Sunday, 19 January 2014

DIY Dry Mixes

Have you ever read the labels on pre-packaged powders and dressings? You might notice that you don't recognize many of the ingredients. You might find words like silicon dioxide, ethoxyquin, maltodextrin, polysorbate 60, propylene glycol alginate and many others. Personally, I am a little uncomfortable ingesting ingredients that I cannot pronounce and have no idea what they are.

Luckily, there is a quick and easy fix to my dilemma.

I am going to make my own mixes.

Besides the benefits of knowing exactly what is in my powders, I am able to limit or completely omit salts and sugars. Yes!

All of the following mixes can be stored in jars or bags in a cool, dry cupboard for up to 1 year. Each recipe makes enough powder to fill one 250 mL mason jars.

Ready? Here we go!



Curry Powder

2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger


Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground pepper


Pumpkin Pie Spice

3 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves


Seasoning Salt

1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp salt


Blackening Spice

2 Tbsp paprika
4 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (omit or lessen if you don't want a bit of a kick)
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano


Ranch Dressing Mix

4 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp dill
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp ground black pepper

Make Ranch Dressing

Mix together 1/4 cup milk with 1/3 cup mayonaisse. Once mixed, add 1 Tbsp of the ranch dressing mix. Use immediately.


Italian Dressing Mix

3 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
4 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp parsley
4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp celery seed

Make Italian Dressing

Mix 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tsp water, 1/2 cup hemp oil (or olive oil) and 2 Tbsp italian dressing mix.
Use immediately.

*Be creative with these powders. I use the blackening spice as a rub on fish to be used in fish tacos. I also use the italian or ranch dressing mixes in soups, stews and chili.