People learn I’m in the healthy eating field and assume I must cook all sorts of fabulous meals, all the time. Hardly the case at all! Fully 50% of my meals are simple skillets: Saute an onion and garlic, add some veggies and a protein and serve soup style with broth or atop a whole grain.
BUT, let me not forget a key piece of the skillet solution that a lot of people overlook: Seasoning.
Over my years in the cooking classroom, however, I noticed that many people are a little intimidated by seasoning. And indeed, it can seem really mysterious (“I have no idea what herbs and spices to add”) or even scary (“What if I put in too much or the wrong ones and ruin a dish?”)
Humans and Flavor But here’s the thing: We humans crave food with flavor and when it’s missing from healthy food we assume that healthy eating is bland and boring. And so we search for flavor in less-than-healthy places (ice cream, cookies, chips and crackers, pizza, etc.
If you’re stuck in bland and boring land, here’s a quick, easy and pretty foolproof flavor solution: spice blends and sauces. They are pre-mixed by flavor experts so you don’t have to worry about creating a good combo.
Case in Point One recent evening I was stumped in the flavor department and was scanning the spice drawer and fridge for inspiration. That’s when I spotted a jar of Jerk Seasoning that my son-in-law had given me at Christmas, and I hadn’t even opened it. Turned out it was a perfect addition to a skillet with onions, garlic, kale and hamburger. But note a couple cautions:
CAUTION 1: Go Slow Oops, I got so excited about this new seasoning that I went a little overboard the first time and had to add some rice to help absorb the extra heat! Moral of the story: When using a new seasoning, go slow the first couple times, until you know how much is right for your tastes.
CAUTION 2: Read the Ingredient Listing Unfortunately, as magical as they are, prepared spice blends and sauces can also be repositories for all manner of odd colorings, preservatives, artificial flavors, gums, emulsifiers and other additives. So protect yourself: READ THE INGREDIENT LISTINGS, ALWAYS. Don’t assume that a “natural looking” label ensures the healthfulness of what’s inside.
Here is the listing for my Jerk Seasoning: Scallion, Hot Pepper, Salt, Pimento, Onion, Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Brown Sugar, Citric Acid, Thyme Leaves
Assessing an Ingredient Listing For a packaged product, these ingredients are pretty good. I have all but the citric acid in my pantry. While I would prefer a product without citric acid, it is added as a preservative which is helpful since that means the sauce will last a long time in the fridge. And as preservatives go, citric acid doesn’t trouble me too much after reading this post.
When I see sugar in the listing, I check the Nutrition Facts label to see how much has been added. In this case, it is less than 1/4 tsp. in 1 Tbsp. of sauce, so that doesn’t worry me too much, especially given that very little sauce is needed to fully flavor a dish.
So share with me: How do you feel about seasoning? Leave a comment and share your experiences. Maybe we can devise a solution!
More Resources
The Skillet Method Can I encourage you to experiment with the skillet solution for tasty + healthy meals. Here is the video from a class I taught on the Skillet Method. Contact me and I can send you the recipe and shopping list, too.
Ingredient Listings For a quick reminder, here is my post on reading ingredient listings, “What Is an Ingredient Listing? How Do You Read One?“