Citrus Pine Infused Vinegar

     I love trying to introduce healthy and tasty herbs to just about everyone I know. So it's no secret that I love to gift herbal infusions. These are great for just about everyone. Cooks love the flavors, health nuts love the benefits, and people who may never use them still think they're pretty and will display them somewhere.

     Speaking of using them, how do you? There are so many ways. The first, and easiest way to use these is to sprinkle them on top of your salads or add a little bit of oil to them and make them into super tasty salad dressings. I'm also very southern and eat my cooked greens with vinegar on them. Some of these add a nice kick to my greens. You can mix them with honey and water and make a nice lemonade-like drink. This is an especially good idea for the fruit flavored vinegars. I also love to eat cucumbers (and other fresh veggies) that have been drenched with vinegar, but not necessarily pickled.

     Now I make these year round for personal use, but I figured that this Christmas I would gift a few to certain people I know. So here's my instructions for infusing vinegar (or cooking oil) as gifts for the Holidays!

The Vinegar:

What I used in this particular infusion was Apple Cider Vinegar. It's got a great flavor that goes really well with citrus and since I decided to use Lemon Balm, Pine, and Grapefruit for my vinegar, that's what I decided to use. Other vinegars that work really well are Rice Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, and Malt Vinegar. But really you can use whatever vinegar you want.

Herbs:

You can use whatever combination of herbs you want in these infusions, and you can used dried as well as fresh. This particular vinegar uses Grapefruit peel, Lemon Balm sprigs (because of the pretty flowers!), and fresh Pine Needles. Other examples may be a Cranberry Orange Vinegar, Ginger Lemongrass Vinegar, or even an Italian Herb Vinegar with Basil, Oregano, and Garlic. You can even turn any of your favorite cooking herb blends into an infused vinegar. Have fun! For some flavor inspirations, this page has links to over 20 different recipes. Or keep reading because I'll give you a few of my favorite infused vinegar recipes from the past!

Variations:

You can use this same process to infuse other things as well, such as oils, honey, or even some vodka if you're feeling extra spirited. For oils, I like to use a variety of healthy oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, or Cold Pressed Grapeseed Oil.

Citrus Pine Vinegar

1 Cute Bottle (the one I use is a Grolsch bottle that I picked up a few years ago. Check out the bottles at Specialty Bottles if you need to buy some)

A Vegetable Peeler

1 Grapefruit

a few Sprigs of fresh Lemon Balm

a handful of Pine Needles

enough Apple Cider Vinegar to cover your herbs (this bottle is fairly large so I used just shy of a quart)

Instructions:

Sanitize your bottle and allow to air dry. Wash all of your fresh ingredients. Peel your grapefruit and slide it into your bottle. Follow up with your lemon balm sprigs. Clean up the ends of your pine needles and stuff those in your bottle as well. I ended up only using about 4-5 clusters of needles. *Optional, heat your vinegar until just under boiling. Pour your vinegar into the bottle, making sure to cover up all those yummy herbs. Seal and allow to sit 2-4 weeks before gifting/using.

The following recipes use the same set of instructions:

Place the herbs in a clean jar/bottle. Cover herbs with vinegar/liquid of choice (warmed to help speed up the infusion process). Seal the jar/bottle and allow to sit for 2-4 weeks before using/gifting.

A Taste of the Orient

2 cups Rice Vinegar

¼ cup Lemongrass

4-5 slices fresh Ginger

* Optional for a little heat 1 Cayenne Pepper sliced lengthwise

Cranberry Juniper Vinegar

2 cups Red Wine Vinegar

1 cup Fresh Cranberries

¼ cup Juniper Berries

Spicy Chipotle Vinegar

1 cup White Wine Vinegar

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (or for some great boozy flavor, use Tequila)

1 Jalapeno sliced lengthwise

1-2 tsp Chipotle Seasoning Blend of choice

Lavender Peach Vinegar

2 cups White Balsamic Vinegar

½ cup Peach, diced

2-3 tsp dried Lavender

¼ cup Honey, raw local honey is best

Mojito Vinegar

1 ½ cups Champagne Vinegar

½ cup White Rum (or more vinegar if you want to keep this kid friendly)

½ cup fresh Mint Leaves (sprigs make it more decorative)

1 fresh Lime, sliced

¼ cup Simple Syrup (equal parts sugar and water cooked on the stove to make a syrup)

Garlic Dill Vinegar

2 cups White Wine Vinegar

about 4-6 whole Garlic Cloves

3-4 fresh Dill sprigs (or 3-4 tsp dried dill)

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Have fun creating your infused gifts! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below! Also, if you want me to cover anything specific, I'd like to know!

Savory Pumpkin Recipes

     Thanksgiving is just days away, and Christmas is just around the corner. That means it's time to pull out all those family recipes, but sometimes it's fun to introduce a new recipe or two. This year, I want to get back to something I love, pumpkin. Not just the pumpkin spice that everyone obsesses over this time of year, but pumpkin itself. So here are some of my favorite pumpkin recipes. Some make great side dishes, and some work well as meat-free main dishes. These recipes also don't have to be confined to this time of year, sometimes I make these just for fun. So I hope you enjoy!

1. This makes an excellent replacement for stuffed turkey. Stuffed pumpkin can be served year round and is a great, healthy dish. This recipe is Vegan and Gluten Free. Feel free to experiment with fillings. Try quinoa or rice instead of bread, add cheese to the mix, or try using seasonal produce from your local farmer's market.

Stuffed Pumpkin

1 small Sugar Pumpkin (about 3 lbs)

1 medium Onion, diced

4 small Mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 handfuls fresh Spinach or Chard, roughly chopped

¼ lb lightly toasted (or stale) Gluten Free Bread, cubed (about ½ inch chunks)

2-4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 small Apple, cored and diced

¼ cup fresh Chives, chopped

½ tbsp fresh Thyme leaves

½ tbsp fresh Sage, chopped

1/3 cup unsweetened Cashew or Hemp Milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

Optional* ½ tsp Cayenne Powder (or to your taste)

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut away the cap of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits (save the seeds to toast later if you want). Clean up the underside of the cap. Season the inside of the pumpkin (and the cap) with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Place on baking sheet and set aside.

Pour olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms. Cook until onions are slightly browned. Add in the spinach (or chard) and cook until slightly wilted. Scrape mixture into a bowl and add the bread, garlic, apple, chives, thyme, and sage. Mix well. Stir in the cashew milk and season with salt & pepper, to taste.

Stuff the mixture into the pumpkin, cover it with the cap and bake in the oven. Bake, covered, for 1 ½ hours (90 minutes). In the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the cap to allow any extra liquid to cook off. Transfer the pumpkin to your serving platter, carefully. To serve, either scoop out the stuffing and pumpkin flesh, or slice into the pumpkin.

2. This vegan, gluten free, chili is great for the colder nights that accompany this time of year, but it's also packed full of healthy produce and spices. This recipe works well with zucchini, turnip, yellow squash, celeriac, and many other vegetables. Feel free to play around with it and try some new ideas.

Pumpkin Chili

1 small Sugar Pumpkin (about 3 lbs)

½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ cup ground Flaxseed

¼ cup Gluten Free Flour

1 Zucchini, chopped

1 Turnip, chopped

2 medium Red Bell Peppers, chopped

2 or more Jalapenos, diced

1 large Onion, chopped

6-8 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 tbsp Tomato Paste

4 cups Vegetable Broth

2 (10 oz) cans Diced Tomatoes

1 (16 oz) can Red Kidney Beans

1 (16 oz) can Black Beans

2 cups Corn

1 tbsp Chili Powder

1 tsp ground Cumin

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

a few dashes of Balsamic Vinegar

¼ tsp Dijon Mustard (or less)

Salt & Pepper

Peel the pumpkin and cut into 1-inch pieces. In a 6-quart or larger pot, heat the olive oil and whisk in the flour and ground flaxseed. Whisk until smooth, and add in the pumpkin, turnip, zucchini, peppers, onion, garlic, and tomato paste. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in remaining ingredients (including the juices from the can of tomatoes). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 1 hour (longer if you have the time). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

3. These are not your typical pancakes. Packed with savory vegetables, they can be served for breakfast, or as a side dish at dinner. Make sure your veggies are thinly shredded or finely chopped when you make this vegan, gluten free, recipe. Feel free to play around with the ingredients. Try golden beets instead of carrots. Or use Parsley, Sage, and Thyme instead of Cilantro, Turmeric, and Cayenne. Instead of Spinach, use Watercress or Swiss Chard. The possibilities are endless.

Savory Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup Gluten Free Flour

¾ cup Pumpkin Puree

½ cup chopped Spinach leaves

½ cup shredded Carrots

½ cup chopped Green Onions

2-3 tbsp chopped, fresh Cilantro leaves

½ tsp Cayenne powder (more or less to taste)

½ tsp Turmeric powder

Salt & Pepper

¼ cup Club Soda (Soda Water)

2-4 tbsp Oil

In a bowl, combine all ingredients (except oil). Mix well, adding more soda water if the batter is too thick. Heat and grease a griddle or skillet. For each pancake, use 2 tbsp batter. Spoon batter onto hot griddle and allow to cook. When the bottom is done, carefully flip each pancake over to finish cooking. Each side takes about 3-6 minutes to cook until lightly golden. Serve hot.

These taste amazing when topped with sour cream, feta or goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, a variety of chutneys, and many other toppings. Enjoy!

4. This falafel variation is so good it'll be hard to go back to the regular kind. It's great for a Thanksgiving meat alternative, or for a quick lunch. The dressing is a delicious hybrid of the traditional Tzatziki and Tahini sauces you typically find at flalfel restaurants. Feel free to play with the ingredients a little and make it your own.

Pumpkin Falafel

For the Falafel:

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium Onion, chopped

3-4 Garlic Cloves

1 cup cooked (or canned) Chickpeas, drained

½ cup Pumpkin puree

¼ cup fresh Cilantro

the juice and zest of ½ a medium Lemon (about 1 ½ tbsp)

1 tbsp ground Cumin

½ tsp Cayenne powder (or to taste)

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

Salt & Pepper

¾ cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs

For the Dressing:

¼ cup Tahini

¼ cup Greek Yogurt (or Coconut Yogurt for a Vegan alternative)

the juice and zest of a medium Lemon (about 1 ½ tbsp)

1 medium Cucumber, seeded and shredded

1 Garlic Clove, minced

Salt & Pepper

For the Falafel:

Preheat your oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the onion, garlic, and chickpeas in a food processor and pulse a few times to break everything up. Add in 1 tbsp olive oil and the remaining ingredients and pulse until a coarse paste forms. Don't process this too well or it won't work. Form the mixture into small balls (or use a small, 2 tsp, cookie scoop), or patties. Mixture will be soft, be careful and use wet hands to avoid sticking. Arrange falafel on the greased cookie sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake for about 35 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure even browning.

For the Dressing:

Whisk together tahini, yogurt, and lemon juice. Slowly stir in remaining ingredients.

5. Mashed potatoes are a staple with many a meal here in the South. This mash combines the potatoes with pumpkin and seasonings to provide an excellent twist to for our Holiday tables. And just like mashed potatoes, you don't have to limit this to the Holidays if you don't want to.

Pumpkin-Potato Mash

1 ½ lbs Red Potatoes, quartered

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 Garlic Cloves

¼ cup unsweetened Cashew or Hemp Milk

1 ½ cups Pumpkin Puree

2 tbsp Miso Paste

1 tbsp fresh Chives, minced

Salt & Pepper

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are easily mashed with a fork. Drain water. In a small sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and saute the garlic until golden. Mash potatoes until smooth, mix in all other ingredients and adjust seasoning if needed.

6. I love making my own salad dressings. It's a great way to add a touch of healthy herbs, ferments, and/or flavor to any diet. Here's one of my favorite fall dressings. Feel free to play around with the ingredients to make your very own pumpkin dressing.

Pumpkin Vinaigrette

1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup Apple Sauce (or Greek Yogurt to make a creamy variation)

1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp finely grated, fresh Ginger

2 tsp finely minced Garlic

1 tsp Honey

½ tsp Dijon Mustard

Salt, Pepper, & Cayenne to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk vigorously to combine. Enjoy on any of your favorite salads!

     I hope I have done my part to get you all interested in pumpkin, not the spice, this fall. I also hope I gave you some new ideas for Thanksgiving, or any Holiday, dinner! In any of these recipes, feel free to change the ingredients around. Have fun, play around, and let me know what you think below!

Herbal Christmas Cookies

     I love being in the kitchen.  Baking, cooking, mixing flavors together in a way that makes me and my family both happy and healthy.  I could spend all day in my kitchen and be perfectly happy.  This time of year, most of that kitchen time is usually spent baking.  My family lives on a pretty good budget and one of the most budget-friendly gifts to give is baked goods.  Most people will enjoy them as well, especially since I am super allergy conscious and go out of my way to make even the most decadent of treats healthier. 

     As an herbalist, I am always looking for ways to sneak healthy herbs into my family’s daily routine.  One of these is to add herbs in all of my food.  I make herbal-infused snacks, drink herbal lemonades, add healthy herbs to every meal, and I even put delicious herbs into desserts.  Since Christmas is the season of the Christmas Cookies, I figured that I would share a few of my herbal cookie recipes with you for a happy and healthful holiday season. 

     I grew up with the Betty Crocker cook book, and it’s my typical starter for all of my recipes.  So these sugar cookies all started out with Betty’s vegan sugar cookie recipe.  After that, I added my own flare and you can feel free to do the same.

Peppermint Carob Cookies

A Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe

Cookies:

1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar or you can powder your own (read about the process here)

1 cup organic coconut oil, softened

¼ cup organic vanilla cashew milk

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoon fresh, chopped mint

3 tablespoons carob powder 

2 ½ cups of gluten free flour

2 tablespoons tapioca powder (or arrowroot)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch of sea salt

Glaze:

½ cup organic powdered sugar

3 teaspoons mint milk (you can make it with your favorite vegan milk alternative if you want)

*optional organic green or red food coloring

Cookies:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix powdered sugar, coconut oil, cashew milk, vanilla extract, mint, and carob powder.  Slowly stir in flour, tapioca, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine).  Heat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use an organic olive oil spray, but coconut oil would work as well).  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place cutouts onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 7-8 minutes, be careful not to let the edges get overly browned.  Remove from cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool before glazing. 

Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix.  If you want your glaze to be thicker, add more sugar.  If you want it to be thinner, add more liquid.

Mojito Sugar Cookies

A Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe

Cookies:

1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar or you can powder your own (read about the process here)

1 cup organic coconut oil, softened

¼ cup organic vanilla cashew milk

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

1 teaspoon natural rum extract or your light rum of choice

1 ½ teaspoon fresh, chopped mint

Zest of 1 lime

2 ½ cups of gluten free flour

2 tablespoons tapioca powder (or arrowroot)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch of sea salt

Glaze:

½ cup organic powdered sugar

2 teaspoons light rum, or natural rum extract

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Cookies:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix powdered sugar, coconut oil, cashew milk, vanilla extract, rum extract, mint, and lime zest.  Slowly stir in flour, tapioca, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine).  Heat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use an organic olive oil spray, but coconut oil would work as well).  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place cutouts onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 7-8 minutes, be careful not to let the edges get overly browned.  Remove from cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool before glazing.  *optional: sprinkle sugar crystals over cookies before baking.

Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix.  If you want your glaze to be thicker, add more sugar.  If you want it to be thinner, add more liquid (lime or rum, whichever you want to be stronger).  When you have mixed your glaze, spoon or drizzle it over your cookies. 

Lavender and Lemon Sugar Cookies

A Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe

Cookies:

1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar or you can powder your own (read about the process here)

1 cup organic coconut oil, softened

¼ cup organic vanilla cashew milk

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

2 tablespoons dried lavender

Zest of 1 lemon

2 ½ cups of gluten free flour

2 tablespoons tapioca powder (or arrowroot)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch of sea salt

Glaze:

½ cup organic powdered sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoon cooled lavender earl gray tea 

Cookies:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix powdered sugar, coconut oil, cashew milk, vanilla extract, lavender, and lemon zest.  Slowly stir in flour, tapioca, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine).  Heat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use an organic olive oil spray, but coconut oil would work as well).  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place cutouts onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 7-8 minutes, be careful not to let the edges get overly browned.  Remove from cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool before glazing. 

Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix.  If you want your glaze to be thicker, add more sugar.  If you want it to be thinner, add more liquid (lemon or tea, whichever you want to be stronger).  When you have mixed your glaze, spoon or drizzle it over your cookies.

Spiced Orange Cookies

A Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe

Cookies:

1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar or you can powder your own (read about the process here)

1 cup organic coconut oil, softened

¼ cup organic vanilla cashew milk

1 teaspoon organic orange extract

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 

Zest of 1 orange

2 ½ cups of gluten free flour

2 tablespoons tapioca powder (or arrowroot)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch of sea salt

Glaze:

½ cup organic powdered sugar

3 teaspoons orange juice

Cookies:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix powdered sugar, coconut oil, cashew milk, orange extract, spices, and orange zest.  Slowly stir in flour, tapioca, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine).  Heat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use an organic olive oil spray, but coconut oil would work as well).  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place cutouts onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 7-8 minutes, be careful not to let the edges get overly browned.  Remove from cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool before glazing. 

Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix.  If you want your glaze to be thicker, add more sugar.  If you want it to be thinner, add more liquid.  When you have mixed your glaze, spoon or drizzle it over your cookies.  *optional: sprinkle pumpkin pie spice over cookies right after glazing.

Hibiscus Spice Cookies

A Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe

Cookies:

1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar or you can powder your own (read about the process here)

1 cup organic coconut oil, softened

¼ cup organic vanilla cashew milk

1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

3 tablespoons powdered hibiscus flowers 

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 ½ cups of gluten free flour

2 tablespoons tapioca powder (or arrowroot)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch of sea salt

Glaze:

½ cup organic powdered sugar

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons cooled hibiscus tea 

1 teaspoon organic cranberry juice

Cookies:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix powdered sugar, coconut oil, cashew milk, vanilla extract, spices, and hibiscus.  Slowly stir in flour, tapioca, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine).  Heat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use an organic olive oil spray, but coconut oil would work as well).  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place cutouts onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 7-8 minutes, be careful not to let the edges get overly browned.  Remove from cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool before glazing. 

Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix.  If you want your glaze to be thicker, add more sugar.  If you want it to be thinner, add more liquid.  When you have mixed your glaze, spoon or drizzle it over your cookies. 

*optional, instead of using the glaze, get a good quality white or green frosting and use that for pretty and Christmas-y cookies.

Vanilla Rose Cookies

A Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe

Cookies:

1 ½ cups organic powdered sugar or you can powder your own (read about the process here)

1 cup organic coconut oil, softened

¼ cup organic vanilla cashew milk

2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

2 tablespoons rose powder 

1 tablespoon red rose petals 

2 ½ cups of gluten free flour

2 tablespoons tapioca powder (or arrowroot)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 pinch of sea salt

Glaze:

½ cup organic powdered sugar

2 teaspoons cooled vanilla rooibos tea 

1 teaspoon rosewater

*optional organic red food coloring 

Cookies:

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, mix powdered sugar, coconut oil, cashew milk, vanilla extract, spices, rose powder, and rose petals zest.  Slowly stir in flour, tapioca, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is fine).  Heat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet (I use an organic olive oil spray, but coconut oil would work as well).  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into ¼ inch thickness on a floured surface.  Cut into desired shapes and place cutouts onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake 7-8 minutes, be careful not to let the edges get overly browned.  Remove from cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool before glazing. 

Glaze:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix.  If you want your glaze to be thicker, add more sugar.  If you want it to be thinner, add more liquid.  When you have mixed your glaze, spoon or drizzle it over your cookies.  *optional: sprinkle sugar crystals and pose petals over cookies before baking instead of glazing

I hope you all enjoy these recipes.  If you didn’t notice, there is a basic cookie recipe for all of them, so feel free to change the spices and glazes around to make your own!  Good flavor combinations to try include rosemary and lemon, basil and lime, or elderberry and carob.  Have fun and feel free to let me know how your experiments go!

Resources:

Betty Crocker – Vegan Sugar Cookies: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/vegan-sugar-cookies/45ab6889-511a-4345-9391-9ea5c00c8d4a

Cookie and Kate – How to make your own powdered sugar: http://cookieandkate.com/2014/how-to-make-powdered-sugar/

Crazy for Mint

     The Holiday season is officially in full swing and the stores are slowly getting rid of pumpkin spice everything in favor of mint everything.  When I asked “Mr. Google” why mint was so popular at Christmas, the only straight answer I found was that candy canes started it.  And even they didn’t start out minty.   Further conjecture can connect mint to a “cooling sensation” that may remind us of winter and snow (if you live anywhere but Florida that is), or that it’s green and Christmas has traditionally been the season of green and red EVERYWHERE.  But the only concrete anything that people can find is that the mint craze started out because of candy canes.  But whatever the reason, mint is one of the Holiday Season’s biggest flavors.  You can even find it in body products (body scrubs and sprays) and candles this time of year.  But it does make a great herbal ally for this season.

     There are so many mint plants that they named the botanical family they belong to after them.  The Mint family is also known as the Lamiaceae family and is characterized by a square stem, asymmetrical flowers, and opposite leaves (opposite leaves means that they grow on opposite sides of the stem).  Peppermint (menthe peperita) and spearmint (menthe spicata) are the two most well known for their medicinal properties.  Mint is great for easing a number of digestive complaints including nausea, flatulence, and diarrhea.  Mint also helps alleviate bad breath, ease headaches and migraines, improves brain function, and can help break a fever.  Mint can also help ease depression and anxiety.  It’s also a stimulant that can give you a natural boost to alleviate fatigue.  Mint makes a great tea and can be added to other teas to make their flavor a little more pleasant.  Mint also makes a great essential oil.  Adding a few drops of mint oil to some coconut oil or grapeseed oil and using it for massage can be great for relieving muscular pains, you can also dab the mixture on insect bites to help alleviate the sting and itching.  You can even put a few drops of essential oil on your pillow at night to help prevent insomnia.

     Mint tea is a tasty and refreshing hot tea for the holidays, but you can also make it with milk (or coconut milk) for an extra special treat.  Just warm up 2 cups of milk, just under boiling, and add 5-10 fresh mint leaves (1-2 tsp dried).  Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 15-20 minutes.  You can drink it as is, or sweeten it to taste (I prefer to add a little honey to mine) and enjoy!

     You can even enjoy the aromatherapy, and muscle soothing benefits by adding mint essential oil to sugar or sea salt to make a great scrub for your skin.  Just combine 1 ½ cups of softened (warm it up) coconut oil, 1 ½ cups sugar (or sea salt), and 15 drops of peppermint essential oil.  You can add a few drops of food coloring if you’d like (2-4 drops of green makes a nice mint color) and you can also add in some vitamin E oil to increase the benefits for your skin.  I tend to use sugar for lip scrubs and sea salt for body, but whatever works best for you is great!  Enjoy your scrub after a hard day of holiday shopping, or for extra relaxation and exfoliation. 

     Even though the reason for the mint craze during the holidays is not clear, mint is clearly a great plant.  So feel free to make mint tea, or add a few leaves to your hot cocoa this season and enjoy.

Resources:

Botanical Online- The Medicinal Properties of Mint: http://www.botanical-online.com/mint.htm

Dallas Observer- Why Does Christmas Taste Like Peppermint?: http://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/why-does-christmas-taste-like-peppermint-7042149

Gardens Ablaze- Medicinal Uses of Mint: http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbMintMed.htm

Mother Earth Living- Mint: Medicinal Uses: http://www.motherearthliving.com/Health-and-Wellness/herbs-for-health-medicinal-mint

Organic Facts- Health Benefits of Mint: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-mint.html

Zoe Says- Who Decided Peppermint is the Flavor of Christmas?: https://zoesays.com/2011/11/19/peppermint-and-christmas/