My Favorite Herbs For Vegetarian Cooking

Lavender is a wonderful herb for cooking, or for adding an interesting colorful garnish to any vegetarian dish.

Lavender has a light delicate flavor which makes it wonderful for cookies, or other sweet desserts.

It's also wonderful tossed into a salad with some other herbs, and spring greens.

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs because there are so many things you can do with it. I grow several rosemary plants every summer and usually try to bring at least one plant in to grow over the winter in my sunny laundry room window.

Rosemary is wonderful for adding flavor to vegetables. You can use a rosemary stem as a skewer for veggie kabobs.

One of my favorite cookie recipes is a rosemary shortbread. Yum!

Rosemary adds a citrusy flavor to salads or desserts, from savory to sweet.

I love, love, love cilantro. Did I mention I love cilantro? I plant a new batch of cilantro in my garden every two weeks, all summer long, so I have an endless supply for fresh salsas and salads.

I actually just love to go out to the garden and pick a sprig of cilantro just to smell the scent. It's one of my favorite summertime scents.

Fresh From The Garden Salsa Recipe

3-4 medium tomatoes

1 bell pepper

1 banana pepper

2 hot peppers (Jalapeno, Pueblo, Habanera, your choice and heat)

1-2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

3-4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 small onion

Give everything a coarse chop, then feed it all together into a food processor. Refrigerate the salsa when you're done to let all the flavors blend together. This salsa is actually even better after a couple hours when the flavors are all melded together.

Serve with corn chips.

Beware! This salsa is addicting, once you start, it's hard to stop.

Oregano and basil are wonderful for pasta. Either tossed with a little Extra virgin olive oil, mixed in with a fresh tomato sauce, or mashed together into a pesto, oregano and basil are a wonderful combination for adding flavor to your vegetarian dishes.

WHY VEG? is a collection of personal stories and manifestos (and favorite recipes!) from vegetarians.

Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or eat meat-free occasionally, this group welcomes you to share your story about vegetarianism. In the spirit of healthy bodies and a healthy planet, tell us about your transformation and why you did it. We're also open to yummy recipes, restaurants and any tips you've got on living a vegetarian lifestyle. You could make a page about 'Why I Gave Up Bacon (and lots more)' or 'Why My Girlfriend Convinced Me To Go Vegetarian' or 'Vegetarian Sloppy Joes' -- just a few examples. It's free, of course.