subject: Healthy Recipes – Create More Healthy Recipes with Herbs and Spices [print this page] Healthy Recipes Create More Healthy Recipes with Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices are key ingredients in the creation of healthy recipes that you and your family will want to continue eating time and time again. Whether you are using fresh or dried ingredients, just a dash of cumin, turmeric, black pepper, lemon juice, and garlic powder can make an otherwise bland vegetarian stir fry dish the most popular and requested meal at your house. Kids who don't normally like to eat vegetables can learn to like them prepared in a variety of ways with herbs and spices. When you prepare food, it's not just the herbs and spices you add that affect the quality of the dish. You also need to consider how you cook the dish. For example, it is healthier to steam broccoli than to boil or microwave the nutrients right out of it.
Adding herbs and spices to your food not only compliments healthy recipes but it also makes them taste good. Consider tofu for instance. Tofu by itself is considered quite healthy. You can explain that tofu is very healthy to people but without herbs and spices in a recipe using tofu, many people won't eat it. The consistency of the tofu also matters a great deal as to how it is prepared and how people like to consume it. You can blend tofu to make delicious healthy smoothies, or you can stir fry firm tofu with lemon grass, pepper, cumin, turmeric and other spices and herbs. Tofu will essentially mirror the taste of the ingredients you combine with it.
Creating healthy recipes with herbs and spices does not have to be expensive. Even college students can spice up their ramen cheaply with herbs and spices. These ingredients can be purchased fresh or bought in bottles, canisters, and even in infused oil or vinegar packages. You or your college student may enjoy growing your own herbs and spices in the window by you sink. Basil, chives, and mint are popular herbs grown at home. It's a special, healthy treat when you can grab a few basil leaves from your own garden to add to a homemade spaghetti sauce.
When creating healthy recipes with herbs and spices, keep in mind that these elements do have a shelf life. Try to get your herbs and spices from a shop that specializes in the ingredients or from a grocery store that provides a frequently fresh supply. Generally, ground and powdered herbs and spices should be replaced every six months to a year.
