Tag Archives: herbs

From the Kitchen, Quick & Easy Recipes, Salads

Feta Mozzarella Caprese Salad

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I wanted this caprese salad to be the kind where one gets a surprise with the first bite and maybe even the second bite – like a surprise in the palate. When I made this feta/mozzarella combination in a caprese salad I was thinking that Feta with its briny tangy fresh flavor would make the perfect accompaniment to the milder fresh mozzarella cheese. The caprese is unexpected in that you don’t know what you are getting when you take a piece – since both fresh feta and fresh mozzarella are the same color and look similar, its hard to tell them apart creating an unexpected flavor surprise when eaten.  Continue reading Feta Mozzarella Caprese Salad →

Dairy free recipes, From the Kitchen, Quick & Easy Recipes

Fresh Herbs Herbal Tea

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Fresh herbs herbal tea is a refreshing drink that has no caffeine, no sugar, all the goodness of herbs, plus antioxidants to boot. My sister Banu makes a delicious herbal tea from freshly picked herbs from her garden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and keeps a bottle of it ready to drink in the refrigerator all summer long.  Continue reading Fresh Herbs Herbal Tea →

From the Kitchen, Gardening, Stories From Our Home

Mint. The Social Butterfly of the Garden

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Mint, you get a bad rap so often. You take over like a weed many gardeners say. Your fragrance and flavor is very strong, so use it lightly chefs recommend. But to me, you are the social butterfly of the garden.

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At any good party we need at least one social butterfly that livens up the gathering with their talkative, amicable, and fun presence.  These personalities mingle easily with everyone and make people feel warm and special. That’s what you are mint, a social butterfly in the garden. Continue reading Mint. The Social Butterfly of the Garden →

Dairy free recipes, From the Kitchen, Quick & Easy Recipes

Moroccan Mint Tea

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Moroccan mint tea is a refreshing green tea drink infused with fresh mint leaves that is  served in countries like Morocco, Tunisia, and a few Arab states as well. Moroccan mint tea is typically served with brown sugar lumps or white sugar lumps, but rarely is it had with milk. For a long time I tried very hard to drink Moroccan mint tea without the sweeteners purely to avoid sugars, but then one day my friend Radhika who grew up in Morocco told me that in Morocco mint tea is served so sweetened that flies would hover around the tea trays! I asked her “You mean it is supposed to have sugar and plenty of it?”😋😋  I was so thrilled to hear this little tid bit! I love anything sweet (sugary anything is my Achilles heel)!  Sweetened or unsweetened, Moroccan mint tea is a refreshingly delicious drink any way you have it. Continue reading Moroccan Mint Tea →

Dairy free recipes, From the Kitchen, Sunday Soups

Spring Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Picked Herbs

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Spring Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Picked Herbs

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium cauliflower heads – florets chopped and set aside. About 10-12 cups
  • 6 garlic cloves finely cut
  • 1 large bell pepper cut into small pieces
  • 1 potato peeled and cut into small pieces
  • Fresh picked herbs such as thyme, basil, mint, rosemary, chives, and sage. About 4-6 tbsp finely chopped
  • 5 cups vegetable broth
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup milk (optional)
  • 4 tbsp cream cheese or goat cheese (optional)
  • Sprinkle of paprika for garnish

Continue reading Spring Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Picked Herbs →

From the Kitchen, Sunday Soups

Potato Leek Bisque

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The inspiration for this soup was Barefoot Contessa’s Ina Garten’s French Mussel Bisque. Her soup had plenty of steamed mussels, leeks, and carrots in a creamy herbed broth with saffron. The soup looked so delicious that I was racking my brains trying to figure out a way to make it without the mussels. The vegetable that came to mind is potatoes.  I followed Ina’s instructions with my own selection of vegetables and cut down on the amount of butter, half and half, and cream. When the kids had this soup my eldest Sri said it tasted like clam chowder.  She asked me if this was a vegetarian clam chowder?  I’ve always looked enviously at clam chowder but I’ve never tried it. Now I know what chowder tastes like 😀. Continue reading Potato Leek Bisque →

From the Kitchen, Sunday Soups

White Bean Soup with Mixed Vegetables & Caramelized Onions

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This is a filling soup chock full of mixed vegetables and white beans also known as lima beans. The extra kick of flavor comes from caramelized onions. Frying the onions and then adding them after the soup is cooked gives the onions a chance to keep their caramelized flavor more pronounced. Continue reading White Bean Soup with Mixed Vegetables & Caramelized Onions →