Sunday, January 26, 2014

Let's Talk "Fresh" Herbs

I love cooking with fresh herbs, but without an herb garden in my backyard, I feel like the herbs often cost more than the meal. That frustrates me! Here are some creative solutions I have found:

Have you seen these 5 blade scissors for cutting fresh herbs? They are inexpensive on Amazon and you'll find that when you do buy fresh herbs, you'll use up every little piece because they cut so easily. Plus, you won't dread dealing with herbs since the scissors are so fun and easy! I chopped up cilantro fresh from my cool shower cap storage for tortilla soup in less than 1 minute. 


When I talked about herbs with some of my friends in MOPS, another Mom mentioned these frozen herbs. They are in what looks like ice cube trays and you can pop them out into your dish and they will melt and incorporate into the meal. Plus, they are only a couple of dollars and last forever. For my local friends, I've seen them at HEB at 1431/Parmer and at 620 and Anderson Mill. They have lots of different herbs to select from.


I have fallen in love with this orzo recipe and make it often using this basil paste instead of fresh basil. It is found in the produce section and it basically finely chopped basil in olive oil. It works great and lasts forever! I've made the orzo 4 times and still haven't used all the paste up. 


Do the cost of fresh herbs frustrate you too? Hopefully these can be found in your store and help you, too!