Sugar and Spice!

                                                              Today's Topic: Sugar and Salt

Sugar and salt. The two most basic cooking ingredients across the world -- used in almost every meal in some fashion to enhance flavor. We’ve taken them a step further by enhancing our own organic cane sugar and salt blend with captivating, natural flavors . They make it super easy to liven up one of your favorites dishes or inspire new, creative ideas. You could dash Green Tea Mint Salt over steamed or raw veggies, Citrus Salt around the rim of a margarita, roll fresh fruit in Cocoa Sugar, or add Berry Limone Sugar to a smoothie. Here at eSutras we use Himalayan Rock Salt as the base for all of our salts and Organic Cane Juice Sugar as the basis for our sugars. From there we add pure botanicals and extracts to give every salt and sugar a rich, but not overpowering flavor. 

Personally, I use Tropical Sugar on nearly everything. Such a diverse blend of equatorial flavors make this the ideal item for so many different recipes! Cold or hot dishes, sweet or tangy my mind boggles at it's many uses. In fact......

Send in a unique recipe using one of our salts or sugars this week and if your delicious recipe is picked for the eSutras blog we will offer you a FREE 1 oz. Tropical Sugar. Submit you recipes to help@esutras.com!

Lots of Love, 

Teri Ridley

Luster, Shine & Color

Chemical-based hair products can be damaging and drying for hair. Especially in the summer, when the sun is out and sizzling hot, your hair can really show the wear and tear from years of chemical processing.

eSutras has created some organic, natural, effective and chemical-free herbal hair products that will nourish, condition and improve the strength of your hair, while adding color and depth. They're easy-to-use and can be prepared from the comfort of your own home. There are some definite up-sides to home hair dying with natural herbs and botanicals, like more variety of color range (and the chance for you to play around with mixing colors), better smell (adding essential oils and fragrances make your dyes smell yummy!) and of course, herbs aren't as abrasive on your hair and scalp as chemical dyes.

Dying your hair with eSutras is easy! Chamomile Tea for adding sheen to blond locks. Rosemary for lightening. Cloves and Henna Powder for darkening. Brahmi Hair Oil for moisturizing your scalp and roots. Rose Hips for reddening your mane and Aloe Lavender Shampoo for a refreshing clean.

You can use different herbs - many of which can be found on the eSutras website - to condition any hair type, dye any hair color, de-frizz, voluminize, you name it really. Try elder flowers for dry hair; lemongrass for oily hair; nettle leaf for dandruff; or burdock root for managing frizzy hair!

Elder Flowers from eSutras Organics

As for natural hair dyes, eSutras Chamomile Tea combined with lemon juice will create amazingly bright blonde highlights. If used daily, effective results can be seen in just a few weeks! This may seem like a long time - a very time intensive process - but if you think about all those times you've used boxed, chemical dyes, you'll understand the appeal of a longer, gentler process. Remember that chemical dye in your scalp and under your fingernails for days? The acidic fumes of chemical dye? The burning on your scalp during the process? The mess? We promise, slow and steady wins the race!

Chamomile Flowers from eSutras Organics

eSutras Henna Powder and Indigo Leaves, mixed with lemon juice, will give a naturally lush and vivid dark brown or black color, with hints of violet. This was Cleopatra's favorite!

For natural red coloring, try eSutras fresh-cut rosehips or whole cloves mixed with beetroot or carrot juice. If you're looking for red highlights, boil 1/3 cup of crushed marigold flowers in 2 cups of water. Strain and add 1 cup of red wine. Massage into hair and leave in for 30 minutes. Shampoo lightly and voila!

Cloves from eSutras Organics

Marigold Flowers from eSutras Organics

There's a lot more information out there that I don't have the time to include in this post. Read up and get educated before starting this process. Even though these products are natural, they may not always react well with the individual. Always patch test and make sure you're not allergic to anything. Happy Hair Coloring, everybody!

Recipes for the Summer Spice Trio!

Recipes for the Summer Spice Trio

Leslie Loves Veggies Loves eSutras!

Want some free goodies from eSutras? We bet you do!

Leslie Loves Veggies - the notable interactive blog that offers awesome daily giveaways of organic, gourmet, trendy, great, yummy, you-name-it products - is offering an eSutras Prize Package giveaway! We're so excited to be a part of Leslie's blog!

Want to know how you can win? Visit the giveaway page for details!

Leslie says, HERE'S HOW TO WIN:

1. YOU MUST DO THIS FIRST or all other entries will be DELETED! Please visit eSutras Organics shop around then tell me something you learned about eSutras Organics or a product you would LoVe to try! (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES

2. Subscribe by Email and Confirm that Subscription (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Leslie Loves Veggies in a Reader (1 entry)

4. Follow Me on Blogger (1 entry)

5. Like Leslie Loves Veggies on Facebook (2 separate entries)

6. Follow ME on Twitter (1 entry)

7. Follow eSutras on Twitter (1 entry)

8. Leave a Tweet and the direct link to that tweet (1 entry) You can do this Daily

9. Like eSutras on Facebook (1 entry)

10. FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES - Blog about this giveaway, with a link to my blog and come back and leave the link to your blog post. Post FIVE separate comments that you've blogged about this.

11. Add my button to your sidebar (if it's already there, let me know that! Leave link to your blog.) (1 entry)

12. Add Leslie Loves Veggies to your blogroll (using my URL), with a link back to me! (1 entry)

Survivin' the Summer with eSutras

Chill Out 

It's hot out there. But don't sweat it. Cool down and chill out with eSutras Herbal Teas. Mix 'em, match 'em, put 'em on ice and serve 'em up!

Picnic Time

Organic spices & culinary oils for dipping, bruschetta for spreading, teas for sipping and chocolates for munching!

Sun Survival

Beat the heat with help from eSutras! Soothing tinctures, healing essential oils and relaxing spa products for your summer survival needs.

April Showers, Summer Flowers

Stop and smell the roses! With eSutras fragrant, fresh-dried botanicals, pure essential oils and custom-blend elixirs, it's easy to bring aromatherapy home. Enjoy the little things.

Summer Spice Trio

The days are getting longer, it's definitely hotter and we're all feeling a little lazy as summertime strikes. I know when I start to feel that heat-induced ennui that it's time for some fresh food, a new recipe and a refreshing meal. eSutras has made a new Summer Spice Trio - find it here - for just these moods. Exotic and revitalizing spices to complement sunny days, picnics, sandy beaches and summer ennui.

Summer Spice Trio by eSutras Organics

CORIANDER SEED +++

Today I discovered that coriander seed grows into a plant otherwise known as cilantro. Who knew!? Coriander always seemed so Mediterranean or Middle Eastern, so foreign, but cilantro? I grow it in my backyard! That's the great thing about eSutras Organics Coriander Seed: it can be all those things. It's easy to cultivate in a tiny kitchen planter, the leaves are fantastic in tons of dishes and the seeds - when ground and used as a spice - are sweet, unusual and distinct.

CELERY SEED +++

These little buggers are the best for pickling. You may have tasted their sharp and refreshing flavor in sauerkraut. I know you've all got lots of time with these extra hours of summer sunlight, so why not take the time to pickle something? Green beans, cabbage - for that celery seed sauerkraut! - or radishes are really complemented by celery seed's full-bodied flavors.

BROWN MUSTARD SEED +++

Mustard seed is a regular jack-of-all-trades. It's good-eatin' to be sure, and can used as a pickling spice too. They can be roasted until they pop and stir-fried with vegetables. Eat them however you like. Ground them up and mix them with a carrier oil - in the winter, brown mustard seeds are soothingly warm on the skin and provide your body with the moisture it's lacking. Cool!

Organic, Vegan Amaranth Grits

Amaranth, flowering

Wondering what you can do with all those delicious items you bought from eSutras over the weekend at the Green Festival in Chicago? Well, we've done some experimenting with the food kits we made for the occasion and this is one of the results! Our Vegan Amaranth Grits are easy, exotic, taste bud-bending and mouthwatering. They incorporate the essentials of the food kits, and can be made with either the Pan-Asian or New American kit.

Pan-Asian Epicurean Food Kit by eSutras Organics

Be forewarned: Amaranth can be tricky. The wrong consistency will give you brittle, gritty kernels, but with a little patience and focus, Amaranth can be seriously delicious. Follow our instructions carefully, add adjustments if you think they're necessary, depending on your knowledge of your kitchen equipment and remember that your hard work will pay off! Amaranth is not only savory, but one of the world's more serious super grains, chock full of protein and vitamins.

Toasted Sesame Oil, Curry Chili Salt & Loose Cumin Seed

VEGAN AMARANTH GRITS by eSutras Organics
1 cup eSutras Organics Amaranth
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups water, or vegetable stock
2 T. eSutras Organics Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
2 t. eSutras Organics Cumin Seed, finely ground
eSutras Organics Curry Chili Salt, to taste
Hot Sauce, to taste (optional)
Garnish: 2 plum tomatoes, sliced; 1 spring onion, chopped

Combine the amaranth, garlic, onion and water in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until most of the liquid has been absorbed (about 20-25 minutes).

Add the Heart Healthy Oil. Stir well and combine. If the mixture is too thin or the amaranth not quite tender (crunchy, not gritty!), boil gently while stirring constantly until thickened (about 1 minute). Add Cumin Seed powder, and Curry Chili Salt to taste.

Stir in a few drops of hot sauce, if desired, and garnish with chopped tomatoes and spring onion.

Et voila! A hearty, healthy, animal-friendly meal!

Organic Cumin Seed

Loose Curry Chili Salt

Organic Amaranth