More Herbs, Less Salt (with recipes)

While today is "More Herbs, Less Salt Day", for us that is every day.  I have a large variety of herbs and spices in my cabinet; some I have bought and some I made.

A lot of those I've made come from the herbs I grow in my yard.

I have parsley...

... sage... 

...rosemary...

...and thyme.

Plus oregano (which is the beast of the garden, always trying to take over).

And our beloved basil.

This last very bitter cold winter took a toll on my herbs.  Two of my big lush rosemary plants were killed back completely... as was my thyme and 2nd year parsley.  So I've had to replant those.  No problem with the thyme and parsley... but it will be a couple years before I'll have plentiful rosemary again.

One of my current favorite herb blends (this a low salt recipe) is free to make.

When we have pho they always bring out a huge bunch of cilantro... far more than we could use.  I bring a little zippie bag and bring it home with us (they would just throw it away).  And when Himself buys a bunch of celery, I take the leaves from it.

Both of them are laid out to dry for a few days to get most of the moisture, then I put them in a low heat oven to finish the drying.  I keep it up until they are crisp.

I use about 2 parts of celery to 1 part of cilantro.  Then I had just a bit of salt.

It is really good on scrambled eggs.

And here are a couple other herb based seasonings you might enjoy...

Simple Sage Pesto

Makes approximately 8 ounces

2 cups fresh sage leaves, loosely packed

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of pepper

In the bowl of a food processor (or in a blender), add the sage, garlic, cheese and pine nuts.  Pulse the ingredients a few times until chopped. In a steady stream, slowly add the olive oil while the food processor or blender is running.  Stop to scrape down the sides once with a rubber spatula and add the salt and pepper.  Run the processor for a few more seconds to combine thoroughly.

Transfer the pesto to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  The pesto will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Rosemary Thyme Marinade

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

5 - 4 inch sprigs of fresh rosemary

about 15 - 4 inch sprig of fresh thyme

Mix the oil and vinegar into a glass dish that will fit your meat.  Give both herbs a slight pounding on a cutting board to bruise.  This releases their flavors.  Put into the oil & vinegar mix and swish around a bit to blend the flavors.  Then add your meat, coating both sides. 

Let sit at least 4 hours, occasionally turning to get the marinade all over.