Healthier Home Made Taco Seasoning (No chemicals!)

I make a lot of Mexican food at my house.  One of the staples I am always buying at the grocery store is those little packets of taco seasoning for things like my Scrumptious Quesadillas and Tex Mex Chicken & Rice.  I am going to have to go back and amend those recipes to include today's easy home made fix, your own Taco Seasoning from the spices in your cupboard.

I saw the original recipe on Pinterest, and I made it and it was pretty good, but something was a little off.  I tasted a packet of store bought seasoning and right away I could tell that it was the salt.  Now, if you are watching your sodium, by all means, leave out the salt I put in here.  But if a little bit doesn't bother you, I think it does make a difference in the taste.

Here's what you need:

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp salt

This will make slightly more than a store bought packet.  A store bought packet has 4 Tbsp (6 servings of 2 tsp) and this recipe has 5 Tbsp (about 7 servings of 2 tsp).  It tastes very much like the store bought version, but if you compare the two you'll notice that this recipe does not make a toxic orange colored seasoning mix.  Nor does the home made version contain any Silica.  Do you know what silica is?  The seasoning packet says it's to prevent clumping, but if you look inside the box of a new pair of shoes or inside a new purse you'll find a little packet that says, "Do Not Eat".  That, my friends, is silica.  If we're not supposed to eat it, what the heck is it doing in taco seasoning?!?

The home made version also has 1/2 the sodium as the store bought kind.  Here is the nutritional information for about 2 tsp:  13.2 calories, 182mg sodium (which can be reduced to just 13.5mg if you eliminate the added salt), 2.5g carbs, .6g fiber and .5g protein.  A regular packet contains 420mg sodium per 2 tsp! 

It's so easy, and I'm sure you have most, if not all, the spices already.  I used an empty bottle of garlic powder, peeled off the label and printed a new label, which I taped on.  Also, I took a Sharpie and wrote the recipe for the mix on the back of the bottle so it will be easy easy easy to see it and mix up another batch.

Get Cookin'!
Lisa
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happyfairylove@live.com

Avocado "Hummus" (Recipe, Pics)

I am very well known the world over, ok, well maybe just in my family, but still...for my totally delicious guacamole.  I love avocados.  Tasty AND nutritious, chock full of good fats.  At the same time, I've tried several kinds of hummus and have never been able to find one that I like.  I take one taste and, like a kid, quickly take a drink to wash the taste out of my mouth.  Strange, too, because I like chickpeas.  Weird.  So when I saw a post for Avocado Hummus, I thought I'd give it a try since I like avocados so much.  I found it on Pinterest.  If you hover over the black bar on the right you can find my Pinterest link.  You can find the original Pin for this on my board called "Recipes That Look Really Good".  Although I did change the recipe just a tad from the original that's posted there.  I think technically it's not really a hummus because it's not made with chickpeas, nor does it have tahini. 

It must be really good because I told my daughter, Sami, to try it.  She sat down, and the next time I looked over she was gone and the bowl was nearly empty!  The kids think it tastes like my "famous" guacamole, with a little more kick.  I think it tastes similar, but different at the same time.  So much more economical, too, because the beans really stretch out one avocado.  So instead of spending $5 or $6 on avocados for our next Mexican dinner, I can buy 1 avocado and make mock hummus instead.  Yea!  Budget Saver that tastes good!  Score!

Here's how to make it:

1 can of white or Navy beans, drained and rinsed.
1 medium sized avocado, nice a ripe...not hard.
2 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put everything in a blender and chop it all up.  Stop the blender and mix it up a few times.  You might leave in a few whole beans for good texture.

This will surely be a crowd pleaser!  I have it pictured here with Pretzel Crisps, but it would be so delectable with any chopped or sliced vegetable.  Great for a party, to top Mexican foods, pita chips, or if you just feel like snacking instead of making dinner, have this and still get the nutrition of a small meal with those fresh, crisp veggies.  My avocado was 4.8 oz.  With that size plus the can of beans, I was able to get about 5 servings of about 1/4C each.  The stats for that are:  144.3 calories, 6.7g fat, 1g saturated fat, .8g polyunsaturated fat, 4.6g monounsaturated fat, 74.5mg sodium, 110mg potassium, 16.3g carb, 6g fiber, 5.4g protein. (4 Points Plus) Just make sure to add the calories and stuff for whatever you dip it with. 

I really hope you try this, either as a dip or as a topping.  I bet you get rave reviews for it.  Leave a comment here, and you can also drop me a line at happyfairylove@live.com.

Party It Up!
Lisa
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