12 ways to use fresh herbs

1. Sprinkle fresh herbs on veggies such as potatoes, mushrooms, peas, peppers, and broccoli
2. Make a flavorful pesto to use on sandwiches, add to hummus, in pasta or tossed with your favorite veggies.
3. Add to beverages such as lemonade, tea, cocktails or to flavor your water. Some of my favorites are mint with tea/water, and basil with lemonade.

Basil and mint make great additions to cocktails or iced tea!

4. Toss parsley, chives and/or cilantro into your salad.
5. Incorporate a mixture of herbs into your salad dressing. Give your dressing an extra kick of flavor and freshness for the spring. My favorite is a mixture of parsley, chives, and basil.

Chives are wonderful addition to compound butter!

6. Use them to make a delicious herbed compound butter.  This sauce can be used on fish, steak, chicken or lobster!
7. Add them to your omelet, scrambled eggs, quiche or frittata.
8. Use fresh herbs like parsley, basil and cilantro to garnish some of your favorite dishes!
9. Simmer stems or chop stems to use in sauces.  Basil stems are great simmered in a tomato sauce.  Use cilantro stems to make a pesto or flavorful dressing/marinade!
10. Use harder stems such as rosemary as skewers for grilling items such as scallops or shrimp.
11. Add herbs such as parsley, thyme, and tarragon to give your stock a boost of flavor!
12. Fry leaves for a flavorful and delicious garnish! This works great with sage and basil!

Add tarragon to your favorite sauce, such as hollandaise.

A B.V.I specialty cocktail!

The view on Tortolla

I recently went to the British Virgin Islands. The water was a brilliant turquoise and you could smell the salty ocean in the air. The mountainous region was covered in tropical plants and large cactus. The locals were always greeting you with a smile. In this wonderful paradise, the drinks were abundant and magnificent! One of the signature drinks of the B.V.I. was the painkiller. This drink lives up to its name! Its a lighter take on the popular Pina colada. The grated nutmeg may seem strange, but brings this drink to another level of flavor. The inventor of this drink is said to be the bartender at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jose Van Dyke, but it is still debated. This was my favorite drink of choice while in the islands. If made with the local rum from Tortola, it can almost take you back to paradise. Take a trip to paradise and make this amazing drink!

BVI Specialty Rum

Ingredients for the cocktail

Painkiller

Serves: 1   Cook Time: 0 min      Prep Time: 2 min

• 3 oz. dark rum
• 3 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz oj
• 11/2 oz cream of coconut
• garnish with fresh nutmeg and pineapple wedge

Directions

Place all ingredients except for nutmeg and pineapple wedge in shaker with ice. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh grated nutmeg and pineapple. Enjoy!

Grated nutmeg is the final touch

A nutty smoothy!

Smoothies are my go to morning breakfast. They are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, they taste delicious too! It's a great way to sneak some veggies in as well. This smoothie is so scrumptious that it could be served as a dessert. Sometimes, I add cacao powder for an extra oxidant boost. If your allergic to peanuts, substitute cashew, almond, or walnut butter. To spice this drink up a bit add cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves: 2   Cook Time: 0 min      Prep Time: 2 min

• 1 Cup Milk or Milk Substitute
• 1 large ripe Banana, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Honey
• a handful of ice

Directions

Place all ingredients in blender and enjoy.

A healthy dip!

Hummus is a wonderful middle eastern dip to have in your fridge. Instead of buying those expensive and high in sodium pre made hummus, try making it yourself. It will save you some money and taste fabulous!

Hummus is not only easy and taste great, but its a great source of nutrients. It's highly nutritional due to a high source of fiber and protein.  Hummus is low in sodium, fat and calories. The veggies that you dip in it, give you an additional nutritional boost. Enjoy this snack and be guilt free.

It took me awhile to achieve a smooth hummus. I had made it multiple times before and couldn't perfect the texture. There were many techniques to increase it being smooth, but did I really wanna spend time removing all the skins from chickpeas or starting from dried beans? This is supposed to be a quick and easy snack. After many trials and recipe adjustments, I had found a wonderfully quick way to make a beautifully smooth hummus.

Hummus Ingredients

Hummus

All ingredients are in

• 1 15 oz. can Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans, drained and liquid reserved

• 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 Lemon, juiced and zested (zest optional)

• 2 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame seed paste)

• 1/4 Cup Chickpea Liquid

• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

• 1 Clove Garlic

• Salt to taste

Directions

Place all ingredients except lemon zest in food processor or Vitamix. Make sure to stir your tahini. It is like the peanut butter of the middle east. It separates when it sits, so mix it up a bit. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and lemon zest to taste. Serve with cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, pita bread, or pita chips.

A delightful dip!

Some alternative uses for hummus include:

• middle eastern style seven layer dip
• middle eastern style pizza
• sandwich spread
• can be made in a light salad dressing
• serve with falafel

A colorful presentation!

A tropical granola!

Granola is a wonderful snack and easily adaptable to whatever maybe in your pantry. It's fabulous with milk or yogurt. This granola would taste delightful with some fresh pineapple or mangoes. It will bring your senses to the tropics. Right now in Ohio, we are not yet experiencing spring weather, but this granola will make your day much brighter and warmer.

Don't forget to make this granola your own. Use whatever nuts or dried fruit you have around the house. You may also switch out the sweetener for brown sugar, sugar or agave nectar if you like. For a richer, granola you may use butter in place of coconut oil.

For a nutrient kick, add flaxseeds, chia seeds or even some dried milk for a protein boost.

Tropical Flavors

Hawaiian Granola

Mixed Granola

Serves: 8-10   Cook Time: 35-40 min      Prep Time: 5 min

• 3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 Cup Macademia Nut, roughly chopped
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1 Egg White, slightly beaten
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• 1/4 Cup Melted Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Cup Crystallized Ginger, minced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except crystallized ginger. Bake at 325 degree F for 40 minutes or until golden brown and dried out. Stirring every 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Then add crystallized ginger and stir to combine.

Finished Granola

An easy and elegant dinner!

Roast chicken is an amazing food that makes a beautiful presentation.  It is super simple to make and the flavor possibilities are endless! Here is the way that I make roast chicken frequently, but feel free to change it to your preferences.

Prepped Chicken

Herb Roasted Chicken

Serves: 6-8   Cook Time: 3-4 min      Prep Time: 5 min

Golden Brown and Flavorful Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 Sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs sage
• 1 lemon
• 5 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• Olive oil to coat

Preheat oven to 450F. Place half a lemon, 1 onion cut in half in the cavity of the chicken.  Place the herbs underneath skin of the breasts.  Coat skin with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a bed of  celery, onion and carrots.  Cook chicken to at least 160F. It needs to cook for about an hour and half or so. Let the chicken rest for twenty minutes, in order to continue cooking the chicken.  The temperature will continue to raise to 165F.  This will allows the juices to redistribute giving you a juicy chicken breast or thigh.  Enjoy this wonderful dish and impress your guests!

Whats in Season:Winter

Winter is a beautiful time of year in Ohio; the snow is covering the streets and trees. Everyone is trying to keep warm in their winter jackets, gloves and hats.  On top of that, homes are filled with warming soups and roasts. Its the best time of year for the richer and heavier foods to fill you up.  There is so many marvelous foods in the winter.  I love the different kinds of citrus, which brighten up the bitter cold months of the year.  They add wonderful color to a variety of dishes and have many health benefits as well.  Pick yourself up with these glorious foods and make some seasonal dishes that are pleasing to the eye and the taste buds.

• Cara Cara Orange
• Blood Oranges
• Navel Oranges
• Madarin Oranges
• Clemintines
• Tangerines
• Grapefruit
• Assorted Pears
• Kale
• Collard Greens
• Pomegranate
• Brussel Sprouts