Basil is a really fun herb to work with. It blends wonderfully into a variety of dishes - both raw and cooked. It has a pleasing aroma, it's filled with a bunch of valuable nutrients & properties To top it all off, it really enhances any food it's added to! Here are some of the facts, uses and healing properties of Basil:
- Comes in many different varieties, each with it's own special flavor... though most people tend to cook with and prefer Sweet Basil.
- It's the main ingredient in Pesto sauce (Yum!)
- Basil is one of many herbal members of the Mint family.
- Works best when paired with tomato based dishes like pasta, pizza, lasagna and salsa. It makes Italian-based cuisine taste more authentic and savory! If you haven't added Basil to your pasta sauce yet, hurry up and give it a try - you won't be sorry :) For Holistic Chick's very own Pasta Sauce (featuring Basil of course) - click & check it out!
- Also mixes really great with cheesydishes, seafood, poultry, steamed or baked veggies, stir-fry's and salads (mixed in with the veggies). Again it just adds some much needed flavor without being spicy or hot!
- A delicious addition to olive oil dressing, olive oil marinades and olive based dishes in general. I always use basil in my Homemade Salad Dressing& Marinade.
- When cooking with Basil, it should be added at the very end of the cooking process for best results. Basil burns easily and once burnt it looses most of it's flavor, oils & properties.
- Holy Basil or Tulsi is a specific type of Basil used therapeutically for mood enhancement, stress relief, insomnia, headaches, coughs, colds sore throats... and pretty much the entire respiratory system.
- Some of the nutrients found in Basil include: Vitamin A, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Potassium & Manganese. It also has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
How do you enjoy Basil? Did I miss any good ones? If you don't use it regularly, did I encourage you to give it a try? Let me know below :)