I love the name that Ilva of Lucullian Delights gives this healthy, simple and tasty soup.  Love it.  I made the soup for a sick family member in the hospital and myself.  We loved it.  Oh, yeah:   And my brother had some.  He liked it a lot , too.   When I spilled some of the soup on the floor, one of my dogs licked it clean.  It seems that she liked it as well.     Thanks, Ilva!

One of the ingredients in this soup, fresh parsley, is such a popular herb.  I buy it quite often and would love to be able to grow it on my kitchen window.  That would be awesome!   I  love the fresh green earthy taste of this herb and the fact that it has a lot of health benefits — like it’s rich in vitamin C and A.  I like how it can be used in a lot of dishes.  Apart from being able to eat parsley, my favorite thing to do with it is to use it as a garnish.  That touch of green in my plate makes a big difference to me. 

I’m submitting this post for the Weekend Herb Blogging event, which Kalyn of  Kalyn’s Kitchen created.  This week, Pille of Nami Nami acts as host.  Check out her blog for the roundup of other Weekend Herb Blogging posts.

Paz

Very Cheap but Very Good Vegetable Soup

Lucullian Delights

The leaves and stem/trunk of 1 cauliflower
2 big tomatoes
Chopped parsley
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Parsley, Mint, Basil

Lately, my schedule has neither allowed me much time to cook, bake, blog or read other blogs as before.  As a result, I’ve missed out on participating in one of my favorite food blogging events — Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen.   Basically, you can post about any herb, plant, fruit, vegetable or flower.  Include a recipe or provide information about your subject.  Here are the guidelines to participate.

On the eve of the event’s second year anniversary, Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once will host it live from Florence, Italy.  Exciting! 

I can’t believe that  WHB has been going on for nearly two years.  Not only has it been fun for me to come up with something to blog about, but it’s been even more fun to see what others prepare.

I didn’t want the second year anniversary to pass without participating.  So here I am with my contribtion.  The herbs involved in the recipe I chose include parsley, mint and basil — all herbs I like.  I like when more than one herb is included in a dish.  I think it adds an extra special bang.

Here are a few known special facts about these herbs:

Parsley:  It makes an excellent breath freshener.  It is high in vitamin A and C.  It contains iron, iodine and cooper. 

Mint: There are 25 species of mint.  Common mints to grow are peppermint, spearmint and pineapple mint.

Basil:  Originally native to India and other parts of Asia.  Considered ‘King of Herbs’ by many.

Go here, here and here for more info about these herbs.

This Feta, Walnut and Herb salad I made is loosely based on a recipe by Nigella Lawson.  Interestingly enough, she calls it a salad but it’s really supposed to be a grainy sort of paste, which you serve with crudités, like chunks of raw vegetable.

I didn’t want a paste.  I wanted to be able to bite into something that reminded me of a real salad.  So, I roughly chopped the herbs and the rest of the ingredients and served it as is, without processing them.  I ate my "salad" with bread and it wasn’t bad at all.  I also added a tad bit more olive oil to my salad and I was good to go!  Best thing about the dish was the sharp taste of the fresh herbs mixed with the other ingredients.  I could taste the mint, parsley and basil and they sure tasted good along with the feta cheese and walnuts.

Oh, and yes, I did do my happy dance (read #9 — the dance that comes upon me when I smell something wonderful in the kitchen when I prepare a meal) as I chopped the herbs and their tantalizing scents released into the air.  Loved it!

Perhaps, I’ll try the paste another time.

Paz

My version of Nigella’s Feta, Walnut and Herb Salad

Feta, Walnut and Herb Salad

Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson

2 tablespoons each of fresh mint, parsley and basil

7 ounces feta cheese

7 ounces shelled walnuts, chopped

6 scallions

1 clove garlic

half teaspoon salt

pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Process all of the above to make a grainy paste.  That’s it.  What are you waiting for?

Serves 4-6 with crudités

Click on photo for larger image

I’ve mentioned before that there are many foods that I did not like to eat, until I started to cook. Let’s add mushrooms to the list.

I found this Portobello Mushroom Salad recipe on Domestic Cat. The recipe mentions whole Portobello mushrooms but I bought the ones already sliced. I think I’m allowed to take a little short cuts once in a while.

I enjoyed making this salad and eating it. The mushrooms, sprinkled with dried oregano and thyme tasted perfect. The mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juiced, simply enhanced the taste. Last, I garnished the dish with one of my favorite herbs — chopped, fresh parsely (the flat leaf kind). I don’t think this herb will ever fail you as you prepare your meal. Any time I toss it on the food I prepare, it always seems to liven up the meal in taste and appearance.

The recipe does not call for red onions. However, I had some leftover chopped onions in the fridge and threw it into the salad. Mmm… Mmm good! I loved the crunchy texture with the soft, smooth mushrooms and the textured feel of the parsley. Definitely a good combination. Thanks, Domestic Cat, for this recipe! I’ve made it several times, now.

I’d like to submit this recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging. It is one of my favorite food blog events but due to my busy schedule, I haven’t been able to participate in quite some time. Parsely is one of my favorite herbs with which to use on food. I probably went overboard here with the parsley and put too much, but I don’t care! I love it! I don’t think I can have too much parsley. It tasted good with the mushrooms.

Everyone knows about parsley. I’d say it’s a common herb used by many (Middle Eastern, European, and American cuisine). However, I learned something new from Wikipedia. Among its many uses, parsley is used as a breath freshner. It works well against garlic breath. Hmm… I’ll have to remember that. In the mean time, if you want to know more parsley, you can visit Wikipedia.

Paz

Portobello Mushroom Salad
Domestic Cat

• 400grs portobello mushrooms
• fresh or dried herbs, such as oregano and thyme
• balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt, freshly ground blackpepper

Preheat your oven to 200-210 C. Quickly wash mushrooms under running water and pat dry. Using a mellonballer or a coffee spoon, scoop out the black flesh under their caps. This will help them to have a better colour. Place mushrooms upside down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt and place herbs on their caps. Cook in the oven for about 30 mins or until soft. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer mushrooms on a cutting board. Cut them lenghtwise in 0.5 cm slices. Combine mushroom slices with the rest of the ingredients and check the taste. Balsamic vinegar especially goes well with this salad. Serve warm with meat or fish, or on its own. Enjoy!

*One can blog about herbs, plants, vegetables, or flowers for Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB). To see the list of other interesting WHB posts, go to Kalyn’s Kitchen, Sunday afternoon.

Interested in participating? Check out the guidelines.

 

Garden Sage (salvia officinalis)

It’s Weekend Herb Blogging time and I’d like to spotlight the herb Sage. Its name comes from the Latin word, which means health or healing powers. As far back as the Dark Ages, sage has been used for two purposes – culinary and medicinal.

Ancient Greeks and Romans used sage to do things like promote long life, cure sterility, snakebites, and depression. You can find a few modern medicinal recipes here. Sage is the best herb choice for killing bacteria.

This week, I made a jar of Marinated Feta from a recipe I saw on Haalo’s blog, Cook Anything (Almost) Once.

The ingredients contained a mixture of herbs. To achieve an Asian flavor in her marinated feta, Haalo chose to use coriander, chives, lime leaf, and parsley.

I opted for the Mediterranean taste by using fresh sage, basil, rosemary, oregano and thyme. It tasted very nice. Good feta and olive oil are the key here. I love feta cheese and this was a nice and different way to prepare it. Next, I’ll try Haalo’s Asian flavored version.

Domestic Cat also has a different recipe for Marinated Feta, which I plan on trying in the near future.

Thanks Haalo and Tülin for such enticing recipes!

By the way, recently, Sravanthi wrote a nice article for The Hindu Business Line called ‘Hot off the… blog!’ It’s about the world of food blogging. Our fellow food blog friends Sailu of Sailu’s Indian Food & Andhra Recipes, Napur of One Hot Stove, Sury and Cesar of (Lima) Beans and Delhi Cha(a)t, Vineela of Vineela’s Cuisine, Mae of Rice and Noodles, and Indira of Mahanadi are mentioned. So am I. You can read the article here.

Paz

Marinated Feta
Click on photo for larger image

Haalo’s recipe:

Marinated Fetta
1 slice of your favourite fetta cheese
assorted soft herbs
freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
fresh chilli, to taste, very finely sliced
good olive oil

First thing is the pat your slice of fetta cheese dry on a paper towel. Next dice into a smallish cube (maximum 1cm width) and place in a bowl.

Prepare the herbs – I like to maintain a theme with my herbs. This version will have Asian flavours so I’m using, coriander, chives, lime leaf, parsley. If I wanted a more Mediterranean feel, I’d use basil, sage, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Feel free to experiment with your favourites.

Add the sliced garlic and chillies and finely chopped herbs to the cheese. Carefully toss through. Generously grind over the top with fresh pepper, then toss again.

Pour enough olive oil (use a good oil – why sacrifice the dish and use a horrible tasting oil) until it covers the cheese. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge to allow the flavours to develop. You can if you like, place the herb and cheese mix into a sterilised jar, cover with oil and seal for a more longer life product.

Click on photo for larger image

I found this unusual salad on Trembom in English. I call it unusual because I’ve never had a carrot and peanut salad before.

I’d been dying to try it, but didn’t have the peanut and sesame oil. When I finally bought the oils, I got to working in the kitchen. It didn’t take much work. That’s my kind of recipe – the easy kind.

I chopped baby carrots in half, added the peanuts, and then covered them with the red wine vinegar, peanut oil, and sesame oil mixture. Very different! I liked the combination of flavors and the texture of the salad. Can we say “Crunchy?” Boy, was it ever!

Valentina of Trembom in English recommends that if you decide to grate the carrots instead of chopping them, do not to grate them finely because it will take away from texture of the salad. I agree. The best part of the salad is the crunchiness of the carrots and peanuts.

This salad is great tasting, especially during these hot summer days. What’s more, its major ingredient – carrots – have great health benefits: They are rich in antioxidants and vitamins and help fight against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Could you ask for anything more? If you like carrots and peanuts, try this salad!

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Read about this event below.

Paz

The Rainbow Room’s Carrot and Peanut Salad
Adapted from Forever Summer with Nigella – Nigella Lawson

4 medium carrots peeled and coarsely grated or cut into chopstick shape
75g salted peanuts
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Groundnut oil (*Peanut oil)
Few drops of Sesame oil

Throw the carrots in a salad dish followed by the peanuts and give it a good mix. In a separate container add the vinegar, groundnut and sesame oil. Pour it over the salad and just have a good time chewing away. Crunch, crunch…