Surprising Healing Benefits of Spices

Hi Estela. It's always great to hear from you. I hope you're had a good year so far.

Thanks for the reminder of the health benefits of spices. As you know I love Italian food and so I keep an ample supply of fennel on hand at all times. Italian sausage with fennel is the absolute best. Rosemary is also something I love to toss into meat dishes, although I didn't see that particular spice mentioned in the article. A little quick research produced this:

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a well-known culinary herb. However, you may not be aware that rosemary extract has a long history of medicinal uses too. It has been used to treat a wide range of ailments, including stomach upsets, digestive disorders and headaches. Recent research is now revealing even more benefits attached to this remarkable herb...

I know you love to cook, as do I. If you like Chinese here's a favorite (and quick) recipe of mine for Chinese vegetables:

Chinese Vegetable (Choy Sum) with White Sauce

Ingredients:

6-8 oz. choy sum or Chinese leafy greens
Some sliced carrots
6 medium-sized shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 inch ginger (peeled and sliced thinly)
2 tablespoons cooking oil

White Sauce:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce or to taste
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Method:

Rinse the vegetables with water and drain the water dry. Mix the white sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat up a wok and add the cooking oil until it’s smoking hot. Add ginger, stir-fry until light brown or aromatic. Add mushrooms and shrimp and do a few quick stir until the shrimps become half-cooked. Add vegetables into the wok and stir quickly. Transfer the white sauce mixture into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the sauce thickens. By then, the vegetables should be perfectly cooked, but not overcooked.

I hope you didn't mind my sneaking that little recipe in.

As always it's good to hear from you Estela. You're certainly one of my favorite people on NV. I hope all is well with you and your family.

AJ