30 Days, 30 Ways: Spice it Up!

All throughout January we’re bringing you 30 Days, 30 Ways to Good Health, a series of easy strategies for overall wellness (and because we love food, it’s focuses on the foods and cooking techniques to add into your life instead of what to take away.)  Read on for our latest eat well strategy: spice it up!

 

Freshly-ground spices enhance the flavors of food without adding any additional fat. Buy spices like cumin and coriander as whole seeds and grind them as needed; you’ll be surprised by how much they add to the complexity, aroma and flavor of your food.  Need inspiration? Here are a few of our favorite recipes.

 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cumin and Cilantro In this simple recipe, sweet potato wedges are lightly seasoned with ground cumin before roasting and then dusted with chopped cilantro when served.

Chicken Kabobs with Tandoori Spices Tender pieces of chicken marinated in yogurt and Indian spices like cumin and coriander make a quick and delicious meal. Serve with basmati or brown rice and warm pita.

Moroccan Lamb Meatball Soup This dish combines a plethora of warm spices–cumin, cinnamon, curry, and coriander, just to name a few–to create a fragrant base for lamb meatballs and Israeli couscous.

Winter Squash with Spiced Couscous Acorn squash has sweet, orange flesh that is complemented by the spiced couscous. Simply cube the squash, roast in chunks and stir into the cooked couscous.

Jerk-Spiced Pork KabobsJerk seasoning, a combination of chilies and other spices that has come to be used around the world, originated in Jamaica. Here, it lends a fiery kick to a cut of pork—the tenderloin—that because of its leanness requires a powerful flavoring component.

Roasted Squash Salad with Curry Vinaigrette Curry powder is known to aid digestion and boost metabolism. It adds great warmth and spice to this vinaigrette, which also makes a delicious marinade for meat and fish.

Smoky Eggplant Dip with Cumin-Crusted Pita Chips Roasted garlic mirrors the melting texture of the eggplant, its mellow sweetness helping to soften and balance the bright lemon and nutty sesame tahini in this exotic dip.

Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa Moroccan spices, such as cumin, turmeric and cinnamon, help to make this a delicious and aromatic meal. Quinoa is a great gluten-free protein source and has a light and fluffy texture that’s a nice counterpoint to tender root vegetables.