Indoor Herb Garden

Here is my recent summer project! We actually got fruit from our garden this year and I have loved cooking with fresh herbs & vegetables this summer. I started to get sad thinking about the winter and my endless supply of basil and cilantro coming to an end. Every winter I spend so much money on organic fresh herbs that are in the worst condition. Usually they are wilted and brown by the time I actually cook with them. I decided to create my own indoor organic herb garden. I think it looks pretty too. Its been fun teaching the kids about the herbs and having them retrieve them for me while the mid-afternoon cooking madness is occurring.

A really simple recipe I have been doing is taking a handful of herbs, olive oil, onion, a garlic clove and salt and throwing all of it in a mini food processor. It has made wonderful marinades/rubs for chicken, fish, pasta, potatoes, etc.

Here are some good combos used with the ingredients above. I also like to squeeze fresh lemon or lime depending on the food. You really can't go wrong with these yummy ingredients.:

Fish: Dill
Chicken: Rosemary & Parsley
Pasta, Pizza and Sandwiches: Basil
Dipping sauce for bread: Mint and Basil
Soups: Parsley & Thyme


"Herbs and spices have more disease-fighting antioxidants than most fruits and vegetables. Here's how to rack up the benefits."

Here are a few examples:

Rosemary

Health Boost: Stops gene mutations that could lead to cancer and may help prevent damage to the blood vessels that raise heart attack risk.

Get Cooking: For a delicious chicken rub, combine 2 teaspoons rosemary leaves with 2 teaspoons seasoning salt and 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves.

Oregano

Health Boost: A USDA study found that, gram for gram, oregano has the highest antioxidant activity of 27 fresh culinary herbs.

Get Cooking: To spice up tomato soup, add 3/4 teaspoon oregano to 1 can; add 1/2 teaspoon to 2 cups pasta or pizza sauce. Substitute 1 teaspoon dried oregano for 2 teaspoons fresh.