Last week I cleaned up by basil plants and had a big cooking with basil day. I had a lot of fun doing that and taking pictures of the results, so when I noticed that my mint was getting overgrown, I decided to have a big mint day too!

Over the past couple days, I have worked to use up all the excess leaves from this beautiful plant. What a pleasure it is to work with mint! Its sweet fresh aroma is released and it begins to emanate throughout the house the moment I first begin to handle the leaves.

The first recipe I tried was a mint extract. I followed the directions for making it over at the Bake Happy blog, but it was pretty easy. All it takes is 1. a lot of mint and 2. vodka. It had been so long since I have bought hard liquor I hardly knew what I was looking at, but I decided to go for the cheapest option because, well, I have absolutely no palate for hard liquor so I wouldn’t know the difference!

I rinsed the leaves and removed most of the stems. Then I began to bruise the leaves in order to release the oils. Resist the urge to start running the knife through them, they don’t need to be torn apart!

Then I filled a glass jar with the leaves and poured enough vodka on top to completely cover the leaves.

After 3 weeks, I will strain off the leaves and transfer the extract to a smaller container. It can be used in baked goods, in which the alcohol will cook off. I also want to try to use it in grown up beverages, in which case … bring on the buzz!

For my second mint-inspired recipe, I wanted to make another bread. I loved the basil cheddar bread I made when I used up my basil last week, so I decided to try to concoct a minty loaf. Most of the recipes I found online were more like dessert breads, and I wanted a savory mint bread, with just a hint of sweetness to complement the mint. This is what I came up with.

Elise’s Agave Mint Bread

Ingredients:

1 tbsp yeast

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup oil

2 cups warm water water

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup loosely packed mint leaves

Instructions:

Chop the mint leaves to release the oils. Mix yeast, agave, olive oil, salt, warm water, and mint. Add one cup of flour at a time until a dough forms. Flour a working surface and knead five minutes. Let rise 1 hour. Divide into two loaves. Knead individual loaves on a floured surface, form into an oval, place in bread pans. Add more flour if necessary. Let rise 30 min. Bake 350 for 40 min.

Technically, I could use my standing mixer to do this, but I like to put Sam to work. He is getting pretty good at kneading, but he also gets distracted. It is like play-doh for grown-ups after all. The original play-doh, the genuine article.

And sometimes he tries to sample the raw bread. That sweet agave and mint is pretty irresistible.

Since he refuses to wear the adorable apron I got him, he usually has to completely change his clothes when we are done. But it is a lot of fun and well-worth the mess. A lot of kids and adults are intimidated by cooking, and I want to be sure Sam feels confident in the kitchen as he grows up. I try to make sure he sees that is ok to experiment, have fun, and get a little messy in the kitchen, and I hope that is laying a good foundation for the future.

This was my first time using agave in bread, and I was nervous about how it would come out because the dough was stickier than it normally is when I use honey as a bread sweetener and I didn’t want to add too much flour. But there was no need to worry — the finished product was amazing. Subtly sweet and fragrant, soft and a little crusty on the outside. I had to break out my bread knife the moment it was cool enough to cut a slice without smashing the bread!

I am always dieting, and normally that is easy in the summer when crisp low-cal salads are particularly appealing, but lately I have been so tired of salads. So I’ve been making a lot of low-calorie, nutrient dense soups to fill the spot that salads usually fill in my diet. To that end, the final mint recipe that I tried was Springtime Pea Soup with Mint by Angie McGowan.

This soup, with pureed peas, onions, celery, garlic, and last but not least, mint, is sweet and filling, and could easily be served either hot or cold depending on the weather. I made a few alterations to the original recipe to increase the veggies and decreased the fat even more — I used a full cup full of mint leaves, an extra celery stalk, a full large onion, and no cream. With these alterations, a large bowl — 1/5 of the entire pot — is 137 calories. That makes up for the bread, which is closer to 250 calories.

While I was enjoying this delicious, minty, healthy, home-made, home-grown meal, Sam was enjoying syrupy waffles with chicken nuggets, because… well, you win some and you lose some. At least I got him cooking!

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