Nowadays, it is fairly common to find micro-greens in your dish. These are small, tasty and healthy vegetable confetti. They make wonderful additions to many dishes in all kinds of restaurants. They have found their way into gourmet or haute cuisine cooking. They are often use as garnishes or they are added as primary ingredients. Micro-greens have indeed become a trend and they are expected to continue in their popularity in the coming years.

What are Micro-Greens?

Micro-greens are actually the first leaves that sprouted from any plant. These are the leaves that appear between the baby stage and the sprouting stage of plants. Often, they are minuet in size but perfect in form. People love micro-greens because they are more nutritious than fully grown leaves.

There are actually numerous plants that are produced for micro-greens. Some of them include broccoli, radish, amaranth, rapini, red cabbage, green cabbage, cumin, mizuna and giant mustard. All of these plants are specifically grown for micro-greens which tend to smell and taste stronger than their full-grown counterparts.

Nowadays, you will find numerous farms growing micro-greens all over the world. California, in particular, is the home to the world’s best micro-green farms. It is in these farms that you will find innovative methods adopted in order to grow the most nutritious micro-greens.

Growing and Using Micro-Greens

You can definitely grow your own micro-greens. You only need to sow the seeds you would like to grow in a flat soil or a pot with soil and take care of them. You need to collect the seedlings once the first leaves start to appear. This will take about three weeks from the time you plant the seeds. In truth, you can grow your own micro-greens anytime you want. You can even grow them inside your house during the winter. You just need to get special felt pads where you would plant and grow your seeds.

Using micro-greens in your cooking will certainly give an additional texture to your dishes. Adding these into your vegetable salad will give your salad a curious bite. You will not lack of recipes for your micro-greens. A quick search in your favorite search engine will give you hundreds of recipes.

There is an increasing demand for micro-greens. People are becoming aware of the nutritional benefits they would get from these vegetables. Fortunately, you can always grow your own micro-greens. You can even have them during winter. This way, you can spice up your dishes with delicious micro-greens.

Image Credit Flickr.com

You don’t just eat desserts these days.  You can actually drink them now.  These kinds of desserts are aptly called drinkable desserts.  With more and more people opting for convenient things, it is not surprising that drinkable desserts have become quite popular as well.  You will practically find them everywhere – in coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores – you name it!  Most food outlets have some sort of drinkable desserts to offer.  You could get your desserts prepared right there and then or you could opt for ready-to-drink desserts.

Kinds of Drinkable Desserts

Drinkable desserts actually come in various forms.  They are also inspired by various things.  There are some desserts that are actually based on real solid desserts.  There are some drinkable desserts that you have probably enjoyed but have never really thought of as desserts.  Smoothies, for one, are considered desserts.  If you have tried Starbucks’ Frappucino and liked it, then you have tried and liked a drinkable dessert.  Ice-blended drinks and milkshakes are also desserts.

You’d basically find drinkable desserts served in various forms.  Sometimes, these desserts may be served as dry mixes.  They may be sweetened, flavored or iced.  They may also be served heated.  An example of this kind is your favorite chocolate drink.  These desserts may also be refrigerated like smoothies or milk shakes.  You will also find many drinkable desserts that are bottled or ready to drink.

Preparing Drinkable Desserts

There are many ingredients that can be use to prepare or make drinkable desserts.  Many people use raw fruits, but fruits are admittedly difficult to work with, so many opt for other substitutes like fruits powders.  Unfortunately, this option can be a tad expensive.

Sweeteners are also commonly use.  Of course, the thickness and sweetness of your drinkable desserts depend on your sweetener.  There are some sweeteners that work really well.  The processed juices of sugar canes as well as corn syrups work really well in giving thick texture and sweetness to drinkable desserts.

In truth, when you speak of desserts, you would also think of chocolates.  It doesn’t matter if you are drinking it or eating it.  Anything made out of chocolates are delectable, so who can resist a chocolate drink?

These are just some of the basic ingredients used in making drinkable desserts.  If you don’t have time to indulge in solid desserts, you would enjoy these desserts.  They are nothing new.  But if you really want to enjoy your desserts more, you should consider checking out various drinkable desserts recipes to expand your dessert repertoire.  You would certainly have fun experimenting with new recipes.

Image Credit: lollaping

If you love to cook and you know how to cook, you probably appreciate fresh herbs in your dishes. It doesn’t matter if you got them from your own garden or if you have bought from a farmer’s market – fresh herbs really make a huge difference in your meals. You can transform simple and ordinary dishes into something special when you use fresh herbs.

Combining Fresh Herbs and Foods

If you have always wanted to have your own herb garden, it is best to start planting your seeds during the last days of frost and the early days of spring. This way you won’t lose your seeds to the last days of winter. Fairly soon, you will be enjoying fresh herbs in your dishes. You can then cut back on salt and sugar.

There are actually many fresh herbs that you should consider planting in your garden. First, there is the basil which is perfect for pastas and zucchinis. Dishes that need tomatoes may also require chives, so you should consider planting chives as well. Dills are also perfect for fish dishes. If you love making fruits salads, you should also consider planting mints. Mint is also great for your morning teas. If you want an herb that is packed with antioxidants, you should make sure that you plant oreganos as well.

Do not stop there however. Add in parsley plants as well. Parsleys are great for potato salads. Aside from this, you should also get plant rosemary as well. This is perfect for fish, pork, chicken, lamb dishes. It is also great for soups and stews.

If you love making stuffed poultry or fish dishes, you should get some sage seeds as well. Tarragon and thyme are also great for seasoning poultries like chickens, turkeys and ducks.

Cooking Your Food with Fresh Herbs

Take your time to learn how to cook using fresh herbs, so you will be able to maximize their flavors. When you use fresh herbs, you should make sure that you put in three times the amount of herbs you would use if they were dry. If you don’t have a garden, you should purchase your fresh herbs only when you need them. To make sure that you keep your herbs fresh, you should keep them in your refrigerator inside an open plastic bag.

If you want to get the best flavor for your dishes, you should spice your cooking with fresh herbs. Not only will you be assured of delicious meals for your family, you will also enjoy the health benefits of these herbs.

Image Credit: princess_of_llyr