Nutrition: Using Spices in Cooking

I’ve had a request about how to use spices to season foods/ to make healthy foods more tasteful. I thought this was a great idea and thought I’d share my tips! I feel like when I cook I use at least 3 spices at all times!

Parsley

Parsley is a spice I use all.the.time. I almost never leave it out when I’m cooking. Honestly, I don’t think it has too much of a taste but it sure makes the food look prettier! It is a subtle spice that can improve taste and presentation. I’ll use it when I’m cooking chicken, fish, pasta, rice, crab salad, beef, pizza, pretty much anything and everything!

Basil

Basil is another great spice! I really like it on chicken and salmon with some butter and parsley. It’s a spice that really ups your recipe and gives it an Italian flavor I think. It always reminds me of Olive Garden. It also has a more peppery flavor to it.

Oregano

Again, oregano is great to put on all the foods I listed above. It does have a more distinct and strong taste, but I don’t think you can over do it. But then again, I really love spices.

Rosemary

Ah rosemary…this is what makes or breaks a pizza (along with basil). It is also so good on chicken too! It can be pretty strong though, especially if you get it ground so be careful when sprinkling it on your foods!

Thyme

Thyme is a spice I don’t use quite as often as the others listed above. I like it more on beef and chicken than on other dishes. My mom also puts it in her stuffing at Thanksgiving and it’s soooo good. It can also be pretty strong.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that is sure to add color! When I first went dairy free the cheese would never be the same color when mom would make mac’ and cheese. So she decided to add turmeric and sure enough it helped add color! She also adds goat cheese which is amazing! I think turmeric does have a pretty recognizable taste so I don’t use very much of it. I mostly use it either when I’m making mac’ and cheese or when I’ll throw beef or chicken in the crockpot with potatoes and veggies! A little goes a long way with it too.

Dill

Dill is a spice I really like but don’t use as often. I almost always put it on fish, like tilapia, flounder or salmon. I’ll also use it when I make crab salad and as a dill dip- just add some mayo!

Ginger

Ginger is a spice I’ve very recently came to cooking with (again, because of mom). I noticed that it helps alleviate my GI symptoms significantly- especially when I eat eggs. A little goes a long way so use sparingly! It’s also good to put in lemon tea when having GI flares.

Garlic

Garlic is a pretty typical spice people use. You can put it on about anything too. I like using garlic powder the most because fresh garlic is so strong- but so good!

Onion

Again, onion is a pretty typical spice too. It can be used on about anything- chicken, fish, beef, pasta, all the food.

All of the spices listed go great with potatoes, protein and veggies! Basil and oregano together are the perfect combo for an Italian flavor. Interested in seeing a recipe of me using some of the spices? Comment below with what you want to see!

Ciara