Learning to blend spices is an incredibly easy and rewarding thing to do. If you can use a measuring spoon then you can learn how to blend delicious spice creations. It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3. I want to take the mystery out of the spice cabinet and encourage you to use your spices each and every day. They offer us endless health benefits and make plain dishes tasty, and tasty dishes divine. Let’s learn the foundations and then the rest is really up to you.
Spices are too often neglected in the back of dark drawers and sprinkled carelessly into steaming pots. There are a few general rules for using spices that can help you get the most out of the ingredients in your cupboard and rediscover what they can do for your food. In general, whole spices will keep for between a year and two years. Any longer than that, and their oils will have dissipated and they will have lost a lot of their flavour. Essential oils evaporate very quickly in ground spices. Throw your ground spices away after 6 months and get fresh ones. Any longer and you may as well be adding sawdust to your food. In any case, it’s always better to buy whole spices and grind them fresh when you need them. (just like coffee beans) Store your spices in air-tight containers, (glass jars with a tight fitting lid is best, ) away from heat and sunlight. Cool, dry, dark places are best. Never store spices in hot areas, like on the back of the stove. Heat will ruin the flavor quickly.
Never sprinkle spices directly over a pot. There are two good reasons for this.
Number one: it’s too easy to slip and dump in too much.
Number two: when you’re over a pot, steam gets into the spice jar and causes the spices to get damp and clump together. I recommend always measuring spices into your hand or a small bowl and then adding them to the pot. The most important rule of all is to enjoy your spices. Experiment. Try new flavors and new combinations. Spices used to be incredibly rare and valuable, but they aren’t anymore. So don’t hoard them until they go stale – crush them, grind them, roast them and bring the smells and flavors of the world into your kitchen.
Dry roasting spices brings out their flavor and adds a depth to your cooking that cannot be compared to. Using a cast iron frying pan, heat over medium heat, add in the whole spices you wish to dry roast. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the spices release their fragrance. This will only take a few minutes. Then simply remove them from the heat to cool and grind or crush them once they are cooled. Spices that respond well to dry roasting are things like cloves, cumin seed, cardamom, whole peppercorns etc.
Salad dressings are simply mixtures of spice blends added to different bases such as oil and vinegar, mustard, creamy, miso or mayonnaise type dressings. Be creative, try making your own mayonnaise, flavored with your favorite spice blend, or better yet get into making your own herbal vinegars and balsamic reductions and then the choices become endless.
A simple herbal infused vinegar is as easy as going out into the herb garden cutting some nice sprigs of your favorite herb let’s say tarragon, and then simply put the sprigs into a mason jar or whatever jar you are using and add vinegar until it covers the plant material. Put in on the counter and give it a shake once a day for at least 2 weeks, more if you want a strong infusion and then strain it into the bottle you will use it from and voila! You may also use dry plant material for this as well. You can use any vinegar you like they all add different flavor's. Apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, rice wine vinegar the choices are endless.
A balsamic reduction is simply taking the balsamic vinegar from the bottle pouring it into a pot and put it on a low heat for many hours until it reduces to half of its original volume. If you want you may add a touch of honey to sweeten it or you may want to add in fruit or spices to create an original balsamic reduction. Some ideas for this are lime and cayenne, blackberry pepper, raspberry etc. etc. Balsamic reductions pair nicely with olive oil and spices in a bottle as a bread dipper for gift giving as well.
Butters are made by simply mixing a cup of softened butter with a teaspoon or two of your favorite seasoning. It is best to make it ahead of time so the flavors of the herbs and spices can be released into the butter. Use your herbed butters for veggies, breads, sauces etc. Create and enjoy!!!
Dips can be made in a few different ways. One simple healthy way is to make like a cream cheese dip but, without the cream cheese. Simply line a strainer with a couple of layers of cheese cloth and dump a container of plain yoghurt into it. Let it sit and strain for several hours or overnight in the fridge. What you are left with is a thick rich cream cheese like substance that you can then use with any one of your spice blend combinations for a great tasty dip. Try the all purpose blend with a little fresh dill chopped up into it for a delicious snack dip for veggies or anything else you would like to dip! You can also use a mixture of sour cream and mayo, or milk kefir and mayo, etc. etc. Here is a simple Boursin style cheese spread. Using 2 cups of the low fat cream cheese recipe listed above add in 2 TBSP fresh chopped chives, 2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley, 1 ½ TBSP fresh chopped marjoram, 1 TBSP chopped fresh lemon thyme, 1 clove garlic and ½ tsp. black pepper. You can mix this all together by hand or throw it into the food processor and mix until well blended. Enjoy this on crackers, as a dip or spread or take some of it add some crab, shrimp and bread crumbs and stuff it into some mushroom caps and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Top with shredded cheese too if you like. Create, learn and enjoy! Another way is to use equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream and then season with your favorite blend. Or use mayonnaise and yoghurt, etc. etc. you get the idea.
Mayonnaise. Here is a really simple quick and easy way to make mayo and you will never want to buy it again when you see how easy it is. Keeps for about 2 weeks refrigerated. DO NOT try to make mayonnaise on a cloudy or rainy day. It won’t turn out, guaranteed. It will always end up runny. The weather must be clear and sunny. In a pint size mason jar with a wide mouth lid add: 1 medium sized egg 1 cup light oil 3 Tablespoons vinegar (white is best here) 2 tsp. raw sugar ½ tsp. mustard powder, a dash of all purpose seasoning, a pinch of paprika and salt. Now here is the easy part. Take your immersion blender, stick it into the jar, hit the blend button for about a minute on and off and voila! Mayo! You may also get creative and add other healthy oils to your creation and other spice blends to create your own custom mayonnaise. Try horseradish added to your mayo, or Dijon mustard, etc., etc.
Here are three new spice blends that we will be creating and they make great gifts paired with things like dry pasta, canned tomatoes, lentils and more. A cute little jar, a piece of ribbon and a label and you are done. Quick, easy, affordable and all created by YOU!
Poultry seasoning. This recipe is created using the simpler method of measurement. The “part” can be any size that you want. If you use a lot of poultry seasoning you may want to make a big jar of it and in that case you could use ½ - 1 cup measurement for the “part”. Thyme 1 part Sage 2 parts Marjoram 2 parts Rosemary 2 part.
This is my version of the famous Club House Garlic plus seasoning. I call mine Garlic SEA-soning. 3 TBSP garlic granules 1 ½ TBSP 7 sea veggies 3 TBSP nutritional yeast 2 TBSP nettle leaf 2 TBSP raw organic cane sugar 1 TBSP salt 1 TBSP onion granules 2 Tsp. ground black pepper 1 Tsp. oregano 1 Tsp. basil 2 Tsp. poultry seasoning 1 TBSP coriander seeds ground 2 Tsp. diatomaceous earth 2 Tsp. paprika - Spanish If you are like me you will find an endless array of uses for the Garlic SEAsoning. I use it on literally everything. Creating tasty recipes is just a few quick steps away with this handy blend. Here is a lovely creamy dressing that keeps well in the fridge for several weeks. 1 cup of milk kefir 1 cup of mayonnaise 1 tsp lemon juice 2 TBSP garlic SEAsoning Some freshly chopped dill if you have it. For an easy ranch type dressing use: 1 cup yogurt plain 1 cup mayo 2-3 TBSP garlic SEAsoning Chopped fresh dill if you have it.
Best ever Steak and anything spice blend 2 TBSP crushed black pepper 2 TBSP sea salt 1 TBSP granulated garlic 1 TBSP granulated onion 1 TBSP mustard seed crushed 1 TBSP coriander crushed 1 TBSP crushed chili flakes 1 Tsp crushed celery seed 1 Tsp. crushed fennel seed 1 Tsp. diatomaceous earth 6 drops lemon essential oil I love this blend and use it liberally on all kinds of meats, vegetable dishes, soups, sauces and more. Use it as a rub, or create a marinade with a little olive oil and vinegar and some of the spice mix. Let the meat marinade in for several hours or overnight for best results. Here are a couple of other useful recipes to have around.
Chili Powder. 2 tablespoons paprika. 2 teaspoons oregano. 1 1⁄4 teaspoons cumin. 1 1⁄4 teaspoons garlic powder. 1 1⁄4 teaspoons cayenne pepper. 3⁄4 teaspoon onion powder.
Taco seasoning. 1 tablespoon chili powder ½ tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic ½ onion powder or granulated ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon paprika 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper The taco seasoning blend can be used for everything from taco meat dishes, to vegetable dishes, rice dishes, paella, seafood etc. etc. Is a great addition to the chili pot too. *** NOTE: using approximately 4 teaspoons of your favorite spice mixture added to ¼ cup nutritional yeast makes a great popcorn seasoning! Try it added to baked potatoes, rice, quinoa etc. My favorite is to use the Taco blend. Delicious.
And one more recipe just for something for the kids too. Although this is not meant to be eaten, it is a safe as can be if some happens to go down the throat. Worse case scenario would be a tummy ache and a good bowel movement.
PLAY DOUGH 1 cup of flour ½ cup salt 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 cup water 1 tbsp oil 1 package of your favorite kool aid – this gives the play dough color and smell. Mix these together in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat until it forms a ball. Remove and cool.
Enjoy!
Much love to all,
Marie
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