Herbs are truly magical, whether you’re using them in a tea, ointment or your favourite recipe, they share their beneficial to magical healing qualities with us in each time.

Plato said it best when he said, and I am sure herbs were included in this:

‘Let food be thine medicine’.

In this post, I am going to both introduce you to few well known herbs and their super powers, before finishing of the article by sharing a few quick and easy yet delicious recipes using fresh herbs.

We all need a bit of Flavour

Not sure if you’ve noticed that almost everything you buy in supermarket has sugar in it, in the most unexpected dishes from your pizza dough to soup.  Back in the day one of the main ingredients would have been lard, butter or fat which due to the bad publicity, they’ve replaced with the equally unhealthy sugar.

The perk for manufacturers with sugar is that it also tricks a persons brain into feeling hungry, so you’ll eat more, which also means they’ll sell more, while that benefits them, it doesn’t benefit you other than the immediate sugar rush.

Equally, ‘Low fat’ foods are highly processed and much harder for our body to digest and break down therefore best avoided at all costs.

But, ask yourself why would anyone want all this when there is a tasty, healthy alternative in herbs. They pack a good deal of  nutrients, vitamins and additional benefits that you won’t find in sugar, flavours or additives.

Here are a few of my favourite cooking everyday herbs and their superpowers:

Peppermint/Spearmint: Both are related, and have very similar properties. Great for fresh breath, the digestive system, cramps, gas, colic, irritated bowel, headaches and pain. They are also an antioxidant that have vitamin A, B, C as well as copper and potassium in them.

Dill: Has a rich history, previously used way back by the early Egyptians as a painkiller. It’s a valuable stomach remedy for calming the nerves, cramps, stomach ache and digestion. It is also antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant. As for vitamins and minerals it has been found to contain vitamin A and vitamin C, as well as iron, and manganese

Coriander (Cilantro): Has been used for thousands of years and used to be classed as an aphrodisiac. It is also, great for bloating, cramps, spasms, nervous tension, stomach issues lowering cholesterol and managing blood sugar levels. It is also rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, protein, and trace elements of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, thiamine, niacin and carotene

Cardamom Seeds: Is one of the oldest spices in the world, especially popular in Asia, where it’s used in Ayurvedic medicine for asthma, bronchitis and kidney stones. In China, it’s used as a tonic and for urinary issues. It is an antioxidant, detoxifies and is noted also for providing relief for indigestion, cramps, and gas. It is full of vitamin and minerals, most notably vitamin C, iron, niacin, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

Sweet Basil: Once used by the ancient Romans to relieve gas, as a diuretic, counteract poisoning, and stimulate breast milk. No wonder it can be found in so many Italian dishes.  It is also said that it kills intestinal worms, relieves digestive issues, cramps, nausea and vomiting. And has mildly sedative action, making it perfect for irritability, anxiety, fatigue, and depression. It’s an antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-cancer and has vitamin A, K and C, as well as the mineral Manganese.

Garlic: Its benefits are so powerful it can even stop a vampire in its tracks. It’s an antibiotic, antidiabetic, expels worms, lowers blood pressure and reduces blood clotting. It has vitamins A, B, C, E and the mineral Selenium. It is especially good for cold and flu remedies, circulation issues and infections. At its most powerful though when taken raw!

With all their magical properties herbs are also as pretty as they are tasty and highly recommended that you grow your own if you have any available space on the windowsill or garden.

Easy, quick, healthy and tasty recipes

Here a few simple and quick ways to add these beneficial herbs to your food:

Wild Rice Salad:

Simply cook up some wild rice, with a few cardamom pods (I open these up and take the seeds out). Add whatever chopped up salad items you have in the fridge at the time: Celery, Cucumber, tomato, and red bell pepper. Then top off with some chopped Dill / Coriander. Finish off with some quality Olive oil and a dash of Braggs or coconut aminos if you need an additional splash of flavour.

Watermelon Salad

Chop up watermelon; mix with finely chopped Basil and Balsamic vinegar.  Perfect dish for a hot day.

Fruit Salad:

Cut up whatever fruit you have available, make dressing from cut up mint/ spearmint and passionfruit to cover rest of fruit.

Cold Pea Soup 

Cup of frozen peas, few leaves of Spearmint, a few slices of onion, half an avocado, cup and half of almond milk and a grind of Himalayan rock salt + Black pepper. Blend ingredients in food processor and enjoy! (sounds weird, however it’s like a healthy pea avocado ice cream, and delicious).

Scrambled eggs

Are easy to make, and always super delicious with any herbs, my favourites to add are either Garlic/ Rosemary/ Sage/ Thyme/ Dill or Chives.

Vegan Scrambled Eggs/ Tofu

Sauté some onion, mushroom, garlic and red pepper slices, once browned add the broken up tofu (just crumble in chunks with hands- don’t use silken tofu), add Turmeric, curry powder, cumin and Braggs amino acids. Cook until the colour and flavour has gone into the tofu. Finish it off with add a really good amount of coriander, cook an extra minute.

Salad with Roast Vegetables

Roast whatever you enjoy and have available sweet potato, pumpkin, onion, garlic, mushroom, carrot, potatoes, parsnips etc. Be sure to cover in a good dash of olive oil, Rosemary, thyme and a grind of Himalayan rock salt + Black pepper. Prepare a Green salad with Green leaves of choice, celery, cucumber and a few slices of avocado. Top with the Roast vegetables can further add a sprinkle of feta/ pumpkin seeds, Braggs and Olive oil as needed.

These are just a few basics, be sure to play around – what are you cooking next that you can flavour to with some herbs? They can be used in so many ways, and if unsure just pop them into hot water and make a tea instead.

Thanks for use of the photos to:

Photo by Aneta Pawlik on Unsplash