Favourite dishes acquire delightful flavors from herbs and spices that are rich in antioxidants and other healthy components.
One of the toughest periods of the year to avoid fatty, salty, and sweet foods is during the Christmas season. Who wouldn’t want to indulge in the special foods and snacks that bring back fond memories and significance, particularly during the pandemic? You might feel that overindulging is a means to extract some joy from the holiday season due to physical distance and cancelled gatherings.
However, keep your composure. The occasional bite or two of buttery mashed potatoes, a piece of chocolate pie, or a marbled roast beef is acceptable, but bingeing on these foods frequently can result in weight gain, higher blood pressure, blood sugar, and “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Instead, flavor your cuisine using herbs and spices rather than butter, cream, sugar, and salt.
The abundance of nature’s flavor-creators extends beyond alluring flavors, aromas, and visuals. Numerous herbs and spices contain antioxidants, flavonoids, and other healthy substances that may help regulate inflammation, blood sugar, and mood.
Holiday cuisine can be improved with herbs and spices.
Use some of the herbs and spices on the list below to season your food. Play the role of a food chemist and experiment with new combinations. The flavor and health benefits increase with increased use of herbs and spices.
Allspice: Use in cereals, breads, and other baked goods; goes well with spicy foods including soups, sauces, grains, and vegetables.
Basil: Slice into side dishes, salads, and snacks. Pesto is delicious over pasta and in sandwiches.
Cardamom: Good in baked items like breads and curry and other Indian food.
Cilantro: Used to season cuisines that are Mexican, Southwestern, Thai, and Indian.
Cinnamon: Add to Middle Eastern savoury recipes, baked desserts, breads, and fruit compotes.
Clove: It goes well with vegetable and bean dishes and is fantastic in baked goods like breads.
Cumin: contains stews, chilli, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Mexican cuisine.
Dill weed: Include in salads, eggs, potato dishes, snacks, and dips.
Garlic: Add to veggies, cereals, pastas, marinades, and dressings
Ginger: Excellent in beverages, baked products, stews, stir-fries, and sauces from Asian and Indian cuisine.
Marjoram: Add to potatoes, beans, cereals, salads, sauces, stews, and soups.
Mint: flavors savoury foods, drinks, salad dressings, fruit marinades, and salads.
Nutmeg: Add to fruit and vegetable dishes as well as baked items.
Oregano: It complements tomato, pasta, grain meals, and salads and tastes great in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.
Parsley: Enjoy with salads, sauces, pasta dishes, and soups.
Pepper (black, white, red): Seasons salads, grains, pastas, beans, stews, soups, and vegetable dishes.
Rosemary: Try using it in pasta recipes, salads, vinaigrettes, and veggies.
Sage: enhances spaghetti, bread, soup, dressing, and grains.
Tarragon: Add to salad dressings, bean dishes, sauces, and marinades.
Thyme: Excellent with salads, veggies, tomato recipes, and soups.
Turmeric: Essential in Indian cuisine; goes well with veggies, beans, and soups.
