June 7, 2010 Herbs Ahoy!

Fresh herbs really do make everything taste better. I'm lucky to have a big yard where I can grow my own veggies, but anyone can grow herbs on a patio, back step or porch. Parsley, onions, garlic, cilantro: They all repopulate themselves pretty easily, so you can almost always keep fresh herbs around with a little care and attention.

A story in my family says that my great aunt grew the same green onions for over a decade. After you've chopped up the greens, put the root ends in the dirt. They just keep growing back.

Now, I live in the South, so growing things is probably a little easier, but we have our challenges, too. A torrential downpour on a summer day can drown a planter full of lettuce, for example (this actually happened to me). These new-fangled devices, such as the upside-down hanging planters for tomatoes, are making it easier for everyone to have fresh, homegrown produce. I encourage even the "black-thumb" varieties of humans to give their favorite herbs a try and see what they can grow. They might be surprised.

However, if you just can't or won't grow your own, you can still substitute with store-bought, or in some cases even dried herbs in these recipes. Play with your food. It's fun.

Today's Find: Superfast Tuna Melt.

4 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half and gutted
1 can of Albacore tuna
Veggie cheese (or regular cheese)
Mrs. Dash (my favorite is Southwest Chipotle or Tomato Basil Garlic)
cilantro
lettuce
*Balsamic vinegar

Slice the tomatoes in half, scoop out the insides and put them in a bowl. Open and drain can of tuna. Add tuna to tomato guts, stir in some Mrs. Dash (whatever flavor you like best) and mix to a fine consistency. You can add a couple of shakes of balsamic vinegar for a fun taste if you like. Scoop mixture into tomato skins until they look like red deviled eggs. Add slices of cheese on top of these and put on a tray or dish in the toaster oven or microwave oven just until the cheese is melted. Transfer onto a bed of lettuce, top with a sprig or two of fresh cilantro, and Voila! You have a deliciously healthy tuna melt, no bread required.