Fearlessly "Fresh" Seasonings1-3
Are you interested in making healthy meals that taste good too? Fresh seasonings will change the way you cook and quickly transform your favorite foods from ordinary to extraordinary. In addition to adding flavor to your meals, using fresh seasonings will help you cut back on salt, fat, and sugar.
Tips for Using "Fresh" Seasonings
- Purchase fresh herbs at a grocery store or farmers' market close to the time that you plan to use them
- If you have your own herb garden, pick herbs in the morning just after the dew has dried
- When substituting fresh herbs in a recipe, use three times as much as you would use for dried herbsm
- Since flavors from fresh herbs develop quickly, add them near the end of the cooking time to preserve flavor
- Mince fresh herbs and mix into ground meats before cooking
- Use fresh herbs, onions, and garlic to enhance the cooking waters for vegetables
- Fresh herbs keep for a few days when refrigerated in an open plastic bag
- Make sure you wash and dry your herbs well before using; a salad spinner works well in this case
References:
- University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County. “Food Reflections.” . Last accessed June 3, 2010.
- CNN.com. "Food: Herbs and Spices." . Last accessed June 3, 2010.
- Pamplona-Roger, George D. “Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.” Education and Health Library: 2003.