Cooking with Herbs & flowers – Season 2! -With a Giveaway….

 My favorite event is here, announced a little late though!This year marks the 7th anniversary of my beloved hobby and the space that I have created to share recipes and ramblings.

The number 7 is kinda lucky for me and so I thought I will celebrate this anniversary in style.I have a book to give away each month for this event  and I am starting it off with a dessert cookbook – Tarla Dala’s – Cakes and Pastries. It a book full of delicious desserts and I have reviewed it here.One lucky winner will be the proud owner of this wonderful book!

So,here is a gist of the event…

Herbs,as you are
aware, are used to enhance the flavor of the dishes.Even a simple dish
can be turned into an exotic one with the addition of herbs.Small
quantity of herbs are more than sufficient to add the magic touch.Fresh
and dry herbs have been in use from time immemorial.Some of the common
herbs are Coriander, Mint, Thyme,Sage, Sorrel, Chives, Basil,
Parsley,Fenugreek , Bayleaf etc.

Edible flowers are
quite different from the ones grown for aesthetic purpose.These are also
different from the ones sold at the florists.Flowers that are either
home grown or free of toxic pesticides are used in creating culinary
magic. Fresh and dried flowers are used to make a wide range of dishes
from appetizers, juices, stir-fries, liqueurs, syrups ,desserts.Flower
garnishes are also very popular.The flowers commonly used are Roses ,
Lavender, Banana blossom, Squash and Zucchini blossoms,  Hibiscus,Neem
flowers,drumstick flowers etc.Each culture / cuisine has some flower to
make the dish interesting.

These herbs and flowers not only add flavor to the platter but also have some medicinal properties that are so valuable to us.

So I invite you all to cook with herbs and flowers, common or rare and share it here for us to come back and refer!

I
am hosting this event this month and if you are interested in hosting
this on your blog, do drop a line and we can fix a line up schedule….

This month you can cook with any herb / flower that you like…

A few guidelines for the event:

1. Cook and blog about a Vegan or Vegetarian dish which features any herb/ flower. You can use the herbs in any form – fresh/ dried or syrup,etc.
2. Though this series is based on the culinary uses, you can also share
   the following -how to grow a herb / flowering plant used in cookery  or
   tips on freezing or storing them,non culinary uses that have been tried
   and tested by you like cosmetic uses,home remedies,crafts etc.You can
   also write about some interesting facts on herbs and flowers.
3. Please add this announcement link.
4. Send in as many new entries as you wish.The more the entries, the higher your chances of winning!Only two entries from the
   archives are allowed.Just update the old post with a link to this
   announcement..
5. Non bloggers are also welcome to participate.
6. Anyone with an Indian address is eligible to be a part of this giveaway.
7. The last date for the entries is Feb 28th 2014
8. Send me the following details to seduceurtastebuds@gmail.com

• Your name and name of your blog
• Recipe and URL
• Picture of your dish.[Please re-size your images]

Hope you will support me as you have always done.I look forward to cooking new recipes with herbs and flowers 🙂

Wishing you an aromatic and Flavorful Cooking….