Asian herb salad ideal for christmas lunches



With a wonderfully wild freshness due to the overuse of
delicate herbs, this is a definite Clara favourite.

Hi there lovers of Asian Salad
Asian herb salad got the tick with key players at the birthday party so I am going to repeat it for Christmas Day.  It went perfectly with the first course of BBQ chicken skewers served Asian style. See link below
The wonderfully wild freshness is achieved by massive overuse of delicate herbs along with an Asian dressing.
Clara

Ingredients
250g / 8 oz rocket (arugula) leaves - (trimmed of excess stems (substitute any peppery lettuce)
125g / 4oz each of mint, basil, cilentro leaves (leaves picked from stems, washed and spun dry)
30g / 1 oz chervil if available
2/3 cup canned bamboo shoots - (preferably already cut into matchstick)
Dressing
2 shallots, peeled, halved, and finely sliced
l tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
l tsp sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
sea salt and pepper

For the dressing, mix the shallots, rice vinegar, and sugar together in
a small bowl and set aside.
Trim any excess stems from the arugula, and pick the herb leaves from
their stems. Rinse and spin dry the arugula and herbs. Cut the bamboo
shoots into matchsticks.
To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, sesame oil, mirin, sea salt, and
pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the shallot mixture, then taste
and adjust the flavors.
Very lightly toss the arugula, bamboo shoots, and herbs in the dressing,
and serve, with chopsticks.

Link for chicken skewers belowhttp://fitinyourjeanscuisine.blogspot.com/2010/10/skewers-capture-finger-food.html

Passionate about leafy greens and herbs

Hi R

Yes - Leafy greens again!!  From the garden

Blogger Queen is back!!!! - and so are my beloved green leaves.  I'm wondering if you are eating enough of them - they help everything else so must be good for insomnia.  The secret though is to get them as fresh as possible when you can virtually see the vitamins jumping out.  Obviously, the best way to eat greens is uncooked, fresh from the garden, with spinach or rocket being my favourites because of their versatility. They can be stir fried in a little olive oil, wilted by steaming for a very short time, but I love them when added to cooked vegetables, at the last minute for extra colour and super nutrition.
 
Christmas in Australia is salad oriented since it is mid summer, but we eat salad all year, sometimes adding the leaves to warm roasted vegetables and drizzling with a  dressing.   

We enjoy flat-leafed parsley, known for it's excellent flavour, spinach (perpetual leaf, easy to grow with continuous cropping), some shallots for salads which harvest in 8-12 weeks, to join the  rocket which can be sown all year round - love the peppery flavour added to roasted veges, and wilted rocket is divine. Our basil crop is doing well as is the lemon-scented thyme, lemon grass, Vietnamese mint, as well as ordinary mint - this part of the land has a few hazards re survival of the species - insects, possums (protected).

Because our little plot doesn't get quite enough sun, this year I have added some large pots of herbs in a sunny spot.  Even though the yield isn't huge, I adore being able to pick a few leafy greens every day, knowing that they are such a powerhouse re antiageing qualities. 

Clara 

Leafy Green Info
It was common for our ancient ancestors to eat up to six pounds of leaves per day, ie a grocery bag full of greens each and every day? Calorie for calorie, they are perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, can help prevent age-related cognitive decline and may also reduce your risk of skin cancer among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
Almost Carb-Free, with the carbs that are there packed in layers of fibre, which make them very slow to digest.

Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important functions.
Vitamin K
•Regulates blood clotting
•Helps protect bones from osteoporosis
•May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis.
Fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil.
Quick-cooking Greens
These greens can either be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Six cups of raw greens become approximately one cup of cooked greens and take only a few minutes to cook. Spinach, Chard, Rocket, Beet Greens, Dandelion greens, Sorrel and Cabbage belong in this category.
Greens should be dry or almost dry, after washing; store in a bag with as much of the air pushed out as you easily can. I like to put a barely damp paper towel in for just the right amount of moisture. Then, put them in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.

Bloom where you are planted

Taking thyme to plant herbs is time well spent


<><><><><> 

Sage is an attractive useful herb


Hi R
I loved your blog re the end of summer  -  changing of the seasons is a truly glorious time. We are coming out of our relatively mild winter compared to yours but we actually do it tough since we ignore the short sharp cold months and heat inadequately. I adore the warm soft sun during these magical days before the heat. Today was a glorious day which had to be spent pottering in the garden. 

My garden is quite Tuscan with rosemary now growing well and flowering; thyme as a ground cover, sage growing wild and lavender of course. Most flowers seem to be of lavender hue and this year I have let the violets grow wild, creating a significant ground cover. 

 Potted geraniums and pergonias flower constantly, gardenias struggle for some reason even though neighbours plants produce beautiful blooms. Reminds me of a saying that a friend and I had – “Bloom where you are planted,” we would quote then break into song on the way to The Rowers, where they had a band every Sunday evening. A well deserved break from the relentlessness of single parenting, dancing and socialising until the wee small hours of 9pm when we turned into pumpkins.

There is a growing community awareness here re the value of growing your own herbs and vegetables, with community gardens springing up on nature strips. In Italy, it is a very serious business to have a strip of land in a community garden and the family lives off the yield. Not quite sure if we have the same commitment yet, since when walking the neighbourhood, a few attempts seem to have ended with what looks like abandonment as weeds take over. One wonders whether the enthusiasm died or whether a few were expected to do the work of many – hopefully with spring in the air they will be revisited.
Clara of green fingers

<>   <> <> 

Parsley Salsa Verde with olive oil provides health and taste to pasta

Hi R & R and other lovers of pasta
A great dish with heaps of health giving parsley.

Pasta with Salsa Verde

 Loaded with flavour and nutrition, this is a sensationally, simple way to serve your favourite short pasta. Great as an accompaniment or stirfry 24 green prawns in a little oil for 1 to 2 mins and add to pasta for a main course to serve 4.
One of my pet hates is soggy pasta - I would rather it be a little chewy (never crunchy).  Cooking pasta in Italy, is the subject of many a heated discussion and the ultimate test of culinary skill.

I would not dare to tell you how to cook it - except that the water needs to be boiling energetically before you plunge the pasta, and to drain immediately it is cooked.
Clara
 For Salsa Verde, pulse to a smooth paste:-
1 1/2 cups (1 average bunch) flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 to 2 tbsp capers
2 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or more up to 1/2 cup (I prefer to serve olive oil on the
table for individual choice - see note)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1tsp Dijon mustand
Salt & Cracked Pepper


Cook 400g / 12oz short pasta in boiling salted water until al dente then drain (reserve 4 tbsp cooking water). Toss pasta with Salsa Verde (adding a little reserved water if needed.
NB - The Mediterranean-style diet, recognised by experts as a healthy way to eat, particularly as we age, with a heavy focus on vegetables, fruits, fish, legumes, whole grain and of course olive oil. High in mono-unsaturated fats, olive oil has been linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease risk and cholesterol.


In the United States, producers of olive oil may place the following health claim on product labels:

Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tbsp of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.

Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
 http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Amazing health benefits of parsley underrated



Curly parsley often used as a garnish  - far too nutritious
to be limited to that





Flat-leaf / Italian / Continental parsley
known for it's stronger flavour

I have grown parley successfully in our small plot, and what's more, from seed. It likes rich, well dug soil and a sunny position (it grows in part sun in our plot). What I like about it that it keeps on growing, actually being a biennial and is always ready to be harvested to be used in salads, savoury dishes such as pasta and as a garnish. I read that in USA it is most often used as a garnish, but it is far too good for just that! Keep reading and eat more parsley.

Clara
petroselinum crispum
Parsley is one of the most important herbs for providing vitamins to the body. It's like an immune-enhancing multi-vitamin and mineral complex in green plant form.
With more vitamin C than any other vegetable - three times as much as oranges and about the same as blackcurrants, twice as much iron as spinach, rich in Vitamin A it also contains folate, potassium, calcium and flavonoids that act as antioxidants.


Raw parsley cleanses the blood, maintains elasticity of blood vessels, and is said to benefit the sexual system. Chewing parsley prevents bad breath!

History
The English introduced it to the world after getting it from the Romans who got it from the Ancient Greeks who thought that Hercules used a garland of parsley so they would crown the winners of games and war with garlands of parsley in honor of the great feats of Hercules. Greek soldiers fed parsley to their horses so they would run better.

Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Small herb plot yields antiageing greens

Hi R and other lovers of leafy greens

Today was a beautiful day in Mosman following serious serial rain - Spring / Autumn to me are the ultimate seasons where the humidity is low, the breeze can be cool but the sun on one's back as you view the clear horizon, is divine.  But we are missing out on this; and soon it will be hot and humid. You have the opposite as I see some white precipitation in your photos.

As you know I am passionate about leafy greens and herbs, so today G and I sowed some seeds - flat leafed parsley, known for it's excellent flavour, spinach (perpetual leaf, easy to grow with continuous cropping - according to the packet), some shallots for salads which harvest in 8-12 weeks, to join the existing rocket which can be sown all year round - love the peppery flavour added to roasted veges, and wilted rocket is divine. Our basil crop is doing well - this part of the land has a few hazards re survival of the species - insects, possums (protected).

It was  a good day, as G & I worked our little plot which doesn't have quite enough sun and even though the yield isn't huge, I adore being able to pick a few leafy greens, knowing that they are such a powerhouse re antiageing qualities.

Clara
Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
 http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Tasty Prawns Starters use Coriander/mint/basil/rocket – one or the lot

Prawns with Asian Seafood Dressing and Fresh Herbs
Serves 6 as a starter

Clara's chorus - Coriander/mint/basil/rocket – one the lot at last minute as well as during.  Herbs can go in the dressing, or be part of a bed to serve.  Leafy greens are the little black dress of cuisine.


Stir fry or BBQ about 24 medium sized prawns (with a little olive oil and sesame oil) until they change colour – about 2 minutes. Serve with dressing – you can pour this on after they are cooked before serving.

Dressing

1teasp sesame oil
1teasp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
½ teasp brown sugar
1 tblsp toasted sesame seeds (opt)


 
BBQ'd Prawns and Calamari with Chilli Lemon dressing 

Serves 6 as a starter


6 medium calamari tubes, cleaned, cut in half lengthwise, open out flat with the inner side facing upward. Score the flesh in a crisscross pattern.
12 medium green prawns, peeled and deveined (tails intact)Rocket - to serve as a bed
Lemon Chilli Dressing
Combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 teasp zest with 1/3  cup olive oil, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 large red chillies, seeded and finely chopped, 1 teasp sugar, sea salt.   Marinate prawns and calamari in 1/3 dressing in refrigerator (1-2 hrs).  

Clara's Chorus - Coriander/mint/basil/rocket – one or the lot at the last minute, as well as during.


Char grill over high heat in batches until cooked. Toss rocket with a little dressing, place on plates - top with seafood and extra dressing.   


Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
 http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Thyme for a Chaing

Thyme for a Chaing...July 12th


Today was thyme for a chaing. I added a collection of chains to my grandfather's watch. The thymes they are a chainging.
Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Clara - How long have chaings been around? Forever - and still going strong.



Love the way we can add, as you have shown - and can build up our own collection.



Today says that we can combine old with new and wear them all together.





Cheers Clara





Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au