Yesterday we learned about some basic pre-made spice blends. Today we’re going to talk about some individual spices and some spice blends you can make at home.

You may have noticed in yesterdays post that just about every spice blend included salt, pepper, onion and garlic. These are your base spices; they taste good with almost everything. Onion and garlic aren’t actually spices, their aromatics, but that’s another post. Since you’ll probably use a lot of these spices you’ll want to get a good kosher or sea salt, a good organic whole black pepper, an organic garlic powder and an organic onion powder. You’ll also need a spice grinder (though a dedicated coffee grinder works in a pinch) and some airtight containers. Spices should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place, not above your stove where they will soak up flavors, oil and steam.

For a long list of herbs and spices, as well as descriptions, photos and uses you can’t beat http://www.mountainroseherbs.com but I’ll list the most common here:
Basil
Bay Leaf
Cayenne
Celery Seed
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander Seed
Cumin
Curry Powder
Dill
Garlic
Ginger
Marjoram
Mustard Seed
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Pepper
Poppy Seed
Rosemary
Sage
Sesame Seeds
Star Anise
Thyme
Turmeric

Here are a few basic recipes we like:

Mexican Spice Blend
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Oregano
(This makes enough to season 1lb of meat or meat substitute. Omit the chili powder for an all purpose spice.)

Italian Spice Blend
2 tbsp Basil
2 tbsp Marjoram
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Thyme
1 tbsp Rosemary
1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
(Try this on garlic toast, pizza, spaghetti sauce, etc)

Sweet Spice Blend
3 tsp Cinnamon
3 packets Splenda
1/4 tsp Salt
Sprinkle over 8 cups of popcorn, mix into plain yogurt or dip fresh fruit into it. Experiment by adding nutmeg, cardamom, cloves or ginger.

These are just examples to get you started. You can find more spice blends by doing a search via Google. Remember, you will mess up, it’s ok, experimentation is part of the fun. Be bold!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 3:25 pm and is filed under Gluten Free Dieting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.