I love using spices when I cook, and I especially love the convenience of pre-packaged spice blends! But when I began looking at the salt content and additives in the packets, I thought there has got to be a better way! So here are five, very flavorful spice blends that will save you on salt and additives. Simple, flavorful and awesome!
Note: All spice blends will stay fresh in air-tight containers for up to 6 months.
Homemade Curry Powder Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Paprika
- 1/4 cup Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Fennel Powder
- 2 tablespoons Ground Mustard Powder
- 1 tablespoon ground Red Pepper Flakes – more or less to taste adds spiciness
- 3 tablespoons ground Coriander
- 1/4 cup ground Turmeric root
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cloves Powder – Adds complex flavor
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients into an air-tight jar and shake!
Homemade Italian Seasoning
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Basil leaf
- 1/2 cup Marjoram Leaf
- 1/2 cup Oregano leaf
- 1/4 cup cut and sifted Rosemary Leaf
- 1/4 cup Thyme Leaf
- 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients into an air-tight jar and shake!
Homemade Ranch Mix
Mix one tablespoon of this mix with 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk. This is also great sprinkled by itself onto fish or chicken before cooking.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup dried Parsley leaf
- 1 Tablespoon Dill leaf
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Basil leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together in jar or food processor (I used my single serve sized blender!).
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh lemon zest (zest approximately 10-12 lemons to get 1 cup)
- 1/3 cup peppercorns (black or mixed colors)
Preparation:
Place peppercorns in a food processor {or clean coffee grinder} and pulse just a few times until coarsely ground. Combine together in a bowl the fresh lemon zest and ground peppercorns and combine thoroughly. Pour out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place in oven on lowest setting (mine was lowest at 170 degrees). Bake for about 1 hour or until zest is dried. Place mixture back into food processor and pulse until finely ground.
For ideas on what to do with all those lemons you used to get the zest, check out another Simple Solutions Diva post! (Click Here)
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Click Here to see my zesty, homemade Taco Seasoning recipe!