif you have questions for her.
Here is a recipe with snap peas from Kathy
Cook in water a handful of snap peas for 1-2 min. Toast 2T sliced almonds. Combine 2T oil, 2 T fruity vinegar salt pepper. Combine romaine or spring greens with 1/4 cup chives, and tarragon, add peas, and almonds
Here is the recipe from Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Specialist,
Linda Nunes.
Combine fresh greens using red and green lettuce. Add sliced strawberries and chopped basil. Make a simple dressing by blending, 1 cup strawberries, 1T Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar, and 1 shallot.  Pour over the greens and enjoy the flavors.

Summer Beauty Skin Care tips – Natural of course.

Ronfleur Beauty tipsRonfleur and I wanted to chat with you about summer beauty al ‘natural. We sat down to write this post and we began by looking around and finding some good tips: some of it is common sense & some of it was news to us. Jolie jumped in and took us under her wing (Jolie is our local Herbalist: Beauty and Remedies) and she lead the way for our beauty feature today.

Jolies (and Ronfleurs) Summer Face Skin Care Secrets & Tips: The sun is happy to shine on us and we are happy to feel it on our skin but maintaining your skin during summer time is important. Did you know: Skin comprises between 12 – 15% of an adult’s body weight and your skin absorbs 60% of whatever you put on it.

1. Choose the Right Foods – Put into your body fresh veggies and fruits to keep the skin healthy and fresh.
2. Continue to drink lots of water. Even though you may not be thirsty, drink plenty of water through the day, not merely to replenish humidity lost to the heat but also to help flush toxins out of the body and keep your skin looking great.
3. Use Natural Homemade Cosmetics:  Some natural preservatives are:Tea Tree Essential Oil, Thyme Essential Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Bitter Orange Extract. Here are some words of wisdom for you. If you can not pronounce it then don’t eat it or wear it on your skin.
4. One of the secret of looking cool and fresh in summer lies in the cleansing routines. You should never go to bed with makeup on. Use a natural, homemade cream after washing: mix extra-virgin coconut oil with a couple of drops of essential oils of carrot seed and sweet orange. This fragrant, rich and creamy balm has antioxidant and emollient properties. While you sleep, it will slowly penetrate your face skin to restore its vital moisture and beauty.

You can try out this Refreshing Masque.
Yummy Natural Face Mask!: Cooling Papaya Masque©

4 tbsp ripe papaya pulp, mashed
½ tsp pure honey
A squeeze of lemon juice
Mix all ingredients together. Apply on face. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with cold tap water.  (credit for this )

Ideas for your skin from your kitchen to keep you looking fantastic:

.    A teaspoon of cod liver oil supplies you with the daily requirement of essential fats (including Omega-3 fatty acids), as well as Vitamins D and A, which are crucial for rejuvenating cells and keeping skin moist and smooth.

.    Any skin care discourse which does not include a discussion of nutrition is lacking a fundamental principle of healthy skin care. Good health and beauty are synonymous.

.    Lacto-fermented products such as sauerkraut, yogurt, fish sauce and miso, are highly beneficial for your digestive tract. Good looking skin is a reflection of what you put in your tummy.

.    Avoid using sunscreen. Potentially deadly skin cancer (melanoma) is NOT caused by the sun, but by artificial chemicals in our food, air, and… laboratory-produced body care products! Moreover, exposure to the sun is the only way for the body to convert and use Vitamin D – one of the most important fat-soluble vitamins. A word of caution though, use sun in moderation.

.    Many of us believe that use of tanning oils on skin and then getting tanned is safe. But that is not true. No tanning oil prevents the sun. If it had prevented sun, you would not have tanned!



.    Try a natural body scrub. For clean and glowing skin, use a scrub made of equal amounts of corn flour and honey, once a week.

.    A great, easy exfoliation treatment is to use a little organic honey and a little sugar mixed together. The honey will moisturize your face while the sugars natural acids gently exfoliate without creating microscopic tears in your delicate skin.

.    Brew your own amazing body lotion. Combine a couple of drops each of essential rose and lavender oils with almond oil, and pamper this fragrant and delectable concoction on your skin after a shower or just before tanning. The results are truly wonderful!

Meet Ronfleur! A sizzling new member of Botaniumus.

Twinkles came to our community in the winter. In case you don’t remember she is the Goddess of the Shimmering Snow and is a true snow bird. She comes IN with the winter weather and she cares about the cleanliness of the snowfall. Toxins in the atmosphere, which make for “dirty snow” are devastating to her.

Well, now it is time for her cousin to come to town. Meet Ronfleur:(eef you vant to know vat my nem meanz luk it up; merci!) She is summer personified! She is carefree in personality but not in the Nature (i.e . the ecosystem.) She is all about fun in the sun BUT, her cause is Climate Change. A problem that is affecting people and the environment worldwide. Greater energy efficiency and new technologies hold promise for reducing greenhouse gases and solving this global challenge.

Ronfleur checks in and works with her cousin to see what they can do to help. Is climate change a concern to you? Are you willing to take these actions (recommended by the EPA) and do your part? … “You release greenhouse gases as a result of using energy to drive, using electricity to light and heat your home, and through other activities that support our quality of life, like growing food, raising livestock and throwing away garbage. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through simple measures like changing light bulbs and properly inflating your tires. The EPA site listed below, provides over 25 easy steps you can take to not only reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, but also reduce air pollution, increase the nation’s energy independence and save money.” As always Reduce, ReUse, ReCycle, ReThink.  http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/index.html

Ronfleur - summertime
Ronfleur – summertime and the living is hot!