Weekend Herb Blogging #215 Recap

We're slowly getting back into the swing of things and this weeks recap presents a bit of an insight on how we're all progressing. There's comfort food, sweet but healthy treats, marmalade and chutney, celebratory dishes - dishes to warm up us and to cool us down. As always there's something new and unusual so I hope you enjoy this presentation.

The entries have been listed in order of main ingredient.

Apple
Gluten-free Apple and Rice Bran Muffins
Katie from Eat this

Not only do these look good, they are good for you. Katie's adapted the recipe to make them gluten free and inside these muffins you'll find chunks of apple and dates, rice bran, gluten-free rolled oats, flax meal, cinnamon and walnuts.


Arrowroot
Arrowroot Chips with Chinese Sausage
Huan from Eat.Live.Recipes

I've never really thought about just what arrowroot is - I just think of it as the fine white powder called Arrowroot but thanks to Huan I now know that it is a root vegetable that looks like a white water chestnut and that it is considered to bring good luck and prosperity. To help celebrate the coming Lunar New Year, Huan makes these festive Arrowroot Chips.


Banana
Frozen Banana, Coconut, Rum and Raisin Icecream


With it nudging 43°C/110°F keeping cool is essential. An easy way to cool down using frozen fruit - make your own fake ice cream!


Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Tarragon
Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs)

Graziana loves Brussels sprouts so much she's growing her own and I can't wait for Brussels sprout season so I can try this dish. Graziana first makes a white sauce using milk, cream and egg and flavours it with tarragon and parmesan - she then pours it over the halved sprouts and bakes until golden.


Cauliflower
Caulifower Rice with Fried Onions and Sumac
Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen

We can always rely on Kalyn to showcase her tasty South Beach friendly dishes and this one is also suitable for those on Phase One. The cauliflower is processed until it's about rice grain sized and then added to sautéed onions where it's then cooked until golden. Finish with a dusting of sumac and you've got a great alternative to grains and can be served with stir-fries, stews and curry.


Curry Leaf
Dhokla with Coconut Chutney and Tarkar
Elizabeth from Blog from Our Kitchen

Inspired by a recent article in Saveur magazine on Gujarati cuisine, Elizabeth and T set out to make Dhokla - a steamed cake made with a fermented batter of dal, rice and yoghurt. Before steaming, ginger and chillies are added to the mix. Once cooked, it's sliced and then tossed gently through tarkar - a blend of mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin and chillies.


Dried Apricots
Dried Apricot Chutney
Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook

Susan delivers a tale of contemplation appropriate at this time of the year. Though the organic dried Turkish apricots promised much but failed ultimately where it matters with taste, they are reborn into a delightful apricot chutney - flavoured with ginger, onion, garlic, hot chillies, cardamom, nigella, black mustard and cumin seeds. Sweet, hot, syrupy, spicy and vinegary, it's all here.


Kumquat
Kumquat Marmalade
Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen

Everyones probably got bottles of the fizzy stuff left over from New Years and if drinking isn't really on your mind then consider using it for this brilliant Kumquat Marmalade. The Kumquats are simmered in a mix of champagne, honey, cinnamon stick and cardamom to produce a spiced and sticky concoction.

Lemon
Lemon Ricotta Muffins
Saveur from Taste Space

Another healthy option to satisfy those cravings, this time flavoured with lemon zest. These muffins also use ricotta to help give them a lighter texture. They look so pretty I could just reach in and take one..or two.


Lettuce Stems
Lettuce stems, Celtuce, Asparagus Lettuce
Tigerfish from Teczcape - An Escape to Food

Lettuce Stem is also known as Celtuce or Asparagus Lettuce and both the stem and leaves are edible. A nutritious green that I've not seen before but thanks to Tigerfish I'll be keeping an eye out for it.


Onion
Warm salad of Onion, Fennel and Apple
Cinzia from Cindystar
If you don't really like the taste of raw onion in a salad, then you'll enjoy this method that Cinzia uses. She first cooks the sliced onion in a little butter and oil and then adds sliced fennel and apple. The vinegar dressing is then tipped in until it evaporates. This can be served as an accompaniment or on crostini as a quick appetiser.


Pumpkin
Supper Casserole with Pumpkin and Green Chili Cornbread Topping
Joanne from Eats Well With Others

There's a double dose of pumpkin in this nutritious casserole - in the base you'll find a mix of turkey, tomatoes, corn, black beans, salsa verde and pumpkin - on top a mix of pumpkin, salsa verde, cornmeal and chilli. It should be renamed Super Supper Casserole.



Pumpkin
Pumpkin and Chocolate Cake
Brii from Briiblog

There's always a great story and a great view of Lake Garda when you visit with Brii and this week she shares a recipe from one of her internet friends. I'm intrigued by the combination of pureed pumpkin and chocolate in this cake so I can see this appearing soon in my oven.


If I've left anyone out or there are incorrect details I will blame it on the heat but just get in touch and I'll fix it right up.




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