Shakin' up the Flavor!

When it comes to preparing your favorite dish, there is always cause for seasoning, the first on the list being salt. Why? Because salt brings out the flavor in meats, vegetables, casseroles, etc., even desserts. BUT...caution is aired for the amount of salt that is added. Too little, the food is bland, tasteless. Too much, the food is not edible. There IS a way around the salt for shakin' up the flavor!

August 29 is...

More Herbs, Less Salt Day

Herbs and spices are the heart of a great meal. Cooking with either can be tricky but when used in the correct amounts matched with the proper food(s)...Oh, my! The results are yummy! Get ready to stimulate the senses: perk up the taste, enrich the smell and impress your family and friends who will admire the results. Furthermore, the outcome will be much healthier. Everyone knows a heavy dose of salt is not a good thing...a little goes a long way.

It takes thought, time and effort to prepare fresh and nutritious food, as well as understanding which herb or spice goes with which food(s). After all, less healthy options are often much easier and more convenient! Of course, shakin' that salt shaker has always been in the picture since Grandma's days. Before venturing further, a question is in order: Do you know the difference in a herb vs. a spice? 

~Herbs are considered to be the leafy and greener portions of the plant, whether dried or fresh. Examples are parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme, basil and chives. 

~Spices are harvested from the other parts of the plant - the seeds, bark, roots, etc. Popular spices come from berries (peppercorns), roots (ginger), seed (nutmeg), flower buds (cloves) or even the stamen of flowers (saffron).
 
More Herbs, Less Salt Day does not mean eliminate salt but instead encourages taking a simple step to re-align the salt/herb balance. The use of herbs in home-cooked dishes in place of excess salt provides the much needed flavor enhancer keeping the food healthy at the same time. It doesn’t take much room or effort to grow a variety of fresh herbs, and a little rosemary, thyme, mint or other herbs can do just as much to enrich a dish as that heavy-handed shaking of salt.

 Herb-Crusted Roast Chicken Recipe

Baked Salmon Filet With Crispy Herb Crust Recipe

Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon with Fresh Herb Butter Recipe

yum, yum, yum . . . yummy! 

A Bit of 'Herb' Music Nostalgia...

The lyrics are about a man trying to attain his true love. In Medieval times, the herbs mentioned in the song represented virtues that were important to the lyrics. Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.