Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Flavor Without Fat

I really like for my food to taste good and look good too.  I have found that buying lemons and a variety of herbs helps me to succeed. 
The rind of lemons or oranges are great to finely grate over salads or add to a salad dressing.  A simple salad dressing might include;
Olive oil
Vinegar
Lemon
Fresh cracked pepper
When it is freshly made it tastes, vibrant and like sunshine. 


Parsley and cilantro stay in a jar in my fridge.   Usually the cost is less than a dollar.  I buy it a couple of times a month.  It is a small investment to add big flavor and freshness to so many things.  Changing the water in the jar ever couple of days extends the life of the herbs.


I add parsley to my salads, soups, and to make both vinegar dressings, and creamy homemade dressings.  Cilantro is great on sandwiches, and most recently,  I used it to make a homemade pico de gallo;
cabbage
onion
cilantro
canned green chilies
All Mexican, Spanish, inspired dishes benefit from some chopped cilantro.
Basil is winter happiness for me.  Not all stores carry basil at an affordable price.  When it is on sale get some.  Basil has such a robust, reminds me of summer, wonderful flavor. 


This particular basil comes from the grocery store that sells it with the roots still intact.  I put it in water and leave it on the counter.  I payed about four dollars and it lasted me for almost  four weeks.  Inexpensive joy sitting on my counter. 
Basil as you can imagine goes well with all sorts of Italian dishes.  I like whole leaves on sandwiches. 


This is my first winter to have an herb pot in my house.  It contains, rosemary, lemon thyme, and oregano.  I usually have these in my outside garden in the summer.  The added flavor of fresh oregano in spaghetti sauce is amazing. 
If your not sure which herb to start with, I started with buying flat leaf Italian parsley and then expanded.  It is in the produce section, it my look like it is decorating the other vegetables, but, yes, you can buy it.   I hope you all eat well, live well, and try some new flavors.

1 comment:

  1. I LOVE herbs! Fresh herbs make everything taste better!

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