Showing posts with label spice blends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spice blends. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

DIY Vegetable Bullion




 

       As much as I love spending time in my kitchen, and as much as I’d love to be able to take the time to make certain foods 100% from scratch, I also have the very modern problem of not having the time on my hands, all the time, to do so. Some things that tend to help me make sure my family is fed in the healthiest way possible involve preparing certain staples to keep either in my pantry or my freezer. One of those things is bullion. I know, I could easily buy bullion (and have done so before) at the store, so why bother making it? One of the reasons is that I am not always able to find the healthiest, most natural bullion in the stores. A lot of bullion tends to contain ingredients that are not the best, such as MSG. Another reason is that sometimes I want to make something a little different and the flavor of the bullion kind of restricts my creativity. If I have my own bullion blends on hand, I can customize them almost endlessly, and I can also make sure that they are healthy. So here are some of my favorite blends for DIY Bullion.




1. This is the basic flavor profile of just about every kind of bullion. Want something more exotic? Try replacing some of the herbs in this for other seasonings. Try throwing in a little lavender or mint to give it more of an interesting flavor. Try using all Indian or Mediterranean seasonings.



Basic Vegetable Bullion Powder


Ingredients
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
3 tbsp Onion Powder
2 tbsp Parsley Flakes
1 tsp dried Sage
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried Basil
½ tsp dried Rosemary
½ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Celery Seed
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper




Instructions:
     Add all ingredients to a jar and shake or to a bowl and whisk thoroughly until blended well.

     To use, for broth, combine one heaping tablespoonful to one cup hot water: 1 Tablespoon mix + 1 cup hot water. You can also use this as a seasoning blend for a wide variety of foods.

To make it more powdery:
     Add all ingredients to the blender or food processor and process/blend until the desired consistency is reached. Because the final product is broken down more, you’ll want to adjust the measurements when using to 1 teaspoon mix + 1 cup hot water.



2. This one reminds me of a beef bullion, because of the mushrooms. They add a very “meaty” kind of flavor to the mix.


Magical Mushroom Bullion


Ingredients
1 ounce dried Wild Mushroom Mix (Really, you can use any mushrooms you find tasty. Morels are delicious, but pricey. Many people use Shitake here, sometimes I just use Maitake.)
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
3 tbsp Onion Powder
2 tbsp Parsley Flakes
1 tbsp powdered Reishi
1 tbsp powdered Shitake
1 tbsp powdered Chaga
½ tsp dried Thyme
½ tsp dried Oregano
½ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Celery Seed
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper


Instructions:
     Place mushrooms into a clean spice grinder, blender, or food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Allow a couple minutes for the powder to settle. Remove the lid to you food processor and add all other ingredients. Pulse and process until a fine powder.

     To use, for broth, combine one heaping teaspoonful to one cup hot water: 1 Teaspoon mix + 1 cup hot water. You can also use this as a seasoning blend for a wide variety of foods.

3. I love lemon chicken soup. This is my attempt at creating a vegetarian bullion with that same flavor profile. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


Lemon Pepper Vegetable Bullion


Ingredients
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Onion Powder
2 tbsp Parsley Flakes
1 tbsp dried Lemon Zest
½ tsp Black Pepper
½ tsp dried Lemon Balm
¼ tsp dried Oregano
¼ tsp dried Basil
¼ tsp Turmeric
¼ tsp Celery Seed
¼ tsp Sea Salt



Instructions:
     Add all ingredients to a jar and shake or to a bowl and whisk thoroughly until blended well.

     To use, for broth, combine one heaping tablespoonful to one cup hot water: 1 Tablespoon mix + 1 cup hot water. You can also use this as a seasoning blend for a wide variety of foods.

To make it more powdery:
     Add all ingredients to the blender or food processor and process/blend until the desired consistency is reached. Because the final product is broken down more, you’ll want to adjust the measurements when using to 1 teaspoon mix + 1 cup hot water.


4. This bullion blend is one that I use when my family is going through majorly stressful times. It’s full of adaptogenic herbs that help us to deal better with stress. If you don’t like the herbs I have chosen, feel free to substitute your own favorite adaptogens.


All’s Well Bullion


Ingredients
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Parsley Flakes
½ tsp dried Sage
½ tsp dried Oregano
¼ tsp powdered Reishi
¼ tsp dried Rosemary
¼ tsp Turmeric
¼ tsp Celery Seed
¼ tsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper


Instructions:
     Add all ingredients to a jar and shake or to a bowl and whisk thoroughly until blended well.

     To use, for broth, combine one heaping tablespoonful to one cup hot water: 1 Tablespoon mix + 1 cup hot water. You can also use this as a seasoning blend for a wide variety of foods.

To make it more powdery:
     Add all ingredients to the blender or food processor and process/blend until the desired consistency is reached. Because the final product is broken down more, you’ll want to adjust the measurements when using to 1 teaspoon mix + 1 cup hot water.





     If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. Feel free to play around with these recipes and experiment with different seasonings. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates. Find me on YouTube and check out my videos! I also have a few things up on Teespring, check it out! Also, if you like what I do and what to see more, Become a Patron!

Friday, June 14, 2019

Stress Free Spice Blends








     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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     Welcome to Bat Lady Herbals.  I have been fascinated by herbs and various herbal uses for quite a few years now.  Plants are amazing t...