Spice up your cooking life! 10 spice combinations to add flavor to your meals without the guilt.
One thing that I have learned to do when it comes to the foods that I eat, is to really dissect why I love the foods that I do.
I have realized that I enjoy the seasonings more than the actual foods. For instance - I eat french fries only for the ketchup. Chips only for the hot sauce and salsa. In fact I find that I eat a lot of foods for the sauces and condiments.
I used to LOVE Italian sausage. When I went vegetarian, and then vegan, I still found myself smelling it at restaurants and thinking... oh man I miss that.
What I missed were the seasonings, that flavor of fennel seed, red pepper, and herbs - not the sausage itself. I started to think about what other seasonings make up some of my favorite less healthy things to see if I could replicate the flavor without the fat and calories, or meat.
I wanted to share some seasoning mix ideas with all of you so that if you decide to clean up your eating, you can still get all of the flavors and tastes you love!
*10 Spice Shortcuts To Make Healthy Foods Taste Great*
Fresh lime, cilantro and red pepper flakes for Mexican-inspired meats, soups, fish and vegetables
Lemon, olive oil and fresh garlic for Mediterranean-style fish or salads
Mustard, olive oil and lemon for grilled vegetables, salads and chicken; you can give this a little kick by using spicy mustard instead of yellow
Cilantro, Avocado, and lemon puree, which adds a crisp flair to vegetables and salads.
Cumin, turmeric and ginger for a Middle-Eastern, Indian-inspired mix to chicken, beans and meat.
Curry powder or Muchi Curry (available at Whole Foods) for Indian flavors.
Ginger, garlic and red onion, which is great for all meats. This is the base used for Chicken Tikka.
Oregano, basil, and thyme for Italian-inspired meals great for vegetables, chicken and fish.
Wasabi, lemon and ginger for Japanese-inspired fish, and vegetables like asparagus and broccoli.
Coconut milk (canned, low-fat), red pepper flakes, lime and onions for Thai-inspired dishes, and great for meats, vegetables and fish.
You can also use these spices to make easy salad dressings - just mix in a little oil if you like and shake until you get the consistency you like.
Enjoy and feel free to post up some of your favorite spice mixes here, to share!
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