Fresh Oregano – What Should I Do With All This Stuff?!?

Tags

dried, drying, Fresh oregano, Gardening, herb, Herbs, Lasagna, marinara, vegan, vegetarian

A few weeks ago I posted about planting my garden, so I could have some fresh veggies and herbs to cook with. One of the things I planted was oregano. If I had know how well this stuff grows, I would have planted it years ago!!! This one plant in a pot has taken off like gang busters! At first I was hesitant to use any, because my plant seemed so small. I blinked and now I’m wondering what the heck I’m going to do with all of it! I did some research and thought I would share my findings with my foodie friends.

As you can see by my first picture, I decided to dry some. I had read that when the plant starts to flower it is at it’s most flavorful, so this is a good time to snip some branches for drying. I simply cut several branches off, tied them together at the cut ends with string and hung them up on my pot rack to dry. It looks pretty up there and makes my kitchen smell nice!  Once dried it can be crumbed and stored in a spice jar for later use or to give as a gift. I’m going to take some over to my sister tomorrow!

Another tip I found, is to cut up the leaves and freeze it in some water in ice cube trays. Supposedly when you thaw it, it still has the fresh flavor. Makes sense to me!

I love to use fresh basil and oregano in my marinara sauce! So delicious! Once my tomato plants start producing watch out!!! My marinara is being taken to a whole other level!!! I think I might make a batch of sauce on Monday and make some vegetarian lasagna for my oldest daughter and her husband when they come over for dinner!

Really the uses for oregano are abundant! Here is just a sampling of the possibilities: egg/cheese combinations, breads, vegetables (especially squash, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, capsicum), meats, fish, chicken, pizza, pastas, Greek salads and sauces. Soups, stews, stuffings, sausage and pork.

Like I always say, go play with your food! Find creative ways to use those ingredients, try new things and you might just find your new favorite dish!

So what are some of your favorite ways to use oregano? I’m very open to additional ideas as I have a bunch of the stuff!!!

Chimichurri Sauce – A Bold Sauce for Your Grilled Meats

Tags

argentina, barbecue, chimichurri, Cooking, Food, fresh, Herbs, sauce

  
Here in California, we’re still enjoying warm weather, but fall and the cooler weather is starting to encroach upon us. I thought I would share one last summer-y, barbecue related recipe.

I haven’t made it in a little while, so I’m past due! One of my favorite additions to barbecued meat is Chimichurri sauce. I always make this from scratch. Actually, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a ready-made version of this sauce in the store. There’s a product idea I just gave away!

The combination of all the fresh ingredients provides an intense, full-bodied flavor that really compliments the meat well. When serving this sauce, I would keep the seasoning of the meat to basic salt and pepper and let the Chimichurri add the bold accompaniment. This sauce is a rich, green color that screams garden freshness! And that smell!!! All those fresh herbs and garlic will make your mouth water!

This sauce supposedly originated in Argentina and is primarily served over beef. If you’re like me though, once I find a sauce I love, I want to put it on EVERYTHING! Go ahead! Put it on your chicken, fish, bread, rice, whatever! I’ll never tell!

So at your next barbecue, impress your friends and family with something other than the usual barbecue sauce!

Chimichurri

1 cup stemmed flat-leaf parsley

1 cup stemmed cilantro

1/2 cup stemmed mint leaves

7 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup water

In a food processor, add first 7 ingredients and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil, vinegar and water and continue to blend until you have a thick sauce. Serve within a few hours.

Garden Salad with Herbed Ranch Dressing – My New Favorite Salad!!! So Flavorful!

Tags

Cooking, Dill, Food, Green Salad, healthy, Herbs, lowfat, Ranch, recipe, salad, side dish, summer

  
I made a green salad this weekend that was so delicious, I have to share! It’s nothing complicated, but it was so fresh and flavorful that I thought others should enjoy it as well!
Our family had a friend visiting this weekend. She is a young college student and is trying to improve her cooking skills. Every time she comes for a visit, I get her in the kitchen and try and teach her a few of my tricks. This time we decided to make homemade marinara and then use that to make lasagna (look for a blog entry soon on these two things). Since lasagna can be time consuming, we thought we would keep the rest of our dinner pretty easy and just serve it with a salad and some fresh baked bread (the bread machine makes this part a breeze!).
I don’t cook with dill very often, but it really was the star of the night!!! This was an ingredient in the salad dressing, as well as the bread. Maybe I’ll include the bread recipe in another post, but I basically added dill and fresh garlic to a basic white bread recipe. It was delicious without being overpowering.

So what’s in that salad you ask???

Dressing

½ Bottle Light Ranch Dressing

¼ cup Finely Chopped Fresh Dill

½ cup Finely Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley

2 tbsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Basil

 

Salad

4 cups Baby Spinach/Baby Arugala Mix

3 diced Roma Tomatoes

1 diced Cucumber

2 oz Tri-color Tortilla Strip Salad topping

I made the salad dressing a few hours ahead and put the covered container into the fridge. This makes dinner time work easier and gives all the flavors some time to mingle. When ready to eat, toss all salad ingredients into a serving bowl and then spoon in some dressing. I think I used a little less than half of the dressing I made. I like a good amount of dressing, but you don’t want to drown your salad. Plus, you’ll have more for another salad later or you can use it as a spread on sandwiches or burgers.

Happy summer!!!