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Nutrition Advice / Nutrient Dense Foods / Cooking with Herbs: Boost Flavor and Health

Cooking with Herbs: Boost Flavor and Health

Dairy FreeGluten FreeVeganVegetarianBy Ivy Larson  Published: 04/17/2020  Updated: 02/06/2021
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If you start cooking with herbs regularly you will not only boost flavor, you’ll also boost nutrition. I love cooking with fresh herbs and always keep a fresh pot on my kitchen counter and several more outside on our grill.

I’ll also be sharing my three favorite herb recipes: Mixed Herb Dressing that’s loaded with basil and chives. Salsa Verde Recipe with 4 herbs and a boost of garlic. Plus a delicious Pineapple Smoothie made with cilantro and parsley.

cooking with herbs
Grab a pot of basil at the grocery and keep watering it to enjoy several weeks with this fragrant herb.

Historically, herbs have been used for adding flavor to foods. However, research now proves that herbs pack a powerful nutrient-punch that can slow aging, lower inflammation, assist with detoxification and improve health.

Read more about the tremendous health-boosting benefits of phytonutrient-rich herbs.

Cooking With Herbs

Unfortunately, many chefs will insist that a good cook uses herbs the way a painter uses color. They take the “less is often more” approach. Generally, I find myself veering off from this traditional cooking model. I actually use herbs, both fresh and dried, rather liberally in my Clean Cuisine recipes.

Cooking with Fresh or Dried Herbs

Fresh herbs carry the purest flavors, with all their aromatic essential oils intact. Dried herbs are also totally fine to use too. But, you do want to make sure you clean out your dried herb spice rack at least once a year since neither herbs nor spices last forever. NOTE: Green herbs should not be brown and dried herbs should have a scent!

How Much Fresh Herbs to Replace Dried Herbs?

Here is a quick rule of thumb when cooking with herbs. If a recipe says you need 1 teaspoon of dried herbs and you want to use fresh then all you have to do is triple the amount and use the ratio 1:3.

Therefore, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried. Here is an Herb Roasted Farro Salad Recipe that uses three whole cups of fresh herbs.

Favorite Recipes with Fresh Herbs

If you are creative you can find so many different ways to weave herbs into your clean eating recipes. Here are just a few ideas to whet your appetite and get you excited about cooking with herbs.

Salad Dressings with Fresh Herbs:

I almost always have an herb-infused jar of some sort of sensational dressing in my fridge at all times to jazz up my daily salad. You can search online for a wide number of herb-based dressings but here is one I particularly like…

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Herb Dressing Recipe

herb dressing recipe
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Herb Dressing recipe is incredibly flavorful and packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients. Use this herb dressing on salads, grilled fish or chicken or drizzled on top of a vegetable side dish.

  • Author: Ivy Larson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
  • Category: Salad Dressing
  • Method: Whisk
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon chervil, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon mint, finely chopped
  • ½ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, such as Kirkland’s
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Unrefined sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Beat the chopped herbs into the olive oil.
  2. Beat in the vinegar and mustard. Season to taste, then add the garlic. Store in the fridge in a covered container for 3 days

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Make a Large Salad with Herbs

Every single day I eat a large fresh salad and almost always add at least ½ cup of chopped herbs. I usually choose basil, parsley or cilantro depending on the flavors of the salad I might also use mint or chives too.

Starting a little herb garden is easy. Just remember, if you’re adding 1/2 a cup a day to your recipes, you may want to consider a larger garden (wink).

Sage is such a perfect herb. It’s wonderful paired with ground turkey recipes and a little bit of fennel bulb.

Add Fresh Herbs to Rice Casseroles and Homemade Pilafs

Finely chopped herbs find their way into just about every rice, bean, corn, whole grain salad and pilaf recipe of mine too. The secret to using herbs with these dishes is to make sure they are chopped ultra-fine. I like to use my mini food processor to do this job.

If you’ve not tried our Rosemary and Spinach Rice Casserole, you must give it a try. Feel free to add in more fresh herbs. Cooking with herbs really is quite easy.

Salsas and Toppings with Fresh Herbs

Herbs are perfect for forming the flavor base of salsas and toppings for fish, chicken or grilled meats. The salsa verde recipe below is on of my favorite standbys….

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Classic Batter Bowl

100% Ceramic Stock Pot

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100% Ceramic Muffin Pan

medium scoop

Medium Scoop

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Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil

Organic Almond Flour

Organic Hemp Hearts

Organic Coconut Sugar

Organic Pitted Dates

Print

Salsa Verde Recipe

salsa verde recipe
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Salsa Verde Recipe is loaded with fresh herbs. It’s the perfect healthy condiment for grilled chicken, shrimp or meat. You can also add this Salsa Verde recipe to a chopped salad.

  • Author: Ivy Larson
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup 1x
  • Category: Condiment
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup parsley leaves
  • 1/3 cup cilantro
  • 1/3 cup mint
  • 1/3 cup basil
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 7 green olives, pitted
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
  • 2 anchovy filets, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ½ cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, such as Kirkland’s
  • Unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Put all the ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
  2. Gradually blend in the oil to form a sauce, then add the salt and pepper to taste.

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Don’t Forget About Adding Herbs to Smoothies

Believe it or not, I also use herbs, mostly basil, cilantro, parsley and mint, in my daily green fruit smoothies too.

Here’s one of my favorite green fruity smoothie recipes…

Kitchen Favorites

stone bar pan

Healthy Stone Baking Pan

ceramic cookware

100% Ceramic Skillet with Lid

high speed blender luvele vibe

High Speed Blender with Stainless Steel

Handheld Stick Blender

Classic Batter Bowl

Classic Batter Bowl

100% Ceramic Stock Pot

8 Cup Food Processor

Ultra Power Hand Mixer

Ceramic Mixing Bowls

100% Ceramic Muffin Pan

medium scoop

Medium Scoop

KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

Stainless Steel Mesh Collander

Cast Iron Cookware

Gluten Free Flour

Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil

Organic Almond Flour

Organic Hemp Hearts

Organic Coconut Sugar

Organic Pitted Dates

Print

Pineapple-Cilantro Smoothie

Print Recipe

This Pineapple Cilantro Smoothie is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!

  • Author: Ivy Larson
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Category: Smoothie
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups ice cold water
  • 1 handful cilantro
  • 1 handful parsley
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1-inch fresh ginger
  • 1 or 2 medjool dates
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

Add the water, cilantro, parsley, pineapple, ginger, dates and ice to a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chia seeds. Drink cold.

Clean Cuisine Approved:

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Every single week we go through about 3 cups of parsley. It’s an easy add-on to just about every dish.

My 3 Favorite Herbs & Tasty Tips for Cooking With Herbs

Oregano | Click for recipes

Oregano contains numerous phytonutrients, including thymol and rosmarinic acid, that have also been shown to function as potent anti-aging phytonutrients. According to a study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, oregano has forty-two times more antioxidant activity than apples. It also has thirty times more than potatoes, twelve times more than oranges and…most surprising of all…four times more than blueberries!

The warm, aromatic flavor of oregano is particularly delicious for boosting flavors of Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine. I like to whisk minced oregano into vinaigrettes or mix with olive oil, lemon slices, olives and capers to make a marinade for fish.

Parsley | Click for recipes

There are actually over 30 varieties of parsley, but the one I use most is the peppery Italian (or flat-leaf) variety. Parsley is best known for its detoxification properties and it’s the world’s most popular herb. I actually routinely put a big handful of parsley in my daily green smoothies. It’s delicious when blended with frozen pineapple, frozen mango and coconut water.

In addition to its detoxifying properties parsley is also rich in phytonutrients as well as vitamin K, calcium and a mega amount of vitamin A. And, did you know the ergosterols found in parsley are Vitamin D precursors? So eating more parsley can actually help boost your vitamin D levels…something most of us could certainly use! P.S. I often shred parsley in my food processor and sprinkle it on top of salads, soups and whole grain pilafs. DELISH!

Rosemary | Click for recipes

Rosemary is chock full of a wide variety of specific phytonutrients called flavonoids. It’s also rich in antioxidants like vitamin E. Rosemary has particularly strong anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to be helpful for people with inflammatory conditions like asthma and even heart disease.

The phytonutrients in rosemary also aid in detoxification by enhancing the action of liver enzymes responsible for metabolizing and detoxifying chemicals. One of my favorite ways to eat rosemary is to dip sprouted whole grain bread (I like Food for Life brand) in a mixture of chopped fresh rosemary, flax oil (I like Barlean’s brand), salt and freshly ground pepper. It’s also great for sprinkling on just about any vegetable just before roasting.

Hopefully I have excited you just a wee bit and enticed you to start cooking with herbs more regularly! The one drawback to using fresh herbs is that they can be costly. If you have the outdoor space, I highly recommend you consider planting a little culinary herb garden. You can read more about how to save money growing your own herbs in our upcoming article (April 19th).

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Condiments, Dairy Free, Dip Recipes, Gluten Free, Nutrient Dense Foods, Salad Dressings, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. J D Young says

    June 27, 2014 6:32 PM

    I have cilantro and basil growing in my garden and a ton of herbs and spices on my shelves. I can’t imagine cooking without them they add such a variety of flavors. But, when I got cancer, I really found out just how valuable herbs and spices are to the healing process. I had more herbs and spices on my list of edibles than food. I had to eliminate all refined foods and sugar, and concentrate on fresh veggies, particularly squash. Spices and herbs literally saved my life, and my taste-buds!

    Reply
  2. Jackson says

    November 1, 2012 5:23 AM

    Cooking with herbs is a healthy idea. It makes your gut process foods better and alleviates most digestion problems.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Clean Cuisine Challenge Day 22: Probiotics, “Slim” Interval Training Workout says:
    January 27, 2015 at 4:52 PM

    […] for you, it should taste better too. For creative culinary ideas for cooking with herbs click HERE and to read more about their amazing health benefits click […]

    Reply
  2. What are Phytonutrients Found in Herbs Good For? says:
    December 5, 2014 at 1:44 PM

    […] The bottom line is that if you start cooking with phytonutrient-rich herbs regularly you will not only boost flavor and nutrition but you’ll also slow aging and fight inflammation. You can read more about the benefits of phytonutrients HERE and learn out how to start cooking with flavor-boosting phytonutrient-rich herbs HERE. […]

    Reply

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