Is there such a thing as a black thumb? Like, opposite if green thumb? Thats what I am. I just cant keep any plant or green thing alive. I’ve even killed grass. Twice. (Over fertilized and under watered, in case you are wondering).

So this year, Ive challenged myself to planting something and nurturing it. So I planted some herbs on the deck. I figured herbs would be a great place to start. The prospect of cooking with freshly harvested herbs from my planter, hopefully, is motivation enough to take care of them.

I’m already dreaming of what I will cook when the herbs are ready to pluck! Iced tea with that incredibly lemony smelling lemon balm….green pea and mint soup….lavender infused frosting on cupcakes…sandwiches with fresh homemade basil pesto…

…please herbs, stay alive for me…puhllleeeeezzzzeeee..

This is the end result of the afternoons labor…

But lets start at the beginning. We went to the garden center and selected some herbs. We laid them all out on our newly painted deck. Herbs, pots and potting soil.

These are the herbs we bought.

Please herbs…stay alive..

I started with the mint..

Mint went in the “ethical pot”….

Gardening is better with some coldstone icecream and tea. Come to think of it, everything is better with coldstone icecream! This one is chocolate icecreamwith brownies and raspberries mixed in.

S hangs the hanging pot on the deck rail…

In goes the potting soil…

Then I plant the herbs while S grudgingly takes pictures…

They look sooo pretty and my deck smells heavenly. Please herbs…just stay alive for me..

S, the good husband he is, cleans up my mess on the deck…

… and throws out old soil..

All done!

Do you have any tips for herb growing? I’m all ears! I could use all the help I can get to keep these guys alive!

Raw parsnips are quite carrot like. They smell like carrots and taste a little like carrots. But when you roast parsnips, they take on a completely different character – they get intense and sweet. When I lived in England, roasted parsnips were as common as roasted potatoes in my college cafeteria.

In this soup, I roast the parsnips first and then blend them into a soup with vegetable stock, leeks and celery. This is not the best looking soup in the world, so I add a pinch of turmeric for color; you can leave it out if you dont mind a tasty but grey soup. I picked up some seeded multigrain bread at Trader Joes which goes perfectly with this thick, sweet soup.

I serve the soup with a flavorful fresh herb and caper chimichurri. A popular Argentine sauce, chimichurri is made with parsley and olive oil. I added capers for their yummy saltiness. Spoon the chimichurri over the soup or stir it in.

Roasted Parsnip Soup
serves about 4

2 parsnips chopped, about 2 cups
2 celery ribs roughly chopped
1 leek stalk cleaned and roughly chopped
½ a bay leaf
3 cloves Garlic
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
A splash of white wine
½ tsp Turmeric for color, optional
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups low fat milk
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil

Pre heat oven to 400F

Scrub the parsnips clean. Chop off the ends. Chop the parsnips into cubes. Toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven till the parsnips are golden. I cut the parsnips pretty small, and it took me 20 minutes.

While the parsnips are roasting, heat a large, deep pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped celery, leeks, garlic and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat till the celery has softened a little – about 3 minutes. Now add the oregano and wine and cook another 1 minute till the wine bubbles and evaporates. Add the turmeric, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Then lower heat and Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it.

Add the roasted parsnips and milk to the stock. Place in a blender and puree into a soup – as smooth or chunky as you like.

Return the soup to the pot, and warm through before serving. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper. Remember, the stock has salt and the chimichurri is salty.

Fresh herb and Caper Chimichurri
makes about 1/4 cup

1 cup fresh Parsley leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh Oregano
Capers – 1 ½ tbsp plus 1 tbsp of the brine (use pitted green or kalamata olives instead)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp wine (I used white, cooking wine)
1 tbsp stock or water
1 garlic clove
A pinch of Crushed red pepper, more if you like it hot
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a coarse paste.

This is my veggiefied version of Ina Garten’s Grilled Herb Shrimp. Ive made this recipe several times. Ive also made the shrimp version for my carnivore friends. Everyone always loves the herb and dijon marinade! It tastes great in pasta too. Use fresh herbs, it makes a big difference.

Extra Firm Tofu – 1 package
Onion – 1/2 large, finely chopped
Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
Basil – 1/4 cup chopped
Parsley – 1/4 cup chopped
Dijon Mustard – 2 1/2 tsp
Dry Mustard – 1 tsp
Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Pepper
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp (Ina uses 1/4 cup olive oil)

Mix together all ingredients except the tofu. Place in a bowl.

Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel. Place a weight on top for 1 hour to extract the liquid. Then cut the tofu into triangles.

Heat a large non stick pan. Arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer and ‘dry fry’ them. Press the tofu triangles so that they let their water out. When one side is slightly browned, turn the tofu once and cook the other side while pressing out the water. I learned this method from veganyumyum’s site. Check it out for a detailed explanation of dry frying tofu and “tofu geometry”!
When the tofu is done (if you stop hearing the angry hiss from the tofu while pressing down, youve probably gotten most the water out!), place the triangles in the herb-dijon bowl. Carefully toss the tofu in the mixture to coat. Let the tofu marinade an hour (or overnight if you have the time).

When you are ready to eat, heat a large non stick pan. Spray with olive oil spray. Place the tofu, along with the herb-dijon mixture in the pan. Grill both sides on medium, turning once.

Remember, the tofu is already cooked. We just want to cook the onion and garlic in the marinade!

If you have a lot of the herb dijon mixture stuck to your pan, deglaze with a splash of white wine (or even water) and drizzle over the tofu.

Mushroom Medley

Button Mushrooms – 1 box
Crimini (baby potobellos) – 1 box
Garlic – 2 cloves
White wine – couple of splashes
Basil – 2 tbsp chopped
Parsley – 1 tbsp chopped
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Marinara sauce – 4 tbsp
Salt
Pepper

Clean and chop the mushrooms. Heat a non stick pan and add the oil olive. The pan should be very hot. Add the chopped mushrooms and spread them evenly on the pan. Cook them on high without moving the mushrooms around too much. If you stir too often mushrooms will release a lot of water.

When the mushrooms are golden, add the garlic, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Then add a few splashes of white wine and let it reduce on high heat.

Turn heat off and stir in marinara sauce.