In this age of more health conscious eating, one aspect that I have found most appealing is making my own seasonings and sauces. My first endeavor in this was making my own taco seasoning. A bit skeptical at first, I looked at several recipes and found the most common ingredients and the result was a more pure tasting seasoning mix that we really liked. In fact, I use it to season a lot of different dishes such as chicken, corn on the cob, roasted veggies and even eggs. I store mine in one of my favorite Tupperware products-my spice keepers. These are air tight and prevent moisture and offer a shake or pour option. Another reason to make your own spice blends is that you eliminate the preservatives and added sugars that you probably don’t even realize are there. Seriously, why would you put sugar in taco seasonings? And, natural flavor, what exactly is that? I don’t know, but, I do know what is in my own mix. When I shop for the spices to use, I also check the labels to make sure the products are not filled with junk, so i know exactly what is in my mixture.
When I use this as taco seasoning, I would add 1/4 cup of water per lb and if you want it to thicken a little, you can add a 1/2 t of cornstarch. I do not add cornstarch to my mixture because I use it for other dishes. There is 4 tablespoons in a 1 oz pkg. of seasoning mix.
5 T chili powder
1 1/4 T garlic powder
1 1/4 T onion powder
1 1/4 T crushed red pepper flakes ( just add to season to your own taste)
1 1/4 T dried oregano
2 1/2 t paprika
2 1/2T ground cumin
2T sea salt
2T pepper
Put each of the spices in a bowl, mix and store. In order to remember how much you need for 1 packed of taco seasoning, you could put a label on the outside of the container.
I am soooo doing this! Thanks!