I am a major proponent of the philosophy held by Hippocrates, “Let thy food be thy medicine.” Food is what nourishes us, provides us with the things our body needs in order to work properly. So if we don't take care to eat well, our health is sure to decline in some way. Keeping that in mind, I have a few things I do when I cook at home. One of them is that I try to “hide” herbs in all my food. Since I just introduced you to one of my favorite herbs to do this with, Ashwagandh, I figured I'd let you in one one of these secrets. I like to use adaptogenic herbs in my home made spice blends.
1. Now if you look at the ingredients present in a number of spice blends, you'll find that most of these already are packed full of healthy herbs. So I like to add a few other herbs to enhance their effects. But first, here is my basic, every day spice blend. I use this in all the savory recipes I make.
Every Day Stress-Free
¼ cup dried Nettle leaf
3 tablespoons Garlic Powder
2 tablespoons ground Ashwagandha
1 tablespoon ground Shiitake Mushroom
1 tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
Use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee/spice grinder to lightly grind any of the whole herbs. You want them to be coarse and not finely ground. Combine all the herbs in a bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light.
2. My husband and I really enjoy ranch seasoning. So I started making my own blend to make it a bit healthier, then I added adaptogenic herbs. We use this on just about everything. One of my favorites is sprinkling this on baked potatoes. Yum! If you want to make ranch dressing, simply add 1 tablespoon of this spice blend with 1/3 cup of your favorite mayonnaise, sour cream, or dairy free yogurt.
Relaxing Ranch
¼ cup dried Parsley leaf
1 tablespoons Dill Leaf
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon ground Ashwagandha
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
½ tablespoon Tulsi
½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Salt
Use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee/spice grinder to lightly grind any of the whole herbs. You want them to be coarse and not finely ground. Combine all the herbs in a bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light.
3. This blend works well as a blackening seasoning, or just a generic Cajun blend. I love making blackened chicken or tofu with this seasoning rub. You can also add this to a bit of lemon juice and olive oil to make a great salad dressing.
Crazy Cajun
5 tablespoons Paprika
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon ground Eluthero
4 teaspoons Salt
4 teaspoons ground Black Pepper
1 ½ teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper (or less if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 tablespoon Tulsi
1 teaspoon Thyme
½ teaspoon Oregano
Use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee/spice grinder to lightly grind any of the whole herbs. You want them to be coarse and not finely ground. Combine all the herbs in a bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light.
4. I can't like normal things, it's just not possible. So instead of just a plain Lemon Pepper blend, I have to spice it up, adding more adaptogens in the process.
Zesty Lemon and Herbs
Zest from 4-6 Organic Lemons
6 tablespoons ground Black Pepper
5 tablespoons Salt
2 tablespoons Tulsi
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
½ tablespoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or Paprika *optional
½ teaspoon ground Eluthero
Zest the lemons and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven on the lowest setting and leave until completely dry, around 70-80 minutes.
Use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee/spice grinder to lightly grind any of the whole herbs. You want them to be coarse and not finely ground. Combine all the herbs in a bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light.
5. Everyone likes Everything Bagels. But not everyone knows how delicious the seasonings are on other things such as avocado toast, salads, and veggies.
Simply Everything
1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
1 tablespoon Flax Seeds
1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
1 tablespoon dried Minced Onion
1 tablespoon dried Minced Garlic
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
½ tablespoon ground Shiitake Mushroom
½ tablespoon ground Ashwagandha
1 teaspoon Salt
Combine all the herbs in a bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container away from heat and light.
In any of these recipes, feel free to change the ingredients around. Try using other adaptogens such as Reishi, Licorice, or Astragalus. Have fun, play around, and let me know what you think below!
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