The Herb Guy’s Recipes

The Herb Guy’s Savory
French Onion Soup au Gratin (with cheese)

1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 Large strong onions sliced into ¼ to 1/8 th inch onion rings
2 Tablespoon butter (1/4 cube)
6 Cloves fresh garlic fine minced or garlic pressed or 2 Tablespoon of Herb Blossom
Express European Red garlic flakes
1 to2 teaspoons Herb Blossom Express California Provincial Herb Seasoning
2 Bay leaves
1 stalk of celery fine diced
32 oz of organic chicken broth (regular will do if organic is not available)
32 oz of organic beef consume (regular will do if organic is not available)
2 Heaping Tablespoons of whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup hearty red wine (Cabernet, or Hearty Burgundy)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 to 6 slices of good sourdough French bread (we use Raley’s fresh olive and gruyere)
1 cup of your favorite grated (Gruyere, Swiss or aged Provolone) cheese

Turn stove burner on to medium. Add olive oil to either a extra large fry pan or wok, place on burner. Add the celery and onions to the pan and caramelize (onions limp and sweet) the onions (takes about 15 to 20 minutes cooking time, do not to brown the onions, turn down heat if necessary). When onions are done, move the onions aside so you have a space in the middle of the pan. Add the butter, Provincial Seasoning, Bay leaf to this space. When butter is melted, stir mixture into onions. Add flour and stir in. Add the broths and wine simmer (low boil) for exactly 20 min. Turn off heat and gradually add the Parmesan cheese sprinkling over the top while stirring to avoid clumping. Cut French bread in to 3/8ths cubes for croutons and place on a sheet pan in a 325 oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot in bowls with a handful of croutons and your favorite grated cheese. Salt and pepper a little more wine to taste

Classic Garden Lasagna

Without a doubt, this guilt-free recipe is the most requested one at the Farm. I lower the fat and calories dramatically by featuring egg-whites, nonfat cottage cheese, and tofu as the main filling ingredients, along with relatively small amounts of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. The absolutely fresh flavors of just-picked vegetables and rich plum tomato basil sauce meld together until you can almost taste the sunshine.. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Serves 6

FILLING

2 whole Eggs
3/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese (we prefer Knudsen) or Sierra Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Grated mozzarella cheese
7 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 lb. Firm tofu, drained and crumbled
3 Tbsp. Herb Blossom Express Garlic flakes
2 Tbsp. Herb Blossom Italian herbs
1/4 tsp. Hot red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

VEGETABLES

1 tsp. Olive oil
1 Red onion, chopped
1 chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 cups White mushrooms, sliced
6 Swiss chard or spinach leaves, stems removed
1 Zucchini (medium), thin sliced
2 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. Fresh basil, chopped
4 cups Tomato- sauce w/ 1/4th cup red wine and 1 T.Herb Blossom Express Italian seasoning added
1/2 lb. (about 10) Lasagna noodles, cooked and drained Grated
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

To prepare the filling, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, tofu, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Mix gently, cover, and refrigerate.

To prepare the vegetables, in a large sautè pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and cook the onion and pepper for 5 to 6 minutes, until softened. Fold in mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes longer, until mushrooms exude their juices. Add the Swiss chard, zucchini, garlic, pepper, and basil and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until heated through. Mix well and set aside. In a 10 x 6 x 3 inch ovenproof dish or casserole, lightly sprayed with vegetable or olive oil spray, spread about 1/3 cup of the tomato-basil sauce. Layer in half the noodles, covering the entire bottom of the dish. Spread the cheese-egg filling evenly over the top of the noodles and then cover the filling with the cooled vegetables, slightly pressing to compress. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles. Spoon more sauce over the noodles and spread evenly. Cover with foil and bake in the center of the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until the sauce is bubbling. Let rest for 15-20 minutes. Cut equal portions and serve with the remaining warmed Tomato-Basil sauce and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

 Herb Flavored Chicken Pieces

1 cup of bread crumbs (make your own in a food processor, they taste better)
½ cup of flour
1 TBS. of your favorite Herb Blossom Express Herb Blend
1 tsp. of your favorite Herb Blossom Express Herb Blend
1 Lime
1 TBS. soy sauce etc. (we use Kikkoman or Braggs)
1 lb boneless chicken cut into 3/8” strips
Salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS. Romano, etc. for Italian pieces
½ tsp cornstarch
2 TBS olive oil (use virgin if at all possible, no chemicals)

Marinate chicken pieces with soy, 1 tsp. herb blends lime juice for 30 min.. Then add cornstarch and shake. Using a separate flat container mix bread crumbs, flour, 1 TBS herb seasoning blend, salt and pepper. Bread the chicken pieces. Heat oil in a skillet and add chicken pieces turn as necessary to brown evenly. Cooking time about 3 to 5 min. Turn the pieces out onto a paper towel to absorb any extra oil. Serve on a bed of lettuce with your favorite salad dressing for lunch or dinner.

Tofu Ratatouille

Ratatouille is vegetable sauté that incorporates tomatoes, squash, eggplant and usually pieces of fried Italian sausage. Today finding a sausage that is made without a lot of chemical ingredients that may adversely affect ones health is difficult at best. So, we decided to use Herb Blossom Express Mayan Barbacoa and Italian herb seasoning blend to make tasty herb flavored pieces of extra firm tofu as a counter point to this very flavorful and health gourmet dish.
The first part of this presentation is to show you necessary kitchen knives and the fastest, safest ways to use them. Using simple recipes and proper kitchen knife techniques will allow anyone to prepare gourmet meals in 30 minutes or less.

1 eggplant, skinned & large diced
2 zucchini squash, noodle sliced (long ¼” X ½” slices)
2 mild to medium hot chilies, fine diced
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 onion slivered
1 stalk of celery. small diced
2 TBS. parsley, minced
4 oz. of tomato paste (your own if possible)
or 4 Roma type tomatoes peeled and sliced
1 tsp. Herb Blossom Express Italian and 1 tsp. Mayan herb seasoning blend
1 TBS Herb Blossom Express Italian herb seasoning blend
1 TBS. German Red garlic flakes
2 TBS. your favorite soy sauce, or Braggs liquid aminos,
2 Lime
1 TBS. Flour
3 TBS. olive oil
4 TBS. of freshly grated cheese, Romano, Parmesan etc
½ pound extra firm tofu thin sliced ¼ “ by the thickness of the curd
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
¼ cup favorite wine or vegetable broth

Slice tofu and marinate in soy, lime juice and 1 tsp. of the herbs seasoning blends.
Microwave for 1 min. and set aside. Prepare vegetables into separate containers and set aside. Using a medium size stir fry pan (I use a Circulon 12 inch sauté pan 39.00 ), heat oil on medium heat until oil barely begins to smoke and add onions. Sauté 2 min until they begin to brown. Add celery, chilies, eggplant, zucchini and stir fry until zucchini just starts to turn limp. Stir cornstarch into tofu and marinate, shake to coat. Add tofu mushrooms 1 TBS. of Italian seasoning, tomato products, cheese and garlic flakes, parsley and ¼ cup red wine or vegetable broth. Stir-fry 1 min on high heat to evaporate alcohol. Stir in flour. Turn heat off and let stand for 3 min to blend flavors and serve with a slice of whole-wheat Redding Sourdough French bread.

Meat

Mix 1 1/4 lbs. lean hamburger or ground game meat deer elk etc.
1 to 3 Tb. Southwestern Herb Seasoning
2 T. soy sauce
½ tsp salt
1 tsp. cornstarch pdw. or rice flour
2 Tb. red wine or tequila
Mix thoroughly and set to one side in refrigerator

Filling
Sliver 1 large onion into 1 in X 1/2 inch slivers
Quarter slice & dice one carrot and one stalk of celery.
Sauté in a little olive oil for 5 min on med heat until onions start to wilt.
Add meat and brown the meat until medium rare
Add 1 can mild chilies (Ortega type) finely chopped or 3 fresh medium chilies, finely chopped (Ancho, Publano Anaheim etc) and one finely diced jalapeno (no seeds) optional
Sauté 3 min
1 can of corn with juice (green giant nibblets preferred or 1 1/ 2 cup fresh corn micro waved 3 min per side in husks and cut from the cob
1 can of firm small drained black olives
1 Tb. Southwestern Herb Seasonings
1 tsp. cumin
2 T garlic flakes or 4 cloves pressed or fine minced
¾ cup water
1 small can tomato paste (6oz.) stirred into the water.

To a medium sauce pan: add 1tsp. Southwestern Herb Blend and ½ tsp. cumin,
2 cups cold water
Stir in 2 cups of corn meal
Add ¼ cube butter
Add 1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 tsp. of Better than Bouillon (chicken), to 1 1/2 cup of water in a bowl, micro wave about one minute or until warm, stirred until it dissolves.
Add mixture to sauce pan
Heat mixture on low heat stirring, until thicken, then set aside
Spread ½ of corn mixture in the bottom of a 4 inch deep buttered casserole dish about 9 X 13 X 2,1/2”, add meat mixture, top with remaining corn meal mix
Preheat oven and bake pie at 375 for 30 min

The Herb Guy’s Famous Fish Tacos

2 T. Olive Oil
Zest from 1 lime
2 oz. Tequila
2 T. Soy Sauce (use good soy sauce: Kimlan, Pearl River Bridge or your favorite.)
1 T. Herb Blossom Express Organic Southwestern Seasoning
4, 6 oz., fresh or frozen fish fillets (we like the frozen mahi filets from Costco)
1 tsp. Rice flour (preferred) or cornstarch
Lime and Cilantro Sour Cream
1/4 cup of sour cream
1/2 tsp. Southwestern Seasoning
3 T. loose fresh Cilantro (minced)
Juice from 1 lime
Garnish
1/4 head cabbage (thin sliced for garnish)
1/2 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Combine the first 6 ingredients and place in a covered container. Marinate fish pieces for 15 to 30 min, then stir in rice flour or cornstarch into the marinade juices cover bowl and shake. While fish marinates prepare BBQ or preheat oven broiler. Prepare grated cheese, cabbage and place in refrigerator. Make Lime & Cilantro sour cream topping by mixing the 4 ingredients in a bowl then refrigerate until served. Cut fish into 3/8 X 2” long strips (across grain) and place in fish BBQ basket or on foil lined broiler pan. Cooking time is about 5 to 7 minutes turning once (when fish flakes with fork it is done). Serve on bed of cabbage with sour cream, cheese. Wrap this taco filling in warmed corn tortillas (about 3 min each side in a preheated skillet with a drop or 2 of olive oil. on medium heat. Preparation time about 20 minutes.

The Herb Guy’s Famous Shrimp Tacos

2 T. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Herb Blossom Express Organic Southwestern Seasoning
1T. Good soy sauce (Kimlan, Pearl River Bridge mushroom soy etc.)
2 T. white wine
Zest from 1 lime
30 Shrimp, cooked, peeled & frozen
1 tsp. rice flour or corn starch
2 T. White Wine
Juice from 1 lime
2 T. Chile pepper flakes (organic mild or medium if possible)
½ tsp. Salt
A Dozen tortillas (Mission preferred or your favorite)

Combine the first 6 ingredients and place in a covered container. Marinate shrimp for 15 to 30 min in the refrigerator, then stir in rice flour or cornstarch into the marinade juices cover bowl and shake. While shrimp marinates a little longer prepare garnishes and place in refrigerator. Next preheat pan on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Just before the oil starts to smoke add shrimp. Cook 2 minutes flip shrimp. Add the chili flakes, salt, lime juice, 2 tablespoons white wine and left over marinade if any. Stir until stir fry starts to thicken a little then take off of the burner. Cook tortillas in a cast iron skillet until soft and pliable using just a drop or 2 of olive oil or use toaster oven until pliable Serve 1/3 cup of shrimp in a small bowl on a large plate. Use the garnishes to make the plates look nice then add 2 cooked tortillas.

The Herb Guy’s Famous
Bourbon Street Shrimp for Two

1. 3/4 lb frozen raw peeled or tail left on shrimp (20/30 or larger)
2. 2 pieces of premium bacon chopped into 1’X1/4” julienne slices
3. 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into rings
4.  Zest of one lemon
5. 1 T. Herb blossom express Cajun Herb Seasoning
6. 1 T. Rice flour
7. 1 T. olive oil + 2 Tsp. Virgin olive oil
8. 1 10 to 12 ounce bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed (or spinach)
9. 1 T. Bourbon whiskey or Madeira wine or water
10. 1 T Balsamic vinegar
11. 10 pitted and quartered firm Kalamata Greek olives
12. 1 TBS. Romano cheese)

Marinate the shrimp in Virgin olive oil, Cajun seasoning, lemon zest .and Rice flour for 1 to 2 hours under refrigeration. Pre heat olive oil in non stick 12 inch skillet set to medium. Add bacon cook just until light brown remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. Add whole onion rings evenly over the bottom of the pan. Turn the onion slices over when pan side is browned. When the second side is browned, break up the slices into separate onion rings with a spatula. Move onions to the back of the pan and add the shrimp. Stir fry until the shrimp are just opaque (about 2 to 3 minutes). Remove shrimp and onions to a plate and set to one side. Add Swiss chard to the pan, add wine and vinegar (or water, vinegar) and cover pan to steam (2 to 3 minutes or until lightly steamed or wilted to taste). Divide the chard between 2 serving plates. Arrange shrimp and onions over the top of the wilted chard. Garnish with the olives, cheese and bacon. Serve with a side of seasoned steamed brown rice (see recipes page?) .

The Herb Guy’s Succulent
Roasted Cajun & Garlic Chicken

1. 1 whole fryer chicken
2. 1 T. Herb Blossom Express Cajun Herb Seasoning Blend
3. 1 T. Herb Blossom Express European Red Garlic flakes
4. 1 T. Balsamic Vinegar
5. 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
6. 1 T KimLan Dark soy sauce (or favorite soy sauce)
7. 1 tsp. Rice flour
8. 2 quarts water
9. ¾ cup Kosher Salt

Thaw out chicken and remove giblets, neck etc. and excess fat from in and around body cavity. Wash chicken in cold running water and pat dry. Stir ¾ cup of Kosher salt in 2 quarts of water until dissolved (brine solution). Place whole chicken breast side down in brine solution. Brine chicken for exactly 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with clean paper towel. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the chicken marinade by combining the Herb Blossom Express Cajun herb seasoning, Herb blossom Express European Red garlic (rough ground in mortar & pestle or etc.), Balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce and rice flour . Using and inverted tablespoon gently loosen the chicken skin from the breast thigh and leg. Spoon ¾ of the marinade under the chicken skin onto the breast, leg and thigh and rub it in a little. Rub the rest of the marinade onto the outside skin. Place the chicken breast side down on a v rack in a roasting pan. Place the chicken and roaster on middle shelf bake for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn chicken breast side up add 1 can for chicken broth to the roasting pan. Increase the temperature to 450 degrees and return chicken to the oven for about 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees at thickest part of chicken. Remove the chicken from the oven and de-fat the juices from the roasting pan. Carve the chicken into individual pieces. Place the chicken over cooked brown rice on a serving platter and pour pan juices over chicken and rice. Serve immediately

The Herb Guy’s Hearty
American Split Pea Soup with Ham

1. 2 Cups of split peas
2. 2 pieces (about 1 to 2 lbs.) of premium ham chopped ¼” X ½” julienne slices
3. 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
4. 9 cups of water
5. 1T. + 1 T Herb blossom Express American Herb Seasoning
6. 3 bay leaves
7. 1 T. ground European Red garlic flakes (We use dedicate a Black and Decker inexpensive coffee grinder to grind culinary herbs and garlic flakes in the kitchen
8. 1 grated carrot
9. 1 T. stalk of celery diced
10. 2 tsp better than bouillon vegetable broth mix
11. 1 TBS. Romano cheese (optional)

Place the American seasoning, split peas water grated carrot onion bay leaves and water in a thick bottom pot. Bring to a boil and then low simmer soup on small burner for 1 1/2 hours (stir every 20 to 30 min loosening the soup adhearing to the bottom of the pot). Reduce heat to lowest setting. Stir in the 1 T. American Herb Seasoning, ground garlic flakes, ham and vegetable bouillon. Bring slowly back to a boil. Stir every 5 min for about 10 minutes . Stir and remove the bay leaves. Serve hot with your favorite French bread (toasted).
 

The Herb Guy’s Famous Chicken Fingers

1 cup of bread crumbs
½ cup of flour
1 & 1/3TBS. of your favorite Herb Blossom Express Herb Blend (1/3TBS. = 1tsp.)
I lime
3TBS. soy sauce (a good variant is 1TBS. wine 2TBS. soy sauce)
1 lb. Boneless chicken cut into 3/8 inch. Strips
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ tsp. Corn starch
2TBS olive oil
(With the Italian blend add 1 TBS. Romano cheese)

Marinate Chicken pieces with soy sauce, 1 tsp. Herb blends, lime juice for 30 min, then add cornstarch and shake. Using a separate container mix bread crumbs, flour, 1 TBS herb blend, salt, and pepper. Use this magical mixture to bread your chicken pieces. Heat oil in a skillet and add chicken (don’t crowd) turn as necessary to brown evenly. Cooking time is about 3 to 5 min. Turn the pieces out onto a paper towel to absorb any extra oil. Serve on bed of lettuce with your favorite salad dressing.
 

The Herb Guy’s Hearty &Health
Mayan Roasted Dinner Fries

cooking time 35 min, recipe makes 2 portions

1. 6 to 8 Red potatoes, 1 to 2 inch diameter red potatoes or your favorites
2. 1 T. Extra Virgin olive oil
3. 1 T. Water
4. 1 T. Balsamic vinegar
5. 2 tsp. Soy sauce
6. 1 T. Herb Blossom Express Mayan Barbacoa Seasoning
7. 1 tsp. Rice flour
8. ¼ to ½ tsp. Kosher salt (to taste)
9. 1 tsp. Extra Virgin olive oil

Pre heat oven to 425 F degrees. Line 12 X 19 baking sheet pan with aluminum foil and rub foil with 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Cut potatoes in even wedges about 6 per potato. Using a small bowl make a seasoning blend by combining ingredients 2 through 7. Place potatoes in a medium bowl and add seasoning blend. Stir to evenly coat potatoes. Place the coated potatoes skin side down onto the foil lined baking sheet pan and sprinkle potatoes evenly with kosher salt. Place sheet pan in preheated oven and set timer for 35 min. When timer goes off, take one of the largest potato pieces from the middle of pan and mash it with a fork to check doneness. Remove pan from the oven if potatoes are done or add 5 more minutes cooking time as needed. Serve immediately.
 

LowFat Italian Sausage

5 LB course ground turkey, rabbit, deer etc. (grind it yourself if possible the store adds fat, skin, etc. )
1 cup ice water or 50/50 water /white wine
2 tsp. Corn starch or rice flour
3 tsp. Kosher salt
11/2 T. Garlic flakes
1 ½ T.. onion flakes
3 T. Herb Blossom Express Italian seasoning
1 ½ T crushed Fennel seed
1 T.. brown sugar
1 T.. ground medium chipotle chili pepper flakes (to taste)

Mix wine/water spices, salt, sugar and ground pepper flakes together. Then while stirring the meat slowly add the seasoning blend a little at a time to the course ground meat. Mix thoroughly and let stand 2 hrs. covered in the refrigerator to develop flavors. Then fry a small patty that is thinner in the middle than at the edges (about 2 oz.) as a sample. Add more peppers if desired. Be careful not to overcook the sausage or it will be too dry, just brown the patty on both sides, on high heat and remove from the pan ( turn the patty when it just begins to sweat in the middle. If you cook it fast enough the juices will be sealed in. With this sausage cooking technique is vital so experiment if necessary. This sausage is also good in casseroles and on pizza. We freeze 2 to 3 oz. patties using a plastic paddy maker the wraps each paddy in plastic wrap. This prevents freezer burn during storage. Put frozen wrapped paddies in a freezer zip lock bag and store in freezer. Cook them as needed by microwaving them ½ min for each paddy and cook them from slightly frozen in preheated fry pan.