Cilantro In Recipes

Fresh and healthy treats just peachy at Aurora Farmers Market

AURORA — A healthy cooking promotion at the Aurora Farmers Market last weekend brought back memories of childhood for Auroran Barb Couch.

Inside the blue tent where Northern Illinois University students put on the cooking demonstration, Couch spotted the display of kohlrabi, a white root vegetable.

“My grandparents used to have a big garden,” Couch recalled, “and us kids used to go out there and pull ‘em up and sneak eating those.”

These days, Couch buys the simple, crunchy veggie, one of the many foods sampled at the Farmers Market presentation.

NIU nutrition and dietetic graduate students Megan Laurent, 22, of Aurora, and Jessica Harris, 23, of DeKalb, manned the demonstration table, whipping up healthy recipes.

Many ingredients had been plucked straight from stands at the Farmers Market, in the parking lot of the Aurora Transportation Center on North Broadway. Must-haves included corn, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, strawberries, bananas, peaches, oranges, squash, cilantro and other fresh produce.

“We’re just really trying to promote fruits and vegetables,” Laurent said. “So, we’re trying to show some simple and easy ways. You can get the kids involved also just to try to increase their fruit and vegetable intake.”

Stephen Morris, an Aurora resident, munched on a tortilla chip dipped in homemade fresh salsa chock-full of corn, yellow tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice.

“It has a really interesting taste,” Morris said. “It’s balanced. Not too hot. It’s kind of mild. Just the way I like it.”

Morris’ daughter, Jeighlin, 11, sipped a smoothie blended with strawberry, orange, vanilla yogurt and ice.

She wrinkled her nose at the surprising taste.

“It was very sour,” Jeighlin said. “I liked it.

Marissa Aguirre, 8, of Oswego, liked the smoothie, too.

“It was really good because it had a lot of fruity taste,” Marissa said. “I liked how they had all different fruits in there.”

Kayla Greifenkamp, 10, of Aurora, opened her eyes wide with delight when talking about the grilled peaches cooked on a small electric griddle.

Wait! Cilantro isn't a plant?

Here in the U.S., cilantro is a popular herb used in many different recipes, but did you know cilantro is the name for the leaves of the coriander plant? Coriander is considered both an herb and a spice, because the leaves (cilantro) are gathered as an herb, and the plant produces two types of seeds that when dried are used as a spice. The use of coriander can be traced back to 5,000 B.C., making it one of the world’s oldest spices. bacteria

2. Reportedly works as a natural chelation treatment

3. Aids in digestion and helps settle the stomach

4. Is an anti-inflammatory that may alleviate symptoms of arthritis

5. Protects against urinary tract infections

6. Prevents nausea

7. Relieves intestinal gas

8. Lowers blood sugar

9. Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises good cholesteraol (HDL)

10. A good source of dietary fiber

11. A good source of iron

12. A good source of magnesium

13. Rich in phytonutrients and flavonoids

Growing Cilantro Growing cilantro can be a little more challenging to grow than traditional herbs, given its shorter life span, deep roots, need for slightly cooler temperatures and tendency to bolt (going to seed).

The best time to grow coriander is in the spring time. Coriander can be grown indoors or out, in raised beds or potted plants. If you plan on potting coriander, make sure to use a large pot to accommodate the coriander plant’s deep roots. The optimal placement is in direct sunlight with afternoon shade.

Given the plant’s tendency to bolt quickly, make sure you pinch off the flowers as they appear, and to harvest the cilantro leaves regularly. You can harvest the stalks of leaves by cutting them about a third of the way down. This will encourage the plant to keep growing fresh and plentiful leaves. 1 bunch garlic chives (or regular chives)