Rio Grande Herb Company Review

 

You know when you get herbs, from Albuquerque, NM, you are going to create some delicious tasting meals. And that I did!

From, Rio Grande Herb Company, I got to make some dish's with unique, even first time herbs. The company's founder, Charlie Sanchez Jr, is the driving force behind these herbs, and it all started in 1989, in a extra bedroom and garage. With a dream and hard work, the company is now in full swing. And done so, by his brother, Phil Sanchez Sr. who purchased it in 1992. But after the passing of Phil, his own son at a young age took everything over, and continued on. And now a family owned and operated business leads the way, of Rio Grande Herb products, to our kitchens today.

And so my day began, with some products I was familiar with some not so much. But I was looking forward to learning about them, and creating some yummy flavorful dish's from each one.

First up was a nice baked Spanish egg dish, using some of the, Rio Grande Herb company, Cuminos which is cumin powder. Cumin in any form is a very popular herb used in many Spanish type dish's. It comes from the dried seeds of a plant with is a member of the parsley family. Not only commonly used in Latin America, but in the Middle Eastern and North African and Indian dish's as well. You can get it either in seed form or powder. You can flavor everything from eggs to marinades using cumin. What you get is a nice warm and earthy flavor and aroma as well, and at the end a bit of sweetness. You can use it to flavor your food, but you can also include it as part of a rub. Any way you decide to use it, you are going to have a flavor profile that is hearty and mouth watering.

Along with my breakfast, I enjoyed a first time flavor of tea. From Rio Grande Herb Company, it was their cota tea, also known as Indian tea. It looks like skinny sticks in the bag, but what you end up with after brewing, is a delicious full flavored tea, that is really made from wild herbs, called cota. A great tea that has many health benefits to it. Cota tea is also referred to, Navajo wild tea, and is widely used in New Mexico, through out the state. It had a very flavorful herbal taste, that did not take to much of the herbs to brew. Very easy to make, and very pleasant to drink.

Lunch was next, and that was some yummy tacos. The tacos, were made using, Rio Grande Herb company, Flor De Jamica, that was another first time taste for me. Usually this herb is for tea, but you can also use it for some wonderful dish's. These dried Jamaica flowers may be brewed into a tea, but also you can take them and make dish's beyond your wildest dreams. From salsas to tacos, you can use these herbs. Also the herbs are used for a popular Mexican drink, called, Aqua de Jamaica. So it's a herb you can use every day for many popular dish's.

 

For dinner, I went with a yummy Spanish theme, from a appetizer to the main dish.

Starting with a nice chayote slaw, using ground up Coriander seed, from Rio Grande Herb Company for added flavor. Grinding the seeds down into a powder, gave my slaw a nice savory taste. Coriander is a dried seed that is part of the parsley family, and the leafy part is called cilantro. What you end up with is a very complex yummy flavor that is very delicate and flavorful. You can add these coriander seeds to other spices such as cumin and garlic and make a nice pork rub. Ground up you can use the spice for soups to fries for some mouth watering flavor. It is a very poplar Latin American herb that you can use and is very versatile.

For the first side dish, I made some black beans using, the herb Epazote, from Rio Grande Herb Company. Again a first herb for me to try, and very exited to do so. Epazote, is a aromatic herb from, Mexico, and there is used in many dish's. It is a herb with hollow stalks and large leaves, but gives your dish a very distinguishable flavor you will not forget. Epazote is not only used for cooking but used in traditional medicine form in Latin America. Using the herb, gave my black beans a very deep, flavor, and was also very aromatic. It may be a delicate herb, but it boosts the flavor profile of your dish exquisitely.

To go with my main dish as well, I made some Spanish rice and red beans, and used the herb from, Rio Grande Herb company, called azafran. This herb is also known as Mexican safflower. Mexican safflower is also knows as saffron, and is a herb associated with the daisy family. The herb gives your dish's a stunning yellow color, that is so appealing to the eye. The taste that the azafran gives your dish, is pleasant and very distinctive. The azafran dried flowers are used for various dish's, not only for its color, but for a great substitute for the expensive saffron. Also safflower is known for its other creation, and that is safflower oil. So you are getting the best of both worlds with this herb.

My main dish was some grilled pork chops with orange and whole coriander seeds, that were sent over from, Rio Grande Herb Company. It gave my pork chops a nice fresh taste. These seeds are also very versatile, and can be used whole or ground. Whole they can be used for pickling, or even added to the tops of meats or poultry. And if you really want to create unique dish's, try them on top of fresh baked bread. If your looking to create a deep savory dish, then using the coriander seeds whole is the way to go.

Ending the day was with a cup of tea, using a product sent over from, Rio Grande Herb company, called Mormon tea, also called Canutillo. Mormon tea is a common desert plant that is located in the Las Cruces desert and hills. It is a native plant known through out Southern New Mexico. As for the tea it was very refreshing, with some homemade cookies, a perfect ending for some delicious meals. The tea tasty little stems, that are also used for medicine. It can be a little bitter, but adding some honey takes care of that. Overall, it was a very inviting tea.

If you would like to learn more about the products from, Rio Grande Herb Company, head over to their website.

 

www.riograndeherbs.com

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Momzdailyscoops has personally reviewed the product listed above. Momzdailyscoops has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Momzdailyscoops did receive a free product to try out so Momzdailyscoops could evaluate and use it for her review. Momzdailyscoops thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. Camera and lighting might effect appearance of product/products.