There is nothing that adds flavors and depth to a dish quite like fresh herbs.  I love to buy bunches of basil and cilantro at the farmers’ market during the summers, but during the winter fresh herbs are a little more of an expense and luxury.  It kills me to spend money on a bunch of fresh chives or parsley and then only use a small portion for garnish or to add some freshness to a dish.  Again, the flavor is worth it, but it just breaks my heart when I can’t think of what to do with the rest of the bunch of herbs and it goes to waste!  Am I alone on this one?  Anyway, last summer, I had this dilemma and my mom suggested that I throw all of these unused misfit herbs into the Vitamix, add some garlic and olive oil, form them into balls and freeze them for later use.  I am so excited that I took her advice because I at way too much Halloween candy and need a healthy dinner!  I have a spaghetti squash in the oven right now and I can hardly wait to throw one of the herb balls from my freezer into a sautée pan and pour the freshness of summer over my beautiful fall squash!

 Purée herbs, garlic and olive oil

Divide herb mixture,  form into balls and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet

Once frozen, place herb balls into a freezer bag and store

To use, remove ball from freezer,  place into small saucepan, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and warm

For my spaghetti squash, I pierced the squash several times with a knife and baked at 350° for 1 hour.  Then I cooled the squash for 15 minuets, cut it in half and removed the seeds.  I removed the flesh and added it to my saucepan to combine it with the herb mixture.  Topped off with parmesan cheese and served with some sautéed kale, you have a healthy and satisfying meal!

“As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway“