On few occasions we pay attention to the herbs and flowers that the earth gives effortlessly around us. And many of them, apart from giving us their beauty and aroma, also feed us and can cure us.
STRAWBERRY AND FLOWER SALAD
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1 handful of watercress
- 1 handful of arugulas
- 1 handful of dandelions
- 1 handful of nasturtium leaves
- 350 g strawberries
- Calendula and arugula flowers
For the mix:
- 1 handful of basil
- 1 handful of coriander
- 1 handful of parsley
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt and chili to taste
Preparation
It will only take you 15 minutes:
- Finely chop the herbs in the mix and season with oil, salt and chili.
- Make a mesclun with the washed green leaves.
- Wash and slice the strawberries.
- Mix it all together and season it with the herb mix.
THYME CRACKERS WITH AVOCADO PÂTÉ
Ingredients for 4 people
For crackers:
- 200 g buckwheat
- 30 ml oil
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 10 g nutritional yeast
- 50 g hulled hemp seeds
- Half a tablespoon of salt
For the pâté:
- 2 large avocados
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 handful chives
- coriander and cornflower flowers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Preparation
It will take you about 20 minutes longer to dehydrate the crackers:
- Strain and wash the wheat, and blend it with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor.
- Spread the mixture on the dehydrator trays and leave them at 42°C for 8 hours. Flip them over and hold them for another 2 hours. Then, cut into small portions.
- Peel the avocado and mash it into a puree. Add salt, oil and lemon.
- Chop the chives and select the flower petals.
- Mix it all together and you’re done.
FENNEL AND MINT JUICE
Ingredients for 1 person
- 1 fennel
- 2 apples
- 1 handful of mint
Preparation
- Wash all the ingredients very well.
- Then run them through a juicer or electric blender.
- Garnish and flavour with mint leaves and fennel leaves and flowers.
To make juices, I always recommend using hard-fleshed apples, such as Granny Smith (or “Grandma Smith’s” green apple), Fuji or Royal Gala varieties. And, in any case, avoid apples with a floury texture.
This way you will get a more pleasant juice. Enjoy it as much as I do!
ROSEMARY CASHEW CREAM CAKE
Ingredients for 12 people
For the base:
- 200 g almonds
- 20 dates on the vine
- 1 teaspoon anise
For the cream:
- 250 g cashew nuts
- 60 ml lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 60 ml water
- 60 ml agave syrup
- Pinch of salt
Preparation
It will take you 20 minutes plus the soaking time to activate the almonds and cashews.
- Soak the almonds for about 12 hours and the cashews for 3 to 8 hours.
- Strain the almonds, wash them well and mash them together with the dates and anise powder in a food processor until you get a moldable dough.
- Place the dough in a mold with your bare hands. Make sure it’s about 2 centimeters thick.
- Strain and wash the cashews, and blend them in the blender with the rest of the cream ingredients.
- Spread this mixture in the mold, giving it twice the volume of the base. Bring to cool and you’re done!
ENRICH YOUR RECIPES WITH WILD FLOWERS AND PLANTS
In each season of the year, thousands of herbs, leaves and flowers are there for us to contemplate, eat as they are or, thanks to the ancestral knowledge transmitted generation after generation, make them into different preparations and achieve medicines, cosmetics or great edible alchemies.
Wildflowers and herbs are richer in nutritional components than cultivated ones. Its smell and taste are authentic and more intense. They are free of artificial products and have not been genetically manipulated.
PLENTY TO CHOOSE FROM
If I had to highlight one herb, I would name rosemary. This aromatic and intense plant grows everywhere, both in the mountains and by the sea. Rosemary can be used to make infusions, spice up both sweet and savoury dishes or prepare soft drinks.
As an infusion, rosemary has many medicinal properties, such as relieving pain. Its essential oil opens the heart, is an aphrodisiac, stimulates, consolidates the love of the couple, soothes the sadness of mourning, helps to release emotions and favors the mood in case of depression.
And like rosemary, the rest of the herbs also give us a lot: chard, aloe, asparagus, lavender, nettles, arugula, sage, poppies, radicchio, dandelion, artichokes, pepper, watercress, garlic, carrots, nasturtiums, daisies, angelica, juniper, heather, borage, mint, marigold, thyme, collejas, helichrysum, fumaria, St. John’s wort, fennel, mallow, rue, sarsaparilla…
COLLECT THEM WITH RESPECT
When you go out, it is very important to respect the plants and collect only what is necessary. This way they can reproduce year after year.
Many of the aromatic herbs can also be grown at home. They need energy and dedication, but this way you get a greater amount, although you lose the pleasure of going out into the field… And if you have surpluses, many of them can dry out. This way you can use them at any time of the year and not just when it’s in season.
With herbs, we will give our dishes an authentic touch of aroma and flavor, as well as an important energy supply. I use them in salads, pâtés, soups, juices, desserts… In tasty and nutritious recipes like the ones we have presented here.
