Cooking with Lavendar

Lavender Chicken Preheat Oven to 400˚

• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sprigs of lavender
• 8 slices of bacon
• Pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 c shredded Swiss cheese

Place 2-3 sprigs of lavender on top of each chicken breast half. Wrap two slices of bacon around each piece of chicken keeping lavender inside. Place chicken into a shallow baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bake chicken for 20 minutes giving it a turn once. Turn one more time so the lavender is on top and sprinkle with the cheese. Continue baking for 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted and chicken juices are clear.

Lavender Dijon Dressing

• ½ c olive oil
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lavender chopped very fine
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

In a jar with secure lid combine all ingredients. Shake well. Dress salad or marinate meat with it.

Cabbage

CABBAGE
There are many varieties of cabbage but the most familiar is the one that is a round, heavy, head of tightly packed leaves that are either red or green. The outer leaves are shiny and have heavy veins. On the interior there is a white core. This inner core is edible but is usually on the tough side and most people prefer to remove it.
Cabbage can be eaten raw or it can be steamed, baked, braised, sautéed, stuffed, or grilled. It can be a salad, a main dish or a side dish depending on how it is prepared.
Uncut cabbage is one vegetable that will store for a couple of weeks, but the older it gets the stronger the flavor and odor will be. Once cabbage has been cut it will rapidly lose its vitamin C content so it should be used within a couple of days. Before it has been cut keep the head of cabbage in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and after it has been cut cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
Even though cabbage is mostly water it is packed with nutrition and is very low in calories. It is high in fiber, has some protein, is a good source of vitamins A, B, C and E, and it provides iron and several other minerals.
Not to sound like a broken record but remember; to retain the maximum nutritional values of any vegetable don’t overcook it. Crispy is better than soggy and overcooking will bring out an unpleasant odor caused by sulfur compounds in cabbage.
Always use a stainless steel knife to cut cabbage. Carbon steel blades will cause the cut edges of the cabbage to turn black. Trim off any cut edges that turn dark, the rest is okay.