Cooking Light and Healthy Using Fresh Herbs

BY ACHS Holistic Nutrition Instructor Helen (Eleni) Delfakis, MS, RD

Spring is a great time to begin cooking light and healthy using fresh herbs. One of my favorite herbs is basil (Ocimum basilicum), which is an annual plant cultivated in temperate climates around the world.

In Greece, basil is named Basileus, Greek for 'king', is associated with romance, and has been used for aromatherapy since the third century B.C. in Greek and Roman bathhouses. In more recent times, basil has been cultivated by the cosmetic industry for fragrances, shampoos, and soaps.

For medicinal purposes, basil tea has been recommended by herbalists to cure cramps, vomiting and constipation, and its mild sedative properties make it ideal for relieving headaches and anxiety.

For culinary uses, basil is one of the most popular cooking herbs. Its mildly peppery taste and desirable fragrance makes this herb ideal for flavoring veal, poultry, fish, cheeses, and most vegetable and pasta dishes, especially when blending with olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes. The linguini with tomatoes and basil recipe included is delicious and easy, and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.

Linguini with Tomatoes and Basil
Preparation time: 15 minutes

• ½ lb linguini pasta
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup finely chopped green onion
• 1 lb ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ ounce fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper corns

Preparation Directions
Cook the pasta in two quarts of water and ½ teaspoon salt according to the time directions stated on the package. Do not overcook. While the pasta is cooking, chop the vegetables and herbs and crumble the feta cheese.

Using a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over low-medium heat and add the chopped onions and tomatoes. Sauté until slightly wilted, about one minute. Add the garlic and stir for another 15 seconds. Add the cooked and drained pasta, fresh basil, pepper and the cheese, and toss until all the ingredients are well blended. Remove from the heat.

Calories per serving: 360
Number of Servings: 4

*Note, this article originally appeared in the May 2011 edition of The Reporter ACHSeNewsletter. To have monthly health and wellness tips emailed to you, click here to subscribe to The Reporter.

*This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information has been provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. You should always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health routine.

Soup Swaps Provide Healthy, Nutritious Meals and Community Interaction

Now that fall is here and the weather has turned a bit crisp (it seemed all of a sudden here in Portland, Oregon), average salad intake seems to decline. In cooler weather, many of us crave warm comfort food. Well, there’s no reason to abandon your commitment to your daily serving of fresh veggies. Homemade, veggie-packed soups are a nutritious and flavorful solution.

The good thing about soup …. A few hours in the kitchen can yield several meals. But we know, not everyone is excited about leftovers. Not to worry. We have a solution. Plan a soup swap!

Soup swaps are a great way to ensure you and your family are eating healthy, nutritious meals without having to reinvent the wheel every day. Invite a few of your friends, family members, neighbors, or coworkers to make a batch of their favorite soup (about six individually packaged quarts). Then meet at a central location to swap. The benefits: Soup swapers get to share their favorite recipe and every one leaves with about a week’s worth of healthy, prepared meals. What could be better!

To help plan your first soup swap, check out the article “Soup swaps help stock your freezer and foster friendships” from The Oregonian.

Then, DOWNLOAD your ACHS Wellness Guide for holistic nutrition tips to help you plan your soups.

Have great recipes? POST them here! We’d love to start a soup swap cookbook everyone can share.

If you like this post, help us spread the word. Post a link to your Facebook. Digg it. Stumble it. Tweet it. And ... thanks!

Do You Have Your Beginner's Guide to Edible Herbs?

Do you have your Beginner's Guide to Edible Herbs? We now have this photo-rich, user-friendly book available through our Apothecary Shoppe college store!

The Beginner's Guide to Edible Herbs is full of beautiful full-color photographs and features 26 herbs that gardeners of all skill levels can grow and use. In addition to gardening information, the guide also includes basic medicinal information, food-pairing tips, and simple recipes for each herb.

We recommend this book to anyone who wants to build-up their green thumb and start integrating herbs into their everyday diet!

Check out the Beginner's Guide to Edible Herbs here: http://www.apothecary-shoppe.com/product_info.php?products_id=1803

Where Do I Find Information About Using Medicinal Herbs?

The Web offers a lot of information about the use of medicinal herbs and supplements, but sometimes the information conflicts and it can be hard to determine what is accurate and what is marketing. If you are thinking about incorporating herbs into your daily diet, you may want to spend some time researching.*

Herbs are attributed with many health promoting properties. How you use herbs may depend on the health benefit you are seeking: Is it general wellness or something more specific? Like pharmaceutical drugs, herbs can have several actions in the body, as well as potential contraindications, so if you plan to combine herbs--or to combine herbs with pharmaceutical medications--you will want to research the specific properties of the medicinal herbs you are interested in.*

Here are some research-based resources you can start canvassing. Remember to bring any questions you have to your primary care physician and you may even want to bring copies of your research!

> The ACHS Wellness Guide includes more than 120 pages of health and wellness tips.

> "Herbal and natural health tips for women experiencing menopause" on the ACHS website includes natural health and herbal tips and recipes for easing the menopause transition and improving overall health.

> MedlinePlus is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine from the National Institutes of Health and posts new and developing studies daily.

> The American Botanical Council regularly posts new HerbClips on their website. HerbClips are summaries and critical research reviews of articles about the research, regulation, marketing, and responsible use of medicinal plants.

> The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) offers an A-Z Index of Health Topics, including profiles of specific medicinal herbs, supplements, and CAM modalities.

> The Apothecary Shoppe College Store carries a large selection of organic, sustainably wildcrafted herbs. Most herbs include a description of their traditional uses, medicinal uses, active constituents, and many have recipes too!

This Back-to-School Season Help Prevent Seasonal Bugs Naturally

Fresh herbal teas are an easy and tasty way to support your health this back-to-school season!

Labor Day is September 6, which means school is starting soon here in Oregon. Your state may already be back at school! This back-to-school season, help prevent seasonal bugs with our revamped Immune Support Kit. Every Kit purchased by September 7, 2010, will receive a bonus supply of Airborne free*!

Fresh, homemade teas offer gentle immune support for the whole family. We've revamped our Immune Support Kit this season to include more immune supporting herbs.

Your Kit includes:

• 1 oz each of shitake mushrooms, organic ginger root, organic thyme, and organic peppermint leaf
• Suribachi-style mortar and pestle
• 40 packs of Press 'N Brew Tea Bags

As a special Labor Day back-to-school bonus, every Immune Support Kit purchased from the ACHS Apothecary Shoppe College Store will also include a free supply of Airborne, which was developed by an elementary school teacher who was sick of getting sick!

Order your Kit and shop organic herbs at www.apothecary-shoppe.com. Just enter the code LABORDAY2010 into the comments section of your cart at checkout for your free Airborne.

* Offer good through September 7, 2010, and while supplies last. May not be combined with other offers or discounts. Available in-store, online, and orders by phone. Not available retroactively. No cash refunds.

Eating for Summer: What's Fresh Now?

It's summer, which means lots of fresh fruits and veggies are in season. Whether you grow your own or go to your local farmer's market every Saturday, it's a great time to eat fresh (and can fresh so that you have yummy fruits and veggies year-round).

Canning and cooking at home are not only great ways to save money, they can also provide great family time and fun activities to share with friends. Plus, you know what you're eating! You can pick all your favorite seasonal items and herbs, and grill them or eat them raw or make delicious salads ... or, or, or however makes you feel healthy and satisfied.

But, how to know what's in season now? The Mother Earth News website has taken the guesswork out of eating for summer. Here's a summary of what's in season by category from their article "Summer Recipes: Fresh, Easy and Healthy":

Herbs: basil, borage, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, summer savory, thyme

Salad Greens: arugula, beet greens, lettuce, mizuna, radish greens, sorrel, spinach, tatsoi

Cooking Greens: bok choy, chrysanthemum greens, collard greens, kale, mustard, turnip greens, Swiss chard

Garden Veggies: artichokes, avocados, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onions, peas (field, snow and snap), peppers, potatoes, radishes, tomatillos, tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini

Sea Veggies: dulse, Irish moss, various kelps, nori (laver), sea palm, wrack

Fruits: apricots, berries (blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, mulberries, raspberries, strawberries), cherries, figs, grapes, lemons, melons, nectarines, oranges, peaches, plums

Ephemeral Garden Treats: edible flowers (the blossoms of arugula, basil, calendula, chives, cilantro, lavender, marjoram, nasturtium, oregano, roses, rosemary, sage, thyme and violets), squash blossoms

Wild Edibles: beach peas, burdock, cat brier, lamb’s quarters, purslane, red clover, wild berries, yellow dock

Animal Products: Eggs and milk from animals eating summer’s bright green grasses are highly nutritious. Summer is prime chicken season, and lamb is most tender in early summer.

Fish: bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, trout, walleye

Nuts & Seeds: almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts

Mushrooms: bearded tooth, bolete, cauliflower, chanterelle, coral fungi, fairy ring, maitake, lobster, matsutake, mousseron, oyster, porcini, puffball, shaggy mane, shiitake, sulfur shelf, wood blewit (Note: Before you go out harvesting mushrooms, get a good field guide and be sure you know what you’re doing. Learn to identify various mushroom species with absolute certainty, so that you won’t pick anything poisonous!)

Are you interested in exchanging recipes? We're collecting healthy, holistic recipes on ACHS Facebook for exchange. Get some new ideas, share some new ideas here: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=99091122240&topic=13172

Planting Your Herbs and Lemon Balm Recipes

Once you have chosen the site of your garden and planned where your herbs will go, you are ready to prepare your soil! Preparing your soil, or amending soil, often involves drainage. To improve drainage, you can add compost or gravel as needed. The type of soil in your garden will help determine what needs to be added. One thing to keep in mind: good drainage is essential!

A few additional things to keep in mind when planting your herb garden:

• Do not put fertilizer in your planting hole.
• Dig the hole as deep and twice as wide as the pot your herb came in.
• Before you place your plant in the ground, break up the root ball to help the roots spread into the surrounding soil.
• Once you fill the hole, do not mound soil around the stem of the herb, which can cause rot.
• Water the herb gently once planted, and then determine a regular watering schedule.

For specific questions about amending the soil in your area and watering schedules, contact the local Master Gardeners' group in your area. Here's a link to search from the American Horticulture Society: http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/

Now use your herbs daily! Herbs included in the daily diet have been shown to support optimal health and wellness, and improve the color, flavor, and variety of dishes! Lemon balm, for example, has a somewhat sweet, honeylike, citrus flavor that can easily be added to a tea blend. Its lemon-like scent also makes a good addition to fruit salads, deserts (like sorbet), and as a flavoring for grains. Traditionally, lemon balm has been used as a digestive aid and is very easy to incorporate into the diet. It's fresh, young leaves can even be added to a salad raw!

Don't have a full-sized garden? No problem. Check out "Growing Herbs in Pots" for great tips from ACHS SVP and Master Gardener Erika Yigzaw.