SPRING PASTA SALAD
with Nettles (serves 6-10 people)
- 2 cups rice pasta spirals
- 1 cup soaked sun-dried tomatoes cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 2 handfuls of nettle leaves rinsed in boiling-hot water and chopped
- 2 handfuls cleaned and chopped arugula
- 1/4 lb asiago cheese, grated
- 1/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 or more cloves of crushed garlic (to taste)
- 1/2 cup cold-pressed olive oil
- 1 Tb balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Italian herb mix (or goodies from your garden: thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Bring 2 quarts of water to boil, add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tb olive oil, then add pasta and cook for 15-20 minutes until done, drain, rinse and let cool. Once the pasta has cooled, add remaining olive oil, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta and asiago. Then add nettle leaves and arugula and remaining ingredients. Toss until completely mixed and adjust seasoning by adding salt or pepper as needed - Enjoy!
SUPERTONIC WITH HERBS
Take this tonic daily, by the dropperful, in juice, water, on your salad or straight in your mouth to keep illness at bay!
1/4 part peeled and chopped fresh horseradish
1/4 part chopped red onion
1/4 part peeled garlic cloves
1/4 part fresh ginger and hot chilis
Sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano
Combine in a blender and cover with raw apple cider vinegar. Blend briefly, then pour into a large jar and set aside in a dark place for 2-4 weeks to marinate - shake jar occasionally. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth covered colander (use gloves to protect yourself from chili burns!), squeezing all the juice out. Bottle the vinegar and take up to 2 Tablespoons a day for your health!
Weak or lungs recovering from bronchitis need lots of calcium, which can be found in this tea.
STRONG LUNGS TEA
1 part each: nettle, red raspberry, comfrey leaf, and plantain leaf
1/2 part each: licorice root, rosemary, horsetail, and yarrow
Other herbs such as elecampagne (Inula helenium), yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum), lomatium (Lomatium dissectum), usnea (Usnea spp.), pleurisy root (Aslepias tuberosa) or elderberry (Sambucus nigra) can be added if infection or the threat of infection is present.
Rosemary leaves can be added to everything from roasted vegetables to soups and salads. You can easily make rosemary-seasoned oils or vinegars by adding sprigs of washed and dried rosemary to olive oil or cider vinegar and letting it sit for a month or longer. Below is a fun snack recipe using this tasty herb:
ROSEMARY ROASTED NUTS
Toss 2 cups of your favorite nuts (walnuts, pecans or cashews work well for this) with 1 Tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil until the nuts are evenly coated. You may need to add a little more oil, depending on the nut you've chosen - just be sure that nuts are evenly coated. Then add the following mixture:
2-3 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh or dried rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
Toss together until nuts are evenly coated and lay the nuts out in a glass baking dish. Roast on low heat, 300F (150C), stirring occasionally, until nuts are evenly browned. Once cooled, pour the nuts and spices into a bowl and enjoy!
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