Spice Essentials & 5 Homemade Seasoning Blends
FitMenCook
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is truly a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and enjoying adequate exercise. By experimenting in the kitchen and openly sharing my meals, I learned that healthy eating is hardly boring and that by making a few adjustments, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my personal fitness goals. Our bodies are built in the kitchen and sculpted in the gym.
Flavor can make or break any recipe which is why I encourage people to spend equal amounts of time trying new fresh foods AND experimenting with new spices and seasonings. It can be a little daunting at first, especially when you are unfamiliar with a lot of spices, but it’s much easier than you think. Just start with a base/core group of spices and work you up from there.
Below is my A-Team list, or better stated, essential seasonings, dried herbs and spices that I use weekly to bring my food to life. It’s by no means exhaustive but these are among the most common.
MY ESSENTIALS
SEASONINGS
- onion powder
- garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
- paprika OR smoked paprika
- cayenne
- cumin
HERBS
- oregano
- rosemary
- thyme
SPICES
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- allspice
CREATING BLENDS
The next step after identifying your essential spices and seasonings is learning how to pair them together to create blends and rubs for your food. This is the fun part! To help you get started, I have created and re-created some common store-bought blends to show just how easy it is to get started. The good thing about creating your blends is that you can customize them to meet YOUR flavor preferences. Some people may like something spicier or nuttier or sweeter or milder, etc – so the blends that follow are largely “written in pencil,” meaning use them as an overall guide and “initial compass.” Make them your own!
SODIUM
Sodium has gotten a bad rep in the healthy eating community. But, sodium is especially important for active individuals because of the loss of fluids and electrolytes during workouts. So, it’s important to not only stay hydrated and drink adequate amounts of water, but also incorporating moderate sodium into your regular diet to help regulate water levels in the body.
To better control and regulate how much sodium, I recommend seasoning to taste whenever possible at the end or middle of recipes. When we add salt at the very beginning we can easily over season the food and use way more sodium than necessary. So, I’ll generally add sea salt after the flavors of the recipe have melded and I just need a pinch of sea salt & pepper to get that serving “just right” (for me). Same goes with blends whenever possible – I keep the sodium at minimal amounts, or remove altogether, and then add sea salt to taste for each portion of food.
Chili Seasoning Blend
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic (granulated or powder)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 tablespoons paprika (or smoked paprika)
- 1 tablespoon ground oregano (or dried)
Mix seasonings together and place in a spice jar. To taste the blend, place 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of your hand, add a pinch of sea salt and taste. Customize the blend with more/less of desired ingredients.
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Cajun Seasoning Blend
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder (store bought or your homemade blend)
- 1/4 cup smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic (granulated or powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon cayenne (or more if you like it HOT)
- 2 tablespoon ground thyme (or dried)
- 1/2 tablespoon ground sage (OPTIONAL)
Mix seasonings together and place in a spice jar. To taste the blend, place 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of your hand, add a pinch of sea salt and taste. Customize the blend with more/less of desired ingredients.
Sweet Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons smoked paprika (OR chili powder if you like it spicier)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground oregano (or dried)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (granulated or powder)
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
Mix seasonings together and place in a spice jar. To taste the blend, place 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of your hand, add a pinch of sea salt and taste. Customize the blend with more/less of desired ingredients.
Herb Seasoned Salt
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sea salt (or ground Himalayan pink salt)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (granulated or powder)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne.
Mix seasonings together and place in a spice jar. To taste the blend, place 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of your hand and taste. Customize the blend with more/less of desired ingredients. Note: this blend is a SALT REPLACEMENT so use a pinch or two of this in recipes INSTEAD OF using regular sea salt.
Thai Coconut Seasoning Rub
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried (or toasted) coconut flakes
- 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 2 teaspoons peanut powder
Place ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend and process until well mixed, textured, fragrant rub. Place in a spice jar. To taste the blend, place 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of your hand, add a pinch of sea salt and taste. Customize the blend with more/less of desired ingredients.