Herb Salts

A few years ago, we took out the bushes next to our front door and replaced them with an herb garden. I love that when a recipe calls for a fresh herb, I can can pop outside in my bare feet and cut off whatever I need.

I do sometimes end up with more herbs than I need, so I've taken to experimenting with dehydrating and making herb salts. .

I found these recipes on a vegan blog a few years ago. The other evening when I tried to search for them again, I couldn't find the blog! Luckily, I found a printed copy with my cookbooks. I should note that the amount of salt in these recipes is half of the original. My family has given me feedback that the salts were "too salty."

In all of these recipes, use Kosher or sea salt, not iodized or table salt.

Rosemary Citrus and Parsley Salt

• 2 tbsp minced parsley
• 1 tsp rosemary (leaves only) 
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
• 1 tbsp kosher or sea salt

Fresh Herb Salt

• 1/4 cup dill
• 1/4 cup flat or curly leaf parsley
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
• 1.5 tbsps kosher or sea salt

Lovely Herb Salt

• 1/4 cup curly or flat leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp dill
• 2 tbsp sage leaves
• 2 tsp oregano leaves
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp rosemary (leaves only) 
• 1.5 tbsps kosher or sea salt

Green Onion and Garlic Salt (I've never actually made this one!) 

• 2 tbsp sliced green onion
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/8 cup kosher or sea salt

For all the salts: 

Use a sharp knife or mandolin to finely mince the herbs and zest. 

Mix the herbs and zest together and continue to mince until the herbs be indistinguishable from one another. Pour half the salt over the herbs and continue to chop until the salt is worked in. Add the remaining salt and continue to chop until you have a homogeneous mixture. 

To dry the salt, you have several options. If you have a dehydrator, spread the mixture on one of the solid plastic trays. If you have a dehydrate feature on your oven, spread the mixture on a baking sheet. Don't have either one? A dinner plate on your counter overnight will do. Either way, dehydrate or dry your salt until there is no moisture left. 

Store the dried salt in a sealed container. It should keep for about a year. 

45 Second "Ice Cream"

Tonight, my son wanted to watch something on YouTube; something I didn't want him too. So, we checked out Jamie Oliver's FoodTube and stumbled upon his recipe for 45 second "Ice Cream" (Watch the original here.)

The kids were so excited about the idea of making ice cream! I was excited it was easy, fast and healthy.

A touch of honey
1 part (by weight) frozen fruit
1 part (be weight) yogurt

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor bowl. Pulse until you've got "ice cream."

I used 12 ounces of frozen blackberries and 12 ounces of vanilla yogurt - note, these are both by weight. I added a little bit too much honey. This is one of those cases where you want to start with a little - you can always add more.

The color was so vibrant! A feast for the eyes and mouth.

Rhubarb Syrup

Last year, I bought the book Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. I LOVE it. I highly recommend you buy it.

The following is Marisa's Rhubarb Syrup recipe. If you buy the book, you'll also learn about strawberry syrup, cranberry syrup and blueberry lemon syrup. I'm hoping to try those next :)

While the recipe is designed to can, I just refrigerated mine.

Makes 4 half-pint jars.

1.5 lbs of rhubarb, coarsely chopped
2.5 cups of sugar

Combine the chopped rhubarb with 3 cups water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is soft enough to be easily mashed with a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes.

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the rhubarb and its juice through the strainer. Let the mixture drip through without pressing on it - if you do, the syrup will be cloudy.

Discard the rhubarb and return the strained juice to the pot. Add the sugar, and bring to a boil, skimming any foam as it forms.

Remove the pot from the heat, and pour the hot syrup into prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Green Soup

It's really Broccoli Cheese Soup. Our three-year old Alex, can't say broccoli cheese soup. He can say, "Green Soup."

The original recipe came from America's Test Kitchen (a TV program that's likely on your local PBS station - I highly recommend watching it.) It flips the idea of a cheese soup on it's head. The soup isn't just green, it tastes like broccoli. Yum!

2 tbsp. butter
2 lbs. broccoli chopped into 1-inch pieces. This can include both the florets and stems, though you may need to peel tougher stems. (I GUESS you can use up to one lb frozen broccoli, but then the fresh better have been picked today...)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
1 1/2 tsps. dry mustard power
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3-4 cups water
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups chicken broth
2 oz baby spinach (about 2 cups loosely packed)
3 oz shredded "orange" cheese (preferably a nice sharp cheddar, but a Colby works too)
1.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not the powdery bottled variety)

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium high heat. Add the broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard powder and cayenne. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until the scent makes you inhale deeply and smile :)

Add one cup of water and the baking soda. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook the mixture for 20 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking. At the end, the result should look like a mushy mess. If there are any hard bits, cook a little longer.

Add broth and 2 cups of water. Bring the soup back to a simmer, and stir in spinach. Cook the spinach until wilted, about a minute or two.

Now, you have two choices.

IF YOU HAVE AN IMMERSION BLENDER:

Use your immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until smooth. Stir in the cheese, a handful at a time.

IF YOU HAVE A BLENDER:

Ladle about half of the hot soup into your blender, add about half of the cheese, and whizz until smooth. Repeat with the other half of the soup and the other half of the cheese. Return the soup to the pot and stir.

Now is the best part :) Top with more shredded parmesan, croutons, pieces of toast or hearty rye crackers. Enjoy!

Steak Soup

I grew up in a rural area, where purchasing an entire section of a cow was common. Now that I have a family of my own, we occasionally do the same.

When you purchase an entire section, you end up with cuts of meat that you might not normally purchase at the grocery store. Round steak is one of those cuts. I have several packages in my freezer and didn't really know what to do with them - enter my brilliant intern who waxed poetic about her mom's soup. This isn't her mom's recipe, she left before I could get it from her, but I think this one is flavorful.

2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs boneless beef round steak, cut into cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
4 cups beef broth
2 cups water
4 sprigs fresh parsley (or a dried equivalent)
2 tsbp chopped celery leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold)
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced celery

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, stir in the steak and onions. Cook and stir until the meat and onions are browned (10 minutes?) Drain away excess fat and return meat to pan.

While the beef is cooking, mix together flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the browned meat and stir to coat.

In a large soup pot, pour in the beef broth and water. Stir in the parsley, celery leaves, bay leaf and marjoram. Stir in beef mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 45 minutes.

Mix in the potatoes, carrots and celery. Bring the soup back to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender - 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot.

Rice Noodle Soup

There are times when I crave this soup. I think it's the cilantro, or maybe it's the tender shrimp... You'll notice when you read the recipe, it's not terribly precise. Soup rarely is.

8 oz package thin rice noodles (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb medium shrimp, cleaned and shelled (save the shells!) You can also use uncooked cubed chicken.
1/2 lb baby bok choy, broccoli or celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms (canned work ok)
2 tbsp fish sauce (I sometimes don't have it and omit it)
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (I usually only have dried)

Cook noodles according to package directions (usually boil water, let the noodles stand in the heated water off heat then rinse them with cold water.) Divide the noodles between 4 bowls.

Meanwhile, if you saved the shells from the shrimp, put the shells into the chicken stock and microwave it for one minute. (If you didn't, that's ok.) Remove the shells.

Add the chicken stock and one cup of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to heat to medium, add the shrimp, vegetables and mushrooms and cook until the shrimp are cooked through (opaque) and vegetables are tender. Stir in the fish sauce and cilantro. Remove from heat.


Fill each bowl of noodles with hot soup, taking care to evenly distribute all the ingredients (no hogging shrimp!) 

Guacamole

My husband loves guacamole. I hate it. I've tried it; I really I have. I just don't like it.
Interestingly, I apparently make a good Guac (a testament to the love I have for my husband) and have received a number of requests for the recipe.

1 jalapeno chile, top removed then quartered. Remove the seeds and membranes if you like. I don't.
1 medium onion, quartered
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 or 2 cloves of garlic (sent through a garlic press)
4 tbsp dried cilantro
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
4 ripe avocados
1/2 tsp of salt

You'll need a food processor. Toss in the jalapeno and onion. Pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until creamy. Add a little more juice if needed. Taste. Adjust as necessary.