Friday, July 15, 2011

Nourishing and Refreshing Cilantro

Cilantro  also known as Chinese parsley, refers to the leaves of the coriander plant. It's easy to grow from seed in your garden or in a pot in bright sun.


According to Ayurveda, cilantro offers the bitter and astringent tastes. It is a cooling herb and puts out excess flames in the stomach and generally enhances the digestion without aggravating Pitta dosha.
In recent years, modern science has discovered that cilantro is a natural chelation agent, very helpful in removing heavy metals such as lead, mercury and aluminum from the body. To get the benefit of cilantro's chelating property, enjoy a couple of teaspoons of cilantro chutney with your meals on a regular basis.

Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and soft stems

  • 6-8 almonds, soaked in hot water and blanched

  • 4 walnuts, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes

  • 4 tbsps cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 tbsps fresh-squeezed lemon juice

  • Umeboshi Paste or Sea Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper to taste.

Method:
Wash cilantro thoroughly and drain.
Place the cilantro, nuts and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Gradually add the olive oil and continue processing.
Season with the Umeboshi Paste or Sea Salt and Black Pepper and blend for a few seconds more.
(Serves 4-6)

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