Experimenting in the Kitchen

MINT STICKS my thought was if the mint is fresh and delicious- what happens if you put the leftover sticks in hot water, will you get mint water? Not Really. 
I'm sure it gives off some oils and healthful properties, but it really didn't have any flavor at all. 
Some "food waste" like lemon rind and cilantro stems, or even celery leaves- are very useful for using in dishes. For instance the citrus rind can be dehydrated in the oven with sugar and turned into candy.

Tabouli without the tomato, without the lemon (because I didn't have any)

 and using some new spices I bought at SAVORY spice shop.... YUM!!!!

what you see is black cumin seeds being added to my Tabouli.

I used a Bulghur and Red Quinoa Quick Mix, Fresh Parsley, Fresh Mint, Balsamic Vinegar, 

Lavendar infused Olive Oil, and salt and pepper. 

 Red Lentil & Green Pea Mash  not all experiments have happy endings. The taste was good! but the texture was not too exciting to me. it came out clunky and hard to eat. I had a ton of it- so it is going to get blended with some tahini to make a hummus- some fresh lemon juice will pick this up off the ground and give it new life--which is what I was trying to do anyway but ran out of ingredients and time... 

Chickpea salad

YUM- but it's missing something

the chickpeas were made from scratch- so they are extra crunchy- 

but something is missing- maybe more olive oil. 

I used Turmeric, Cucumber, Cilantro, Hot Pepper Vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, and Za'atar - 

which is another spice I found at Savory. Its a curry. 

The flavors were good- and it is super fresh and crunchy. I haven't put my finger on what its missing- but maybe some more veggies, like artichoke hearts and fresh lime juice. It marinated over night in the sauce and I think that really helped it a lot.

Other random easy experiments:

A turkey sandwich - oven roasted thin slices, mild slice of cheese (havarti), on Toasted bread --

spread the bread pieces with Honey

Turkey sandwich-- oven roasted turkey, bacon strips, sharp white cheddar (sliced) or Brie, on toasted seeded bread--

quince preserve on the bread

happy experimenting!!!