Join Susie T. of Fast Days Healing Days as she explains why it’s better to make your own spice blend such as Ras El Hanout, a Moroccan Spice Blend that literally means, “head of shop,” or the storekeeper’s blend. With just a little bit of time, you’ll develop your own special house blend and will find yourself, curiously using it every day, in every dish!
Fast Days Healing Days loves making our own spice blends. And we hear you. We do. What’s in it for you? Why should you make your own spice blends when there are perfectly good blends just staring at you from the grocery’s shelves. And trust us, we’re bargain shoppers just like you. We know it’s probably cheaper to buy the spice blend instead of blending your own concoctions and spice potions. Fast Days (FDs) Moroccan Spice Blend or Ras El Hanout, is just such a spice blend. You get to control what’s in it, which spices you like, leave out the ones you don’t–you have control. It’s YOUR blend.
Store-bought prepared spice blends can be treacherous. You may think you’re buying an innocent little, time-saving blend…but what about the preservatives, the “natural flavorings,” the MSG, the corn starch, the gluten contamination, the hidden sugars listed by various, crafty names? When you make your own spice blends, it takes a few minutes to measure everything out, but one thing is certain! You will know exactly what lives inside that spice container! You will be able to pronounce every ingredient and know what bottle it came out of when you used it. And, if you buy spices from a bulk bin, you can buy small amounts, which means your spices and spice blends will be fresher than an old spice blend sitting on a shelf, waiting for someone to come along, who needs Moroccan Spice Blend or Ras El Hanout (the shopkeeper’s blend).
We order our spices (and yes, we go all out to find organic spices and herbs) online from many different places. We definitely appreciate our trusted partner, Amazon.com to bring us a wide variety of organic spices, but we also have found a few special shops we really like, such as Penzey’s.
Take a bit of time, and be adventurous. Make your own spice blend. Start by making Fast Days Healing Days Moroccan Spice Blend or Ras El Hanout. It works so wonderfully on any protein from fish and seafood to pork, chicken and lamb–and it’s awesome on steaks! It works equally well on veggies too, in curries, soups, stews, you name it! It’s so versatile you will find yourself doubling the recipe because you use it every day!
Enjoy!
Moroccan Spice Blend – Ras El Hanout
Notes
NOTES: Wow! The fragrance from this spice blend is fantastic! This blend works deliciously on chicken, pork and lamb. It’s also very good on fish and shrimp. I keep it in a jar in the pantry as one of my basic spice blends. It morphs ordinary chicken breasts into extraordinary for a quick and no-fuss weeknight meal.
Moroccan spice blend is also known as Ras el hanout, literally “head of the shop” which speaks to everyone shop owner and Moroccan mama having their own secret splice blend, most using 12 or more spices in the mixture. Sprinkle it on meats, veggies, in curries, soups and stews for an exciting flavor and to kick you out of your boring low carb rut.
Serving Ideas Sprinkle on all kinds of meat and seafood.
Nutritional Information
Per Teaspoon Serving: 6 Calories; trace Fat (26.3% calories from fat); trace Protein; 1.2g Carbohydrate; 0.48g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 0.72g Net Carbohydrate
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted, or 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted, or 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground anise seed—or Chinese Five Spice Powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
Instructions
- In small sauté pan, over medium high heat, toast cumin and coriander seeds. When you start to smell the aroma of the toasting seeds, remove from heat and blend in a coffee grinder, or save time and use pre-ground spices.
- Combine all ingredients with the ground cumin and coriander. Mix well and store in an air-tight container.
Nutrition Facts
Moroccan Spice Blend – Ras El Hanout
Serves: 29 teaspoons
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 teaspoon
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 6 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Comments
3 responses to “Moroccan Spice Blend – Ras El Hanout”
[…] Where do you find a drool-worthy spice blend capable of breathing life into your dull, boring Fast Day (FD) meals without a bunch of cooking or hoopla? Do you want to know how to instantly introduce serious flavor to FD meats, fish, seafood and veggies? The easiest way to add serious flavor is to use a spice blend. But beware, all spice blends are not created equal. The spice blends at the store often travel with unwanted guests like sugar, msg, “natural flavors” and even sand! So find out what’s so great about making your own Ras El Hanout (Moroccan Spice Blend) and why it sent Susie T. of Fast Days Healing Days into a tizzy of ecstasy! Learn how to make your own shop-keeper blend. […]
I am so grateful for this recipe…I used the Moroccan spice mix in my home made burgers. Two huge heaped tablespoons to 1 kilogram (35 oz) ground beef…thought it might be spicey and burney but it was flavoursome with a lovely blend of different spices that infused the meat as it cooked…could really taste the cinammon and cardamom coming through….the left over burgers tasted even better the next day 🙂 Made an extra glass jar of spice mix for my MIL 🙂 Keep up the good work xxx
Celeste! Thank you so much for stopping in and leaving a message to let us know the spice blend worked for you! We love the surprise hit of cinnamon and cardamom! It makes hamburgers taste like Kofta Kebabs. We love adding tzaziki sauce and slivered red onion to it and using a psylli wrap to make a Fast Day (FD)-friendly and keto-friendly “gyro.”
Visit my friend, Celeste at http://www.femmefit.info/