Herbal Help: Edible Flowers Two

Continuing on from Part 1 of our Edible Flowers series, today I am going to take you through some awesome recipes which feature the edible flowers previously mentioned.

Super Simple Refreshing Floral Icy Poles

Great for a treat on a warm day. These are colourful and sweet!
You will need:

• 3 cups of clear sweet liquid, I recommend coconut water. If you wanted a coloured liquid, you could have grape juice or blackcurrant juice. 
• ½ cup of clean, edible flower petals (lavender, rose, carnations, calendula)
• Icy pole moulds

Mix flower petals together in a bowl. Depending on how floral you want your icy poles, you can use as few or as many flowers as you want. 
Pour coconut water into a bowl and add in anywhere between 3 tablespoons to ½ a cup of flowers, mix. 
Pour mixture into moulds and let them set in the freezer.

Zucchini Flower Pesto

Something different, unique and tasty. Use as a spread, dip or sauce!

You will need:
• 2 cups of Zucchini flowers
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• ¼ cup good quality parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons of warm water

Lightly toast the pine nuts in a pan, do not burn.
Pull the stamens off all of the zucchini flowers, and remove all stems.
Place them in a food processor. Pulse a few times.
Add garlic, nuts, cheese and warm water. Pulse a few more times.
Change machine setting to process ingredients, and add the olive oil. 
Turn machine off when you have reached your desired consistency. Add salt if needed.

Candied Rose Petals

These make a great topping for desserts, cakes or cupcakes. This recipe needs to be prepared a day in advance to allow the rose petals to dry.

You will need:
• 2 large roses (the darker the colour, the more fragrant and aromatic)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp water
• 1 cup of sugar. Ideally you could use maple syrup, manuka honey or panella (coconut sugar), but this could cause discolouration of your petals.

Lay your rose petals on baking paper.
Whisk together the egg white and water, use a brush and brush both sides of the rose petals with this mixture.
Sprinkle rose petals with sugar, and allow them to dry overnight, up to 24 hours.

Lavender Honey Chicken

This makes a delicious main, serve with a garden salad.

You will need:
• 1 chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons honey, I highly recommend manuka or clover honey.
• 2 teaspoons of mixed dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram)
• 2 tablespoons of lavender flowers
• Salt and pepper.

Mix the 2 tablespoons of honey with the lavender flowers.
Coat the chicken with the honey and sprinkle with the dried mixed herbs, salt and pepper.
Place the chicken on a grill and adjust heat to ensure the honey does not burn.
Cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Lemon Yoghurt Muesli Cup With Edible Blooms

This makes a delicious, and very pretty breakfast (or snack!).

You will need:
• ¼ cup Greek Yoghurt
• Juice from half a lemon
• ¼ cup manuka honey or maple syrup
• ½ cup crushed almonds
• ½ cup of any type of berries
• ½ cup of toasted oats
• A palm ful of carnations and nasturtiums

If you have chosen to use honey, melt it down first. Mix honey/maple syrup, lemon juice and yoghurt well together. 
In a pan, lightly toast almonds. Do not burn. 
If oats are raw, put in a baking dish and bake for about 10-15 minutes until it is lightly brown and toasted. 
Layer ingredients in a large glass: Oats, almonds, yoghurt, berries, flowers, and repeat. 

Enjoy!

Kimberly Kushner BHSc (Nutritional Medicine), BHSc (Naturopathy) is a clinical nutritionist and naturopath who aims to provide you with the finest holistic health care. Her approach in assisting you to optimal health is practical, compassionate, empathic, and scientific. Kimberly treats acute and chronic health conditions and her main areas of expertise include, but are not limited to: reproductive health (women’s and men’s), digestive complaints, food allergies, healthy weight management, detoxification, and more.

www.kimberlykushner.com 
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Photo Credit: 

Ice lollies by My Whole Food Romance