Spice it Up

I like good food. I make no apologies for my love of food- and I'm not willing to sacrifice good food or good flavor for Weight Watchers. The great news is that I don't have to! For all too many cooks, "good" equals creamy, buttery, oozing with fat- or fried, crispy, crunching with fat. However, good- make that great- food can also be easily achieved by adding true flavor-not fat- to dishes. I love my spice rack. Many of the Filling Foods on the Momentum plan are basic, healthy foods. In their basic form, they don't necessarily have a strong flavor-- but add a dash of dill, a shake of sage, or a tad of turmeric and you've transformed your basic grain, veggie or protein into a filling and flavorful food!

Certainly I do use healthy fats (oils )when I cook too, but I've learned to develop the flavors in my foods through spice, rather than fat, when I cook. I rely on the oils to be the background or to add texture to my dishes- they are not the main attraction so to speak. Even when using a "light" recipe, I sometimes find myself scaling back the fat, and increasing the spices.

Since this week's meeting topic is on cutting costs while saving calories, I'll mention here that spices do not have to be costly. Sure- shop at a standard store and you'll pay a premium price for spices, but consider buying spices in bulk (how much marjoram do you really need after all?) to cut costs, or check out an ethnic grocery store for great deals on the spices that you use the most. Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Asian grocery stores all have significantly lower costs on the spices native to their region. Plus, wandering around these grocery stores can be a lot of fun too!

The shelf-life of spice varies- but chances are you've got spices that have been sitting around well past their prime. Again, that's why the bulk shopping comes in handy. For example, the other day I bought 1 teaspoon of cardamom for a specific recipe. I think that it cost me 11 cents. I can assure you that (a) a whole jar of cardamom probably would have cost me close to $5.00 and (b) I never would have used anywhere close to the entire jar before the expiration date past. Unlike some other food products, the "expiration date" of spices are not likely linked to food safety; rather, the date is to ensure that you get the intended power- or flavor- of the spice.

I got an email today from the Savory Spice Shop in Denver about a great promotion that they are doing in the month of June. In an effort to encourage customers to ditch dated spices and replace them with fresh and flavorful jars, they are offering an incentive: Bring in any full or almost empty bottle of any competitor's spice, and they will give you $1.00 off any new jar of any spice in the shop. They'll toss the old spices, recycle the jars, and help you select the perfect new spice to add just the right flavor to your foods. Check out the details at http://www.savoryspiceship.com/. I am a fan of the Savory Spice Shop anyway, but this added bonus has inspired me to dust off any old jars, and refresh my spice rack this month!