COOKING SPICES - DILL SEED - Uses for Dill Seeds

Whole Dill Seeds

Dill Seed is a great source of flavor for many dishes.

It comes in a variety of forms and sometimes people do not know what portion or type of Dill Seed they should  use in different dishes.

Start using this great Herb and kick up your dishes right away.

Here is a good generic list of dishes for you to use as a reference for experimenting with Dill Seed.

BALSAMIC MARINADE - RECIPE

I always like to try new marinades for my meats.  

 Just the variety of using different marinades can make a big difference in the flavor and enjoyment of meats, especially Chicken and Pork.   

The flavor of both of these meats can be really influenced by taking the time to make simple and flavorful marinades, and this one is one of my favorites.

INGREDIENTS:

2              tbs.        Balsamic Vinegar

3              tbs.        Red Wine Vinegar

3              tbs.        Yellow Mustard

½             tsp.        Tarragon, dried

1              tsp.        parsley, dried or fresh and minced

1              tsp.        Rosemary, dried or fresh and minced

1              tsp.        Artificial Sweetener

1              tsp.        Salt

1/2         tsp.        Pepper, rough grind

1/4         cup         EVOO

DIRECTIONS:

1.       In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

2.       Add all of the other ingredients to the mixture  except for the EVOO, and blend together well.

3.       Add the EVOO, and blend together well.

4.       Place the mixture into a large (1-gallon) sealable plastic bag.

5.       Prepare your meat for marinating;  cut, trim fat, etc.

6.       Add the prepared meat to the marinade in the bag, seal, and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least two hours.

7.       Take the bag out occasionally and move the meat around in the marinade then replace in the fridge.

8.       When ready, cook the meat using the marinade over the meat while cooking for that extra flavor.

NUTRITIONAL Information:

The following is a list of the nutritional content of the marinade itself, and if you ate it all, yourself, this would be the breakdown of what you ate. 

Obviously, using this as a marinade, and even if you cook the meat and baste it with the remaining marinade you will only consume a fraction of the total. 

So add this information to your daily consumption as some fraction of the total. I, personally, usually only consider that I am getting less than 20% of the totals. Make your own decision.

Calories-                550

Total Fat-              57.5 g

Sat. Fat-               8.2 g

Cholesterol-          0 mg

Sodium-               2669 mg

Carbohydrates-    9.7 g

Fiber-                  2 g

Sugars-                0.3 g

Protein-               1.8 g

TURMERIC - Food Facts - Use in these dishes

We had dinner the other night with my Brother and Sister-in-Law. During that time, when we were discussing growing our own herbs, out of the Blue, she asked if we used Turmeric when we cooked. 

At first, I had to stop and think, and ended up responding with: "Yeah ....But not often!"

She laughed and the conversation moved on, so I went to my book, Food Facts, and reviewed what I had written there, as I really hadn't used it often or even recently.

There, I saw that I had obviously researched this herb before, and here is an excerpt from my book, Virginia, of which, by the way, you have a copy (sic)!

Turmeric is a root of the ginger family that has a mild, earthy and slightly bitter flavor. It is used, with mustard, as a flavoring for meats salads and dressings.

It is also used as a flavoring and coloring in some prepared mustards, and is a main ingredient in many Curry recipes.

Some of the foods it goes well in are;

Casseroles-....................use in Curried, Macaroni. Noodle and Rice dishes, and sometimes is used in place of Saffron.

Fish-...............................use in creamed seafood dishes such as Lobster, Salmon and Shrimp.

Meats and Poultry-......use 1/4 –tsp per preparation of; Broiled Chicken, and curried Beef and Lamb.

Preserves & Pickles-....use in Chow Chow, Chutney and Relishes.

Sauces & Gravies-........add to Bordelaise, Creole and Barbecue Sauces

Salads & Dressings-....use1/2-tsp per cup in Mayonnaise, French Dressings, or ¼ tsp just for color

Soups-...........................use a dash in creamed soups and chowders

Vegetables-...................use a dash on creamed potatoes

SAGE - Other Uses

Sage is another great flavorful Herb, also of the Mint family, that, aside from cooking, has other applications, such as;

• Bacteria fighter- Sage works great to help eliminate bacteria.
• Breath Freshener- Because of it's bacteria fighting properties, it is a good Breath Freshener.
• Sore Throat Pain- Mixed with Echinacea, it can be as effective as Lidocaine in reliving sore throat.

Sage Mouthwash- Mix 1-tbs Sage leaves with 1-cup hot water. After about 5-minutes, strain the mixture, and gargle with the liquid.