Homemade Taco Seasoning

This is a mix I have used for quite a while for anything that you want that bit of Mexican flavour with. I have always called it taco spice, but it works equally well for fajitas and nachos too.  I really like knowing what ingredients are in spice mixes, and this gives you complete control. Smoked paprika gives a wonderful smoky flavour to the mix. If you cannot find it, a regular paprika would do, just not a hot one. If you like it spicy, use the whole amount of cayenne. As always, choose organic herbs and spices whenever possible. The oregano that I used this time was dehydrated from my garden. I used my mortar and pestle to grind it up. 

The onion powder is from a batch I made last year...I dehydrated a whole load of onions, and then ran them thru the blender to make my own onion powder. 

This mix works equally well with beef, chicken or turkey too! The recipe makes enough to just fill a 1 cup mason jar, and it should store well for at least 6 months in your cupboard.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

8 tsp chili powder

6 tsp smoked paprika

1-2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp salt

4 tsp cumin powder

4 tsp dried oregano

4 tsp arrowroot powder

2 tsp coconut sugar

4 tsp onion powder

Mix all ingredients together well and store in a 1 cup glass mason jar.

To use: Brown 1 lb meat of your choice (ground beef, chicken, turkey, chicken or turkey chunks or strips, strips of steak, etc) in , drain fat if desired. 

Add 3 TBSP of taco spice and ½ cup water to the pan.  Mix in well and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the sauce is thickened, approx 3-4 minutes.  Serve as desired. 

Moroccan Chicken and Lentil Soup

These last few days of cold spring weather have left me craving soup. Salads on a cold day just don’t seem to warm your insides the way a nice bowl of soup does.  I had a big bowl of bone broth waiting to be bagged for the freezer, so I decided to make some soup for our lunch tomorrow with some of it. These spices are used together in a rub that we love on chicken. ( I think that recipe came from one of those old smaller sized  Chatelaine type recipe magazines that you see in the grocery store check outs?) We have used it here forever, and had it on some drumsticks on the grill this past week.  I thought these warming flavours would go really well in a soup, and my intuition was bang on. The lime definitely makes it...although it is not the first thing you taste, it pulls all of the flavours together beautifully.

I added the cooked lentils at the end, they were kind of a last minute inspiration, but they seemed to compliment the Moroccan vibe going on in the soup pot. I imagine you could add them dry when you add the stock and water to the soup and cook them at the same time, as they generally take about 20 minutes to cook on their own .

You can easily convert this soup for vegetarians by using veggie broth  and leaving out the chicken.

Moroccan Chicken and Lentil Soup

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

1 ½ cups chopped carrots

2 cups purple cabbage roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp allspice

4 cups chicken bone-broth

1 cup water

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup pre-cooked chicken

1 cup pre-cooked lentils**

Sauté the onion in the coconut oil over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrots, cabbage and garlic. Continue to sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the veggies are getting some nice brown colour. Stir in the cinnamon, cumin curry and allspice and sauté for another minute.  Add the chicken broth, salt and water, and the juice of the lime. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Add the chicken and the lentils and simmer another 8 minutes, until everything is nice and soft and fragrant.

  Serve hot!

**To cook lentils on their own, rinse 1 cup of dried lentils, pick out any debris or stones. Place in a pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce right away to a simmer. DO NOT ADD SALT until they are cooked! Cook  for about 20 minutes or until they are just softened. Drain any extra liquid, and use as desired.