While puttering in the community garden today I plucked sprigs of cinnamon basil. If you are watching salt intake and managing/preventing high blood pressure, you may want to eat more basil. This tasty delight goes well beyond pleasing the palate. Basil promotes heart health, provides us with antioxidants (the bodyguards against cell damage), boosts immune function, and aids digestion. When it comes to herbs, fresh is best, and basil is easy to grow at home! Basil is used worldwide, best recognized in Italian cooking, and cinnamon basil is especially delicious in Thai dishes. I snipped a few leaves onto a pasta salad today - it was divine!
Another easy combo and summer treat is combining basil with fruit. Flavor your water with basil and orange slices or add snips of basil and citrus zest in cookie or pancake recipes. If you received my July newsletter you know that National Watermelon Day is coming up on August 3rd - combine watermelon with basil and lime for a refreshing summer ice to beat the heat, add nutrients to your diet, and improve health. Find the watermelon-basil ice recipe here.
Be Well! ~ Tiffany
