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Cooking With Basil

Cooking with basil is a wonderful experience. Sweet basil is used to flavor non-alcoholic beverages, ice cream, candy, baked goods, puddings, condiments and meats. Especially used to flavor Italian dishes. Purple basil makes a beautiful, great tasting herbal vinagar.

Basil Beer Bread

  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey or stevia to taste
  • 12 ounces warm beer
  • 1/2 cup sweet basil, finely chopped
Mix all ingredients together, and pour into a well-greased, 5"x9" loaf pan. Place in an Unheated oven. Set temperature to 350 degrees F., and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from pan, cool on a wire rack, slice and enjoy!

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

Cooking with basil using Thai basil,Ocimum citridorm is easy and fun . Considered an annual in the Mid South but is native to Thailand and Burma, Thai basil is used in Thai and Indian cooking. If you compare it to sweet basil, it has a darker leaf an a bit of an anise flavor. It's seeds, when soaked in water, increases up to eight times its original size. It is used as a decoration on many desserts or as a topping on ice cream.

    Ingredients for Basil Chicken

  • 2 or 3 Tbs. coconut oil for stir-frying
  • 8-10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (or substitute with 1/2 cup sliced onion) – optional
  • 1 lb. boneless chicken tenders
  • 12-20 Thai chillies
  • 2-3 tsp. Tamari sauce (a healthier substitute for soy sauce), or to taste
  • 2 Tbs. fish sauce, or to taste
  • 1 cup fresh Thai sweet basil leaves and flower buds.
  • Dash of ground white pepper

Prepare the ingredients as instructed. Leave the fresh basil leaves whole; the flower buds may also be used. Pull off and discard the hard stems. Drain.

Heat a wok or skillet until its surface is smoking hot. Swirl in the oil to coat the surface. Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat, then stir in the garlic, followed a few seconds later with the shallots or onion. Stir another 15 to 20 seconds before adding the chicken. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the chicken has changed color on the outside and is no longer pink.

Toss in the chillies . Sprinkle Tamari sauce over the mixture and stir-fry for another 15 to 20 seconds. Season to taste with fish sauce, then stir in the fresh basil. Toss well.

Stir-fry another 1/2 to 1 minute, or until the basil is wilted and the chicken cooked through. Sprinkle with white pepper. Stir and transfer to a serving dish, or spoon directly over individual plates of brown rice.

Serves 6 to 8 with other dishes in a shared family-style meal.

Tomato Basil Soup Recipe

    Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
  • Basil leaves (optional for garnish)

    • Preparation

    Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth, salt, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Stir in basil.Place half of the soup in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a bowl, and repeat procedure with remaining soup. Garnish with basil leaves, if desired.



    For More Information:

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