The green herbs of summer are here! I am throwing them into everything I make right now. Green herbs can add an aromatic layer to your recipes, which can take away the need to use salt as a flavor enhancer. Using less salt in your diet helps to keep your blood pressure low and your kidneys healthy.
I am so spoiled with fresh herbs now, it is hard for me to go back to dried herbs because they lack so much of that earthy greenness. Fortunately, you can freeze fresh herbs for year-round use. Freezing also helps them retain their color, flavor and vitamins.
After washing your herbs, remove the tough stems. Finely chop the remaining leaves, and put them in ice cube trays. Add water and put them in the freezer until frozen solid. Then remove the cubes and store them in small bags in the freezer until needed.
When I am in a hurry, I just throw fresh herbs in the freezer, unwrapped, until frozen. Then I remove them, break them up, and put them in zip-lock bags to store in the freezer.
Another technique is to wrap whole sprigs of herbs in aluminum foil and then freeze them. This allows you to crush the herbs with the palm of your hand while they are still in the foil.
To get the fresh taste of summer all year round, try the following recipes with your herbs, whether you’ve just picked them from the garden or pulled them out of your freezer.
Poached Salmon Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette
4 salmon steaks
1 quart water
1/3 cup dry white wine (optional)
10 peppercorns
2 whole allspice
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 pound fresh asparagus or broccoli
In a large frying pan, put 1 quart of water, wine, peppercorns, allspice and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cover, simmer 15 minutes. Add broccoli or asparagus, simmer just a few minutes, until blanched but slightly crunchy. Remove asparagus or broccoli and chill about 1 hour. Reserve liquid. Add salmon steaks to liquid, cover and return to simmer until fish is no longer translucent in center, about 8 minutes. Lift fish from liquid and chill at least 1 hour. Serve salmon cold on a bed of chilled, cooked asparagus or broccoli and dress with tarragon vinaigrette (recipe below). Serves 4.
Nutrition information (without vinaigrette): Calories: 312, Carbohydrates: 16 g, Protein: 28 g, Sodium: 70 mg
Tarragon Vinaigrette
This works great on the salmon recipe above, or for any fresh green or seafood salad for summer.
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tarragon
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup salad or olive oil
Whisk the ingredients together or put in food processor or blender, while gradually adding oil.
Nutrition information: Calories: 128, Carbohydrates: 2 g, Protein: 0 g, Sodium: 25 mg
Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. She has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington.
