Friday, January 23, 2009

Fruitful Friday - Parsley

Good Morning Ladies....

Hope the fasting is going well for you! Today our feature item is: Parsley

You might say..."I thought Parsley was only for making dishes look prettier!"Not true mo-na-mie! This article lists Parsley as one of the seven most potent disease-fighting spices. (Click here if you are interested in the other spices.)

Health Benefits: Chief among parsley's beneficial properties is its ability to fight cancer. Animal studies have shown that it can inhibit tumor formation, particularly in the lungs. It's also known to neutralize carcinogens including those found in cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke.

Parsley is also a rich source of antioxidants and heart-protective nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene and folic acid.

How it's Used: Parsley comes in two popular varieties, curly and flat leaf. Fresh parsley is more flavorful than the dried variety. The curly version tends to have a more intense flavor than the flat-leaf variety. Use it in soups, salads and casseroles, or to top fish, meat, potatoes, vegetables and more.

Interesting Tidbit: Parsley is a great breath freshener at the end of a meal.

One of my favorite ways to add Parsley into my diet is with Tabouli. (Click on it to see a recipe and a video of how to make this great dish!!!)

I love that this recipe can be modified to your individual tastes. I personally can't eat tomatoes (I know, sad me!) and just leave it out for my portion, then add it for everyone elses. I also like to add more of the bulgar wheat to my batches, as well as extra lemon juice!

For a dinner option, I put 5 0r 6 pita breads into the oven and warm them up. Then I set out a large bowl of hummus (mostly store bought, but here's a recipe in case you are interested) and a bowl of tabouli in the middle of the table. I cook up a batch of steamed rice (maybe adding some seasonings to make it more like a pilaf or serving it with just salt, olive oil and lemon/lime juice). Cut the pitas into triangles with my pizza cutter and place them on a platter in the middle of the table also. We pray and tell the kids to just dig in. They love dipping and eating with their hands!

Fun and healthy....great combo!

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