Dry Seasonings

How many times do you read in recipes...Italian mix, Ranch mix, etc.  Not everyone has those on hand and to be honest, have you actually read the ingredients in pre-packaged versions?  Not exactly the healthiest choice (but hey...sometimes we are in a hurry!)

I purchased these little jars a few years ago...I'm not even sure from where to be honest with you.  I don't even think they were made to keep spices, but the lids are airtight and I can use my chalk pen to write on the glass bottom.  So, I have fallen in love with these little containers.

Back to the whole purpose of this lesson in spices.  Here is a list of some spices I have collected over the years and that I tend to use throughout my time in the kitchen.  Put them together, use them and then be creative and make some up yourself!

Ranch Mix:

2 Tbsp. Parsley

1.5 tsp Dill Weed

2 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Onion Powder

2 tsp Onion flakes

1 tsp Chives

~ 1 tsp each Salt & Pepper

Mix together dry seasonings.  You can also grind up in a food processor or coffee grinder to make a finer grain of mix.  Add 1 Tbsp to 1/3 cup Greek Yogurt and 1/4 cup Milk to make dressing.  

**For Fiesta Ranch Mix...add .5-2 tsp Cayenne or other suitable red pepper...it's all up to your own tastebuds!

Mediterranean Mix:

*borrowed from 21 Day Fix*

4 Tbsp Parsley

4 tsp Onion Flake

2 tsp Basil

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Sea Salt & Pinch of Pepper

Smokey Southwestern Mix

*borrowed from 21 Day Fix*

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Coriander

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

12 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Smoked paprika

1 tsp Sea Salt

Penner just absolutely LOVES his taco seasoning.  I'm not opposed...however, I prefer less ingredients.  You know, like ones I can actually say without having to sound them out.  It's always nice to actually know what the ingredient is as well without having to Google that ish, LOL.  We love using this recipe instead.

All Purpose:

*borrowed from 21 Day Fix*

4 tsp Onion Powder

2 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Mustard Powder

1/4 tsp Thyme

1/4 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Sea Salt

Pumpkin Pie:

1 tsp Ground ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Clove

1/4 tsp Cardamom

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Herbs de Provence:

2 Tbsp Each

Savory, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Fennel

Mix together dry seasonings.  You can also grind down into a finer grain, but this can be used as a wonderful rub,  You can also add tarragon or sage while removing other ingredients...this is a very flexible seasoning.

Watermelon Mint Popsicles

Sometimes I help out at my mom's fabulous store...if you don't know it, you NEED to know it!  We Olive is an awesome place to get certified EVOO, boutique wines, hand crafted items and killer gourmet foods.  Don't forget about the wine bar with tapas!!  Go check out their website for more info!

But back to the main reason I'm blogging today...they do these fabulous wine pairings to include wine makers coming out!  I like to help out with the pairing and plating during these dinners...hey, I get a full wine pairing dinner for free out of it!

The most recent one was a 5 course pairing with Don Suhr, the wine maker over at Suhr Luchtel Cellars.  We decided to do a palate cleanser on the 3rd course...little did I know I would be eating these tasty little morsels for the next month!  Even the hubby loved them! 

I don't have pictures of the process, but I do have a picture of the final product.  Don't worry...it's super easy to do.  I love my food processor, but you can easily do this project with a blender.  

Print Recipe:

1/2 Medium Seedless Watermelon

1/2 Lime

About 6 Mint Leaves

1/4 tsp Honey (optional)

Need:

30 1 oz plastic cups (or other item to create popsicles...can make bigger if you'd like)

30 "Popsicle sticks"

How:

Puree all ingredients together.  Taste them...add more of any ingredient to make the flavor to your tastebuds.  Pour into your popsicle containers...put in freezer.

When about 1/2 frozen, add your popsicle sticks to the center of your containers, then leave in freezer to finish.  You can keep your popsicles in a plastic container or baggie after fully frozen and removed from containers.

Lightbulb! I just thought of adding in some jalapeno/habanero to this watermelon popsicle.  Now, that would be interesting!

Alright all...keep on trying new things and let me know how it works out!

Savory Healthy Cookies...Say What????

Seriously craving a dessert last night, so I stared into my pantry and refrigerator.  Yes, this is typically how I cook.  Even when I have plans to make something I will normally these days (thank you pregnancy brain...if you can call it a brain...more like mush) forget something at the market and have to improvise.

I have had bananas in my fridge waiting for me to make banana bread...but that hasn't happened yet.  However, they do act as a wonderful binder and I was out of eggs.  I have a huge quantity of dry oats and for some reason have an excess of dark chocolate from making these no bake oreo pies for a wine tasting last week.  Yes, those were delicious and yes, you can have the recipe!

So...with 4 ingredients (due to the fact that I love cinnamon on/in everything these days) I made these cookies.  And Eric liked them!  Although he said they were more savory and richer than expected, he wanted something sweeter.  But DAAAANNNNNGGGG!!!! These were good!

2 Overripe bananas, 1 cup quick oats, 1/4 cup dark chocolate morsels and some cinnamon.  I just sprinkled it in there, but it was probably about 1.5tsp.  Threw this in my food processor and pressed blend for about 2 minutes.

Heat up the oven to 350F, then I used a tablespoon to scoop out the cookies.  No, they weren't all the same perfect size...but hey, I was doing this quick status!  

This honestly made 9 cookies, but I ate one to taste test before taking a picture.  Went in the oven for about 13 minutes and they come out crispy on the bottom and pretty soft on the top.  I think I may add in some nuts and maybe coconut next time!  A little extra crunch would be nice for me.

Printer Friendly Recipe:

2 Ripe Bananas

1 c. Quick Oats

1/4 c. Dark Chocolate Morsels

Cinnamon (optional)

Other options: nuts, coconut flakes, white chocolate, peanut butter chips, anything your little heart desires!

Process/mix all ingredients together.  Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350F.  From start to finish, this should take you a whole 25 minutes to make (including clean up).  Yummy, healthy and quick!

Overnight Chia Pudding

One of my faves!  This is the best breakfast in the world...or you can even make it into dessert by splitting it into 4 small bowls.  I mean, who doesn't want chocolate pudding for breakfast that is not only super delicious but incredibly healthy and let's not forget that it takes absolutely NO TIME to make it!

I absolutely love my Herbalife products.  Yes, I am a distributor.  No, you do not NEED to use these products, but I can say that I love them and have seen excellent results from clients and mentors.  But it is all up to you.  Here, you see I have used 1 serving of Dutch Chocolate (9g Protein) and 1 serving of Chocolate PDM (15g Protein).  I forgot to take a picture, but I also wanted some creaminess, so I used Organics Almond Milk.  You can see I just threw it all in my food processor (blender was in the dish washer and I was feeling pregnant and lazy, LOL)

Next I added a serving each of flaxseed and chia seeds to my pudding.  This not only helps with making it congeal, almost like a tapioca, but it adds incredible health benefits!  Throw in the blender, pour into a bowl of your choice, cover it up and let it sit overnight.

Not a great photo (sorry) but this is the end result this morning.  I sliced up 3 strawberries and a half banana to put on top.  I added 1/4 cup of dry oats and cinnamon.  I was craving something sweet, so I added about 1/2 teaspoon of honey lightly drizzled on top to satisfy my "Inner Brat".  Then I sat and read my book while enjoying this wonderful breakfast!

Print Friendly Recipe:
1 Serving of Chocolate Protein Powder
1.5 cups Almond Milk (or your choice)
3 Tbsp Flaxseed
3 Tbsp Chia Seed
1/2 Banana 
3 Strawberries
1/4 c Raw Dry Oats
Honey & Cinnamon (optional)

Mix first 4 ingredients, then cover and put in fridge overnight.  Slice fruit the following morning and add the last of the ingredients.  Enjoy!!

Be creative and mix up some ingredients!  Let me know about some other recipes to try and we can all just truly enjoy this great breakfast option!