Do You ♥ MRS. Dash BUT Want Organic?
I have been using Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend for many years, including adding this blend to numerous recipes in my:
Groovy Green Kitchen cookbooks,
Weeknight Veggie Slow Cooker (Volume 1)
and
Simply, Super, Supper Soups (Volume 2)
It is a versatile, basic seasoning blend that worked well in a number or recipes.
Unfortunately, it is NOT organic and for me, that was definitely a negative, when it came to using Mrs. Dash.
I have been looking for a GOOD alternative that was ORGANIC for a long time and recently I finally found it! 🙂
is a herb and spice company based in Saskatchewan, Canada where I also grew up!
Stop by their site to check out all their certified organic herbs and spices and other fine culinary products. Also, where to buy in your area or online, see the store location and contact pages.
I just ♥ browsing their site!
So many culinary goodies to choose from and ones that I can REALLY feel good about using too. 😉
And, as far as a perfect ORGANIC substitute for Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning Blend, I like:
Splendor Garden Garlic Herb Seasoning SF (salt free)
It is VERY similar to Mrs. Dash in flavor, color and texture and best of all, all organic ingredients!
Can you tell I’m pumped about finding out about this company? 😉 I really am!
I’ve also tried and enjoyed their: Vegetable Seasoning, All Purpose Seasoning SF and Lemon Pepper Seasoning, so far.
Loved them all too, especially the Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
It has a nice “zing” to it and adds a fresh, slightly citrus note to all kinds of savory recipes.
I recently tried the Lemon Pepper Seasoning in my Tangy Barley Buttermilk Soup recipe and it worked great!
This easy, oh-so-satisfying soup recipe is featured in the:
The Groovy Green Kitchen: Simply, Super, Supper Soups,
my new soup cookbook and also in this previous recipe post.
I added some to the soup when it was cooking and also a sprinkle over each serving to add color, just before serving.
Yummy, tummy-satisfying good! 🙂
Happy (ORGANIC and HEALTHY) Cooking!
Raw Kale & Radish Pesto with Zucchini Noodles
Are you a fan of KALE?
Can’t say that I have been to date, 😉 in spite of liking almost every other kind of veggie there is!
But this post over at Girl Eats Greens grabbed my attention today, as I browsed the WP Reader.
Looks so yummy and healthy too. 🙂
Happy Eating and Week! G
One of my favorite things about spring turning into summer is all the deliciousness that continues to show up at my local farmer’s market. While I don’t buy all my groceries there, I do spend time every Sunday walking along with my pup and seeing what’s new to the market. What I’ve seen a lot lately? Fiddleheads. I have no idea what to do with them. But I’m dying to try them. I also stumbled upon a bunch of bright red radishes.
Growing up, I was never a fan of radishes, I thought they were too bitter. But as I’m getting older I think a lot of it had to do with the preparation of the radishes. As in, there wasn’t any. I was handed a whole radish to pop into dill dip. Radishes can have a pretty strong flavor – but if you break them down, thinly slice or…
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Got Pretzels to Use Up? Check Out This Recipe List! ;-)
I’m NOT a big fan of pretzels but I DO use them when I make:
The problem is, where we live, there seems to be no small bags of pretzels, just LARGE BAGS that leave me with a lot left over, when I make a batch of party mix.
Thought I’d check out some other ideas for using up pretzels today and I found this list:
27 Perfect Ways to Eat Pretzels
I’m still undecided what I’m going to try from this list, maybe the Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars or the snack mix.
But I definitely will be able to use up those pretzels! 😉
Do you like pretzels? Have any recipes to share that include pretzels? Please do! 😉
Happy Cooking!
Amazon Book “Breakthrough” on Black Friday :-)
Did you have a good time on Black Friday? Amazon sure made me smile yesterday! 😉
I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Happy Reading, Shopping and Cooking too!🙂
I was over at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca yesterday morning, browsing; along with a gazillion other shoppers and to my surprise and delight, 2 of my books/eBooks were on 3 Top 100 PAID lists! 🙂
Here’s a screenshot from around 9AM on Black Friday, over atAmazon.comfrom the:
Top 100 Paid List for Vegetarian Cookbooks:
The Groovy Green Kitchen: Weeknight Veggie Slow Cooker was at #75.
Not number 1 but heh on a Paid List, especially on Black Friday, I’ll take it. 😉
It’s a rare honor/treat to end up on any Top 100 List at Amazon, especially the paid lists considering the millions of books that are available at Amazon. I wasn’t able to see if I moved up any further later in the day as I was out and about with a lot of errands to do, but it sure was a nice way…
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If You Love Black Olives…
….like I do, you will ♥ this easy tapenade recipe. 🙂
Black Olive Tapenade
1 1/2 C. black olives (I use Kalamata)
1/4-1/2 C. chopped fresh basil (to taste)
1-2 T. fresh rosemary (to taste)
1-2 cloves garlic (to taste)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Blend in a food processor to a chunky consistency. Allow to cool in the fridge at least an hour to blend flavors. Keeps well in a sealed container or jar, in the fridge for about a week.
*****************************
Although I’ve been making an ongoing effort in the past few years to REALLY cut back on sodium in all kinds of foods, olives are still something I splurge on occasionally, in this regard.
I do wish they used less salt when curing them though. I have yet to taste any olives that weren’t extremely salty. And as I’ve cut down on salt, everything tastes saltier too.
But when it comes to this tapenade, a little goes a long way.
I like to spread it on crackers, wraps or in a sandwich. Yummmm! 🙂
Happy Snacking!
On the Menu This Weekend ;-)
I REALLY ♥ to cook, but sometimes it’s nice to have a day off from the kitchen, completely.
That’s where Joe comes in. 😉
When he’s home more on the weekends, he usually makes at least one supper and also a “mean” fry-up (yummm….) for Sunday morning breakfast.
I just sit back with my knitting needles on the couch and wait for my plate to arrive! 😉
This weekend, he’s going to be making Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Lasagna from one of my fav cookbooks:
The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson
Click the link above to read my review of this book. And for the yummy Sweet Potato Lasagna recipe, courtesy of the author and publisher of this book.
It’s a very easy lasagna recipe to make with an intriguing blend of flavors.
And as with all slow-cooker recipes, it’s great to just “set it and forget it” until it’s time to chow-down!!! Gotta ♥ that too.
Happy Cooking and Weekend!
I’m Baaack….and Some Pizza Too! ;-)
Homemade Zucchini, Onion and Artichoke Pizza
Well, I’m finally back online with a new computer and Windows 8 (fun, fun!!!) to learn. Why do they have to change these programs so much every time there’s an new edition? Makes no sense. 😦
Now I know first-hand why so many people are complaining about Windows 8.
Anyone else learning Windows 8 right now? If you have any quick tips to share, PLEASE DO!
Even simple things like minimizing a page etc…have changed. And I can’t figure out how to copy my photos from a USB drive, into the Photo app. on the start page.
I also have a gazillion emails and other things to catch up with.
But, I’ll get there, chipping away at the to-do pile, day by day.
I have missed blogging SO much!
I hope to get around to visit all my fav blogs by this weekend. I read a LOT of blogs so it might take a while. 😉
In the meantime, hope you enjoy this pizza crust recipe from my first cookbook: Not Just for Vegetarians. (see recipe below)
So easy to make and another thing I’m making ‘from scratch’ more and more these days.
What is your favorite pizza and do you make homemade too?
Happy Week and Happy Cooking! 🙂
***
Homemade pizza is so much better than commercial and for so many reasons.
Obviously, not as expensive. Ingredients not questionable (many commercial crusts contain lard) and of course the varieties you can have fun making are endless. Healthier choices made easy for a ‘fast food’ that has stood the test of time. Pizza will be around forever I think. I certainly hope so. Enjoy!!!!
This dough recipe makes enough for 2- (14″-15″) regular crusts OR 3- (12″-13″) thin crusts (my preference).
HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH
Pizza dough doesn’t have to be complicated to make. This way, you can be sure what you are eating; many commercial pizza crusts contain lard. This one is from my brother Wendell’s collection of recipes and it is one of the best I’ve ever made or tasted.
1 C. lukewarm (not hot) water
1 T. raw sugar or honey
2 T. dry Traditional yeast
¼ C. olive oil
½ teas. sea salt
2 ½-3 C. unbleached white flour
Optional: 1 T. mixed dried herbs of choice (oregano, thyme, savory etc…)
In a large bowl, combine lukewarm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir just once. Cover and let dissolve in a warm place, about 10-15 minutes, yeast should be frothy.
Add oil and salt and then stir in just enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured board and knead 100 times, adding more flour if required. Dough should be smooth and satiny but not dry. Note: Add dried herbs with the flour (opt.).
Grease mixing bowl and place kneaded ball of dough in it. Cover with a dampened tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 450 F. Grease pizza pans.
Divide dough in half (or 3 for thin crusts), spread out on prepared pans, forming a thin crust around edges. Hint: Wet your fingers slightly to help with this step.
Top crusts with a thin layer of tomato sauce ( go easy on this, too much means a soggy crust ) and toppings of choice.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, reduce heat to 400 F after first 10 minutes, if browning too fast.
Reprinted from: Not Just for Vegetarians, Delicious Homestyle Cooking, the Meatless Way by Geraldine Hartman. All rights reserved.
A Sneak Peek Recipe from My Upcoming Cookbook!
My new cookbook: The Groovy Green Kitchen II. Simply, Super, Supper Soups is coming along nicely! 😉
I’ve still got a lot of typing ahead of me, formatting and a few more recipes to develop. But well on the way.
In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a ‘sneak peek’ recipe to enjoy now:
Southern Nights Slow Cooker Veggie-Sausage Gumbo.
If you didn’t think gumbo could be good without shrimp or meat added to it, think again.
This version is truly: YUMMY GOOD! 🙂
What a perfect time of year to enjoy a bowl of hearty, stick-to-your ribs gumbo.
And this one is oh so easy, from the slow cooker!
I featured some herbs and spices from The Spice House in this gumbo and they have now added this recipe to their website for readers to enjoy there too. Hope you will as well!
Stay tuned for the second volume of The Groovy Green Kitchen, which I hope to have available at Amazon by the end of February.
And if you haven’t checked it out already, here’s a link to the first volume of that cookbook series:
(Kindle and Print versions available)
Happy Cooking! 🙂
***
Southern Nights Slow Cooker Veggie-Sausage Gumbo.
Copyright 2014, Geraldine Helen Hartman. All rights reserved.
Recipes for the Fall Harvest!
If you are inundated with garden produce right now (and isn’t that a wonderful thing!) or just enjoying the bounty from your local farmer’s markets; I hope you will enjoy this selection of harvest recipes from the archives. 🙂
Sam’s Famous Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Quick and Easy Zucchini Stir-Fry
(link includes recipe for Zucchini and Cheddar Fettuccini too.)
Naked Cake aka The Best Zucchini Chocolate Cake
(read the recipe, for more about the name!) 😉
Happy Cooking! 🙂
PS: My apologies for the very small print and a bit of wonky formatting in some of these previous recipe posts. For some reason, WP wouldn’t allow me to update to a larger font when I tried to do that tonight. 😦
The quirks of WordPress, eh? 😉
Hot Off the Press! My Late Summer Book Launch. ;<)
Taa…daa!!!
I just posted my book launch announcement over at:
Stop by to read about my two new books/eBooks and an upcoming free promotion that starts this weekend.
Happy Reading and Cooking ! :< )
VEGGIES, YARNS & TAILS 