My favorite thing about summer is smelling the charcoal being prepped and ready to grill up some good eats. I love the grill because it is so versatile, you don’t have to only grill meats, you can grill veggies for a delicious side, pizza for a healthy homemade dinner or fruit for a nice sweet after dinner treat. I love to experiment grilling with different foods, but you can really change things up by using herbs and spices.
McCormicks published an infographic demonstrating it only takes 10 spices to have endless flavor. By mixing and matching cayenne, pepper, cumin, garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, ginger, basil and turmeric you can flavor your meal to be Tex Mex, French, Chinese, Italian, Indian or Thai.
If you’re anything like me you never know what herbs and spices to use on food. For meats try rosemary on your chicken, make Mongolian beef using ginger, and use a dill sauce with pork for a German flair. I love vegetables when I use rosemary on my potatoes, fresh squeezed lemon on asparagus, and a fresh leaf of sage sautéed with squash. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on halved peaches and grill for a low calorie sweet dessert.
Spices help elevate our food to five-star restaurant caliber. These spices will help you prepare healthier meals as well. When you learn to create dish’s using spices and herbs, you will rely less on salt and butter for flavor. Next time you prepare a meal and don’t have a recipe handy, use this chart to flavor the dish, depending on what type of food you are having. Spices can be expensive, but if you have these 10 staple seasonings in your pantry, you can create amazing dish’s without too much expense.
This summer when you fire up your grill, do me a favor and pull out a spice you have never used before. Try it out and see what delicious creations you can prepare.
Monica Nagele is the Montgomery County Extension Educator and County Extension Director, Health and Human Science. She is a registered dietitian. The Extension office is at 400 Parke Ave., Crawfordsville; 765-364-6363. She may be reached by email at mwilhoit@purdue.edu.