How many of you use spices in daily meals? Which is your go to spices combination and why?

Hello,
How many of you use spices to make vegetables delish? I practice Ayurveda and we use spices and herbs for anything and everything.
What is your spice of choice and why?
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Replies

  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    How's a person supposed to pick just one?

    Garlic plus ginger
    Garlic plus oregano
    Ginger plus cilantro
    Coriander plus cumin
    Turmeric plus everything? (but never alone)
    cinnamon plus coriander
    Cayenne plus everything (but again, never alone)

    I guess if I had to live for months with just one, it would be garlic, or black pepper if you're talking spices.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    There's so many good ones:

    Garlic and cumin
    Garlic and basil
    Thyme and rosemary
    Garlic and cilantro
    Garlic and ginger

    Guess most of mine include garlic. 🙂
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
    I use a lot of recipes, so I use the spices that are listed there. Also I use cinnamon in my morning oatmeal. I also use ginger in stir-fry's, with lots of vegetables. I also use a bunch of spices when I am adding spices to ground beef for hamburgers: hot sauce, Cheyenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, grill seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. (Makes great burgers.) We like food with lots of heat.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Cinnamon nutmeg cardomom
    Basil lemon
    I could live on these combos alone!
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
    -chili powder and garlic
    -oregano and garlic
    -cinnamon and nutmeg
    -cumin and paprika
    -rosemary and thyme
  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 902 Member
    Paprika. I put that *kitten* on everything... Like how people do with salt as a basic seasoning, salt & paprika is a must for me.

    Other than that... Garlic? But more than a 'seasoning', I add chopped/minced garlic.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    Daily I use this combo on everything savory....


    onion powder (TONS, I like the super finely powdered kind)
    nosalt salt
    truvia
    stevia
    italian seasoning

    I love the sweet and salty with the truvia/nosalt salt. This combo tastes best with added condiments (hot sauce, mustard, etc)

  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,022 Member
    Use tons of combos but paprika, garlic, salt & pepper on sweet potatoes is amazing
  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,022 Member
    PixelPuff wrote: »
    Paprika. I put that *kitten* on everything... Like how people do with salt as a basic seasoning, salt & paprika is a must for me.

    Other than that... Garlic? But more than a 'seasoning', I add chopped/minced garlic.
    Haha same!!!
  • joolsmd
    joolsmd Posts: 375 Member
    I love all spices - I eat a lot of chilli. I also enjoy cardamom in my overnight oats, and allspice in my porridge. I put garlic and ginger in most curries and stews, and coriander seed compliments most root vegetables. Too many combinations to land on just one or 2. I don't use salt in my cooking so ensure I use herbs and spices to brighten it up. :)
  • Mbierschbach
    Mbierschbach Posts: 94 Member
    I eat a pretty bodybuilder-type diet, so think lots of grilled chicken breast, brown rice, raw veggies multiple times a day. I find that Mrs. Dash is a pretty great seasoning blend for my week's worth of brown rice (put it right in the steamer with the rice and water) and for my egg whites. I tend to prefer it now in my eggs to salt and pepper. Gives a nice bit of texture and a more complex flavor.

    I use all kinds of the above mentioned spices in my dinner preps for family. I cook a lot of Asian foods, Italian, and several marinated/rubbed grilled meats.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Everything but the bagel, but I made my own and left out the garlic, I don’t like toasted garlic.
    Onion powder, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, flake salt, pink Himalayan salt, smoked salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger, all spice, Old Bay seasoning.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Cumin
    Coriander
    Smoked paprika
    Sweet paprika
    Ancho chili
    Garlic, onion, and celery of course (though usually fresh).
    Ginger (also usually fresh)
    Basil (fresh again whenever possible)
    Penney's pizza spice (a regular in our pasta dishes).
    Which reminds me - fennel seeds
    Various curries
    Cayenne
    :heart: our pepper grinder and flaky salt containers.

    I could go on. A spice rack isn't sufficient. I need a spice cabinet. Right now they reside in resealable bags in a cabinet, with the most frequently used in bottles on a reach by the stove and the shelves over the sink. Seriously, they're everywhere.
  • durhammfp
    durhammfp Posts: 494 Member
    edited April 2019
    I love all spices. I usually try to get turmeric with black pepper in every day, in something. I love roasting things with rosemary or coriander.

    One of my go-to dishes is to crack a bunch of whole coriander seeds (using a rolling pin and a freezer bag) and then toss the cracked coriander with olive oil and sweet potato chunks before roasting....mmmmmmm.

    I also love cardamom and fenugreek but really don't know enough about how to incorporate them in my diet every day, outside of some obvious indian dishes.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Hello,
    How many of you use spices to make vegetables delish? I practice Ayurveda and we use spices and herbs for anything and everything.
    What is your spice of choice and why?

    I tend to use herbs more than spices: thyme, oregano, chives, basil, dill, sage, and tarragon are my go-to

    For spices, I do use Cumin, mustard powder, coriander, ginger, and turmeric.

    I consider pepper in a category all its own and use a LOT of it. I have one peppermill with just black pepper and have another that I mix whole black pepper, coriander, allspice, and Szechwan peppercorns in.

    I also use a lot of minced garlic (I buy it in quart jars).

    A few things are essential, but not used a lot: I bake around the holidays with cardamom. Nutmeg gets used in egg dishes. Cinnamon goes into my oatmeal. Chili powder goes into chili a few times every winter but I don't use it for much else. Same with paprika, I have a few stews it is essential for but I don't use it otherwise.
  • sytchequeen
    sytchequeen Posts: 526 Member
    edited April 2019
    I have a ridiculous spice collection :D

    Probably chilli / paprika / garlic / cumin gets used most. I certainly cook something middle eastern or indian once a week minimum. Even traditional British cooking (like Shepherds Pie) gets spiced up with something interesting.

    Edit to add: tonight I am making salmon. I don't know exactly what spices are going on it yet - whether I'm going oriental or cajun. I'll wing it later.
  • joolsmd
    joolsmd Posts: 375 Member
    Almost forgot - I also love weird spices and spice mixes like sumac and ras-al-hanout. I do love a nice tagine.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I have a ridiculous spice collection :D

    I had to whittle mine down after 4 years working for Penzeys. Cleaning up the seasoning shelf gave me a better idea of what I actually use. I also found I had several containers of the same thing (not to be confused with having 3 different cinnamons. Each has its own flavor and is used in different dishes)

  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I have a ridiculous spice collection :D

    I had to whittle mine down after 4 years working for Penzeys. Cleaning up the seasoning shelf gave me a better idea of what I actually use. I also found I had several containers of the same thing (not to be confused with having 3 different cinnamons. Each has its own flavor and is used in different dishes)
    So true! Also true of cocoa.

    I'd need a bigger kitchen if I worked for Penzey's. Heck, I need one now!

  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    Most frequently used in my house in various combinations are:
    garlic
    cumin
    coriander
    red chile powder
    green chile
    cayenne
    garlic powder
    pepper
    basil
    rosemary
    oregano
    thyme
    cinnamon
    nutmeg
    allspice
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't have a "go to"...my spices take up an entire cupboard and I use them all depending on what flavor profile I'm looking for.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    I have a ridiculous spice collection :D

    I had to whittle mine down after 4 years working for Penzeys. Cleaning up the seasoning shelf gave me a better idea of what I actually use. I also found I had several containers of the same thing (not to be confused with having 3 different cinnamons. Each has its own flavor and is used in different dishes)
    So true! Also true of cocoa.

    I'd need a bigger kitchen if I worked for Penzey's. Heck, I need one now!

    I usually use Natural but have a couple of desserts that work better with Dutched so I keep a smaller supply (8 oz bag instead of a pound) of that on hand.
  • wishfuljune
    wishfuljune Posts: 2,607 Member
    shaf238 wrote: »
    Use tons of combos but paprika, garlic, salt & pepper on sweet potatoes is amazing

    I also add parsley for some brightness to this. I love this combo on sweet potatoes.

    We use a lot of paprika, chili powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, minced garlic, thyme, cilantro, ginger, curry, masala, cinnamon, thyme, rosemary, dill, basil, etc.

    you name it, we probably have it in our spice cabinet.
  • Roza42
    Roza42 Posts: 246 Member
    Berbere, cumin, curry spice mixes, apricot chipotle glaze, Trader joes 21 seasoning, a bruschetta seasoning mix, sage, garlic goes with everything, fresh basil pureed with garlic and olive oil, cinnamon with cardamom and clove,
  • AmyC2288
    AmyC2288 Posts: 386 Member
    ... sooo I'm the only one that just uses seasoned salt on everything? :p
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    edited April 2019
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    ... sooo I'm the only one that just uses seasoned salt on everything? :p
    I have it in my spice cabinet, but only use it when I make Chex Mix. But, when I was growing up, my Dad used it on all our grilled meat.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    If I could only have 5 spices, they would be:

    1. Salt
    2. Pepper
    3. Italian seasoning
    4. Berbere https://smile.amazon.com/Frontier-Berbere-Seasoning-ORGANIC-Bottle/dp/B005WDVQHG/
    5. Pumpkin pie spice

    But since I am not limited I have a ridiculous amount of spices :lol:

    Yesterday I made Mujadara, which is Lebanese, with Berbere seasoning, which is Ethiopian :smiley:

    Last week I mixed up chai spice mix to I could make chai tea with cheaper black tea rather than buying pre-added chai tea bags. I started with this recipe and added more cardamom https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/chai-spice-blend/
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Last week I mixed up chai spice mix to I could make chai tea with cheaper black tea rather than buying pre-added chai tea bags. I started with this recipe and added more cardamom https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/chai-spice-blend/

    Yummy! Don’t you love her website?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    The idea of a "go-to" sort of defeats the whole point of spices, in my mind. I use them to add variety, to complement specific foods in ways that are specific to that food, and to create specific favor profiles or specific dishes/recipes. If I want something that tastes like a Mexican dish, I'm not going to use the same combo that I would for a Chinese dish or a Thai dish or an Italian dish, etc. I like cinnamon, but outside of chili, I'm not likely to use it on meat. I like garlic, but I'm not putting it in my oatmeal (unless I'm serving oatmeal as a savory side in lieu of rice or noodles).
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    ... sooo I'm the only one that just uses seasoned salt on everything? :p

    I have never used it.