Contributed by Chef Souk

Let me extol the virtues of using herbs to cook!

Everyone is looking for the holy grail of cooking, how to add flavor without adding fat and calories. Butter is wonderful but watch out. Olive Oil may be the good fat but it comes at several grams a teaspoon. And don’t get me started on sugar. We all want to eat healthy but we’re programmed to think healthy food is boring. Can anything compare to the flavor of a twinkie deep fried in butter, rolled in powdered sugar, and drizzled with chocolate sauce? Yes. Easy answer, herbs.

Fresh herbs are the best source for flavor. Dried herbs provide flavor as well, but today we’re going to focus on fresh. Why? Because they’re easy to get at any grocery store and even easier to grow. They can also make your kitchen smell heavenly. There are some classic combinations you’ve probably seen in restaurants or recipes; rosemary and garlic, thyme and lemon, basil and pretty much anything you could want. Certain flavors go extremely well together and if you’ve ever had a Caprese Salad you know that a lot of flavor comes at very little caloric cost (a Caprese Salad is very simply slices of tomato, mozzerella cheese, and basil drizzled with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper).

During the summer months fresh herbs can be found reasonably priced at grocery stores and especially at farmers markets. When the weather turns cold however prices can go up. This is when you can grow herbs indoors and still enjoy the flavor without the price. Check out the the Gardening with Nona articles to help you grow your own herb garden-you’ll be glad you did! 

So when you’re running short on time but longing for something that tastes as if it’s been cooked for hours, grab your recipe book and your clippers and head to your herb garden. Have some fun trying classic combinations and then coming up with your own twist on things. Once you’ve tasted a few herb-centric dishes you’ll forget all about that deep fried twinkie.

NOTE: The opinions expressed by the bloggers on Mama LeDish are theirs alone and do not represent the opinions of Fifi Delish Holding or its subsidiaries, affiliates, sponsors. We do not claim to be experts who have all the answers, we’re just sorting through these issues just like everyone else.  Fifi Delish Holding and its subsidiaries are not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the bloggers or the content we share from the web.