Name: Indian Mango Lassi
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: cardamom seeds; honey to taste; 1 tsp pistachios; 1 cup yogurt; 1 mango

Nov, 2020

Thanksgiving Casseroles from Around the World

Spice Things Up for Thanksgiving

With Three Casseroles from Around the World

Thanksgiving is a time for family, laughs, and a scrumptious feast. Every year, we look forward to the classic turkey dinner, stuffing, and the usual sides. Why not spice things up a bit?

Make your table a celebration of global flavors with exciting casseroles from around the world.

Share this post:

Chilean Corn Casserole

Pastel de Choclo

The South American dish Pastel de Choclo (corn pie) will be right at home on your Thanksgiving dinner table. Similar to shepherd’s pie, this casserole features a main layer of beef or chicken but seasoned with a blend that is based on Peruvian peppers. The combination of additional ingredients is quite surprising with olives and hard-boiled eggs, and optional raisins. However, the best is the topping of sweet corn blended with basil and milk.

Pastel de Choclo is typically baked in a shallow clay pot, but a regular casserole dish or even a cast-iron skillet works just as well.

The wonderful thing about this dish is that it’s incredibly versatile and easy to whip up. Add or skip a layer, or make it vegetarian – the choice is yours.

Tip: Substitute the meat with turkey leftovers.

South African Meat Casserole

Bobotie

Rich and flavorful, bobotie is a popular South African dish. It was most likely influenced by the Malaysian and Dutch cuisine. The creamy meatloaf balances a sweet-sour-spicy flavor.

Bobotie consists of a savory minced meat base (lamb or beef) thickened with almonds and a thin top layer of an egg-milk mixture. The spice blend with dried mango (amchoor) really brings the flavors of this dish to life.

Don’t miss the apricot-ginger chutney to accompany this unique casserole.

Easy Cranberry Sauce DIY

Cranberry sauce is a classic Thanksgiving side dish that’s easy to make from scratch. All you need are fresh cranberries, a sweetener of your choice, and some common spices.

See the easy steps here.

Italian Lasagne in Padella

The classic Italian lasagna (ital: lasagne) makes a familiar yet flavorful addition to your holiday meal. Like many other casseroles from around the world, our lasagna is fast and easy to prepare (in a pan instead of an oven), and you can easily customize the ingredients to your liking.

Lasagna features alternating layers of lasagna pasta, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Spices like oregano, garlic, onion, marjoram, a pinch of chile and celery, and fresh basil round up this Mediterranean dish.

Serve alongside your other Thanksgiving dishes, or make it the main course for Black Friday lunch.

These three casseroles will bring global flavors to your table while complementing the usual Thanksgiving fare. Give one (or all) a try this year to make your holiday meal a memorable one.

Oct, 2020

Samhain: Halloween’s Origin

Halloween’s True Origin Story

The majority of us love to prepare for the spooky season. It is a time for decorations, pumpkin carving, fun foods, and amazing costumes. But, what if we told you that Halloween hasn’t always been Halloween? In fact, what if we told you that Halloween is derived from another holiday completely? Well, it is.

Halloween is actually not as old as you might think. Originally, people in Ireland celebrated Samhain, and they still do to this day. In this post, you will learn about Samhain and some new easy dishes!

Halloween is derived from a Celtic festival called Samhain. It’s one of the four most important Celtic holidays, marking the transition between the summer and the dark winter. In this night, the gateway to the Otherworld was so thin that the souls of their ancestors could move freely between the two worlds.

Are these just archaic ghost stories? A recent survey revealed that 1 out of 5 Americans state they have actually seen or felt the presence of a ghost.

What Is Samhain?

Samhain is a Celtic festival that has been celebrated for quite some time in Ireland. This ancient festival, which is commonly celebrated from October 31st to November 1st, is a time for fun, scares, and revelry.

Samhain falls during the transition from summer and the dark winter, making it one of the prominent Celtic celebrations each year.

Instead of merely focusing on all things scary, Samhain is known to be the day when the vale between the land of the living and the land of the dead is thin. The gateway, often shown as the Tree of Life, is believed to allow the spirits of the dead to travel back and forth between two planes. As you can imagine, people are a little unsettled by this, but some look to the bright side and consider the souls of their ancestors dropping by for a visit instead.

Lantern Carving

Halloween simply would not be Halloween without jack-o-lanterns, but this is not a Halloween-specific tradition. In fact, it is one of the many things carried over from Samhain.

Traditionally, the people of Ireland would carve lanterns out of vegetables and place them in their window to frighten unwanted spirits. The most common vegetable of choice was the turnip, but beets and rutabagas were also quite popular. It is unclear when pumpkins joined the carving scene, but they are much easier to work with, which likely plays a role in this change.

Pumpkin and Root Vegetable Delights

Mashed Potatoes with Parsnip

Try mash potatoes with a little sweet note without any sweetener:

Cook and mash one or two parsnips with the potatoes. You won’t note a difference until you taste it.

A Root Side Dish – Recipe

Try this recipe as a new savory side dish to steaks or roasted turkey: Cut 1 lb turnip, rutabaga, or other beets in 1/2-inch cubes. Cook them in a closed pot with one cup of salted water until they are cooked but not too soft. Fry the beet cubes in vegetable oil. Scoop out and drain on a paper towel.

Optionally, sprinkle with garlic powder and paprika, and toss. Other options are: chili powder, Sichuan pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cumin, turmeric, fennel, or coriander.

Modern holidays are often derived from older and more ancient customs. Whatever the origin story of your favorite holiday is, these nights are always at their best when celebrated with great food and amazing company. Whether you are celebrating with the family or throwing a full party, make sure to take a moment to appreciate the people who made it all possible, and pay tribute to Samhain in your Halloween celebrations. You might be surprised by just how much it adds to your celebrations!

Jul, 2020

Spice Up Your Drinks

with Cardamom

Share this post:

Indian Mango Lassi

Ingredients

1 cup yogurt
1 mango

Optional

honey to taste
1 tsp pistachios

Culinary Spice Kit

cardamom seeds

Instructions

In a BLENDER, mix yogurt and ¼ tsp pure cardamom seeds or more to taste until the seeds are “gone”.
Add the flesh of the mango.
Blend until smooth.
Optionally, season with honey to taste.
Fill in a glass.
Optionally, sprinkle with ground pistachios or ground cardamom.

Enjoy!

Indian Mango Lassi Honey

Cardamom Coffee

Ingredients

coffee beans or ground coffee

Culinary Spice Kit

cardamom seeds

Instructions

Spice Up Your Drinks

Option 1

Place 1/4 tsp whole cardamom seeds into a coffee filter.
Fill ground coffee for 1 cup of fresh coffee into the filter.
Place the filter on a coffee cup.
Pour boiling water over the coffee until the cup is filled.

Spice Up Your Drinks

Option 2

Spice Up Your Drinks

Place 1/4 tsp whole cardamom seeds and coffee beans for 1 cup of fresh coffee into a coffee grinder.
Fill ground coffee-cardamom blend into a coffee filter.
Place the filter on a coffee cup.
Pour boiling water over the coffee until the cup is filled.

Enjoy!

Notes

It works with espresso as well.

Jun, 2020

Mexican Taco Night In

If you are looking for a quick dinner or weekend lunch, tacos are one of the best choices. They are so versatile that you can have every week a different style.

One or More?

Tacos are so fast and easy to make because most of them require only the preparation of the meat or fish. Important are the flavors and fresh cut toppings. And frankly, any leftover can fit in a taco. When our fridge bursts from tons of small leftover containers then we know: Taco Night In is on!

Share this post:

Quick Tips for Tasty Tortillas

The freshness, quality, temperature, and type of tortilla make a great difference. SpiceBreeze tips for you:

If you have a Mexican grocery store on your way, it’s absolutely worth to stop for freshly made tortillas.
For all cold tortillas, reheat them quickly in a PAN without oil. Then keep them warm in the OVEN until it’s time to serve.

Change up the flavor experience with difference type of tortillas.

Alter between corn and flour tortillas, and hardshell tacos.
Try something new with tortillas or hardshell tacos made with a different type of flour, for instance cassava or rice flour.

Essential Mexican Sauces

No taco without a number of delicious sauces. If you are like us a fan of Taco Tuesday, you might want some variations. With our sauce recipes, you can easily bring your own twist to traditional basics.

Guacamole

Ingredients: Avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro + optionally jalapeño

This is one of the simpliest recipes with the biggest flavor. The name means ‘avocado sauce’. All you really need is

1 large avocado, mashed

and salt. If you don’t have any of the other ingredients avialable, we recommended thinly sliced avocados as they look really nice on tacos. For the avocado sauce, there are only 4 typical additional ingredients that are mixed with the mashed avocado. For a delicious sauce, you don’t need all of them or fix amounts. Just follow your taste. That’s the beauty of home cooking and easy to remember! The following recommendations are for 1 avocado and meant to give you a good start:

2 tsp onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped tomato (not from a can)
1 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
Optionally for heat: finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chili or SpiceBreeze ground jalapeño to taste

Guacamole Tips!

How to Prevent Avocado from Turning Brown:

(1) place the seed in the serving bowl before adding the Guacamole

(2) add a little squeeze of lime or lemon juice

(3) place the avocado flesh in a colander and hold it in boiling water for 30 seconds – not longer!

Inspirations for Guacamole with a Twist:

Substitute tomato with mango, pineapple, or strawberries.
Substitute cilantro with Italian flat parsley or chives.
Use red or green onions.
Add a little garlic.
Give it a smokey flavor with chipotle or smoked paprika.

Pico de Gallo

Pico de gallo means the rooster’s beak. The ingredients are almost the same as in guacamole without the avocado. A mixture of chopped tomatoes and onions is seasoned with salt, cilantro, and a hot pepper, usually jalapeno. A very important difference is the almost indispensable addition of lime juice. Yet again, here are our recommendations for a start. Please adjust the recipe to your taste.

1.25 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
0.25 cup onions, finely chopped
0.25 cup lime juice
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
salt to taste
Optionally for heat: finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chili or SpiceBreeze ground jalapeño to taste

The inspirations for guacamole with a twist (see before) work here as well. You can even add a bit of chopped avocado.

Extra Tip: We love to mix the ingredients in a blender just a bit to combine the flavors more. This variation turns out more liquidy if you like it.

Tacos al Pastor

Tacos al Pastor is a popular Mexican street food. Mexican liked Shawarma made by Lebanese immigrants so much that they created their local take of it. The ‘shepherd style’ tacos are marinated in a traditional chili-adobo-paste and topped with pineapple.

Variations

Use pork chops or tenderloin or chicken breast.
Add pineapple, mango, or passion fruit. For the latter, don’t fry it.
Use a blender or grate the onion and garlic.

Tacos al Pastor Culinary Spice Kit:

Annatto, ancho chili, pasilla chili, cumin, allspice, oregano, cloves

Fajitas

Mexican cowboys in Texas made the first Fajitas from skirt steak, probably without any seasoning other than the smoke from the grill. Today, most Fajitas seasonings include artificial flavors. Dig into the deep flavor of Fajitas made with our pure and fresh spices.

Variations

Use beef flank skirt or sirloin steak, chicken breast, shrimps, or boneless pork cutlets or tenderloin.
Substitute meat with zucchini or eggplant.
Substitute the SpiceBreeze spice pouch [1] with the following spice blend: 1.5 tsp smoked paprika, and each 1 tsp cumin, white pepper, and oregano..

Fajitas Culinary Spice Kit:

[1] Smoked paprika, cumin, white pepper, oregano

[2] Jalapeño pepper

May, 2020

In 5 Delicious Dishes Around the World

In 5 Delicious Dishes around the World

Join our culinary journey around the world with these selected recipes. Some might sound familiar to you. Some didn’t make it yet on the menu of an American restaurant.

Share this post:

EUROPE

Spanish Paella Valenciana

The authentic Paella Valenciana is made with chicken and rabbit. Our variations offer chicken or the popular seafood version. Mussels, cooked in white wine and garlic, can be an additional topping. The spice kit includes saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. Small amounts carry an intensive flavor.

ASIA

Korean Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a bowl of rice with plenty of toppings. Traditionally, it was an easy way to use up leftovers. Customize the dish to your liking with any vegetable from your fridge. With our online recipe, you can add fermented cabbage (Kimchi). It might even become your favorite way to add preserved vegetables to your sandwich.

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY

So delicious and authentic

 5/5

Me and my husband both love Spice Breeze. The recipes are easy to prepare and have a lot of ideas for substitutions. The spices are high quality and they keep fresh for months even when you don't have the time to use them right away. And everything is so delicious and authentic !

Evelin R.

Where will I go today?

 5/5

Where will I go today? That is what I think whenever I receive my spice breeze packet. The wonderful quality spices and recipe cards allow me to transport my whole family to different countries every time! It's like a international party in your mouth!

Jennifer P.

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazilian Vatapá

Get right into the center of the Brazilian carnival with this popular street food, Vatapá. This recipe with a modern twist comes directly from Brazil. Ground annatto seeds add a warm, earthy flavor and natural red color. Though shrimp is a typical ingredient, Vatapá is just as popular without it.

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli Shakshuka

The origin of Shakshuka might be in Turkey, Spain, or Tunisia. The Israeli version with a beautiful top of poached eggs became famous around the world. This flavorful tomato stew with vegetables can have a bit of heat.

AFRICA

Togolese Gboma Dessi

Gboma Dessi from the small African country Togo contains big loads of green spinach in a tomato stew with a distinct flavor profile. Fried chicken or beef is mixed in as well. That’s the kind of comfort food that you can’t stop eating. We just love it!

Apr, 2020

Easy 5-Ingredients Dinner from Around the World

Share this post:

Easy 5-Ingredients Dinner from Around the World

Authentic delicious meals that instantly brighten up your day. Whether it’s based on eggs, rice, noodles, beans, or meat, your dinner will stand out with just a few ingredients. That’s the beauty of cooking with SpiceBreeze. Here are just a few examples.

Easy way to try new cuisine!

"The best thing about SpiceBreeze is the ingredients for all of the recipes are basics things that are available at most grocery stores."

Kim M.

Indonesian Nasi Goreng

Finally a recipe for leftovers. The rice needs to be at least from the day before. Mix it with finely chopped vegetables of your choice, anything that you have at hand. Optionallly, add shrimp, chicken, or sausages, and sprinkle with peanuts.

Some soy sauce or tamari makes it special. You can substitute with or coconut aminos, liquid aminos, or Worcestershire sauce.

Learn more …

Delicate Pancake Stuffed With Mushrooms And Cheese

French Crêpes

French CrêpesDo you have flour, milk, eggs, and butter? This makes a simple base for savory or sweet dish.

Popular fillings are mushrooms and cheese or cream cheese and chives. You can enjoy all variations because crêpes are much thinner than pancakes. Try to add a dash of chili.

Learn more …

Great Gift!

"Easy format to get new recipe ideas with the extremely fresh spices already mixed. I look forward to making the recipes."

Carol S.

Category Archives: Blog

Nov, 2020

Spice Things Up for Thanksgiving

With Three Casseroles from Around the World

Share this post:

Pastel de Choclo

Bobotie

Oct, 2020

Halloween’s True Origin Story

Share

What Is Samhain?

Lantern Carving

Pumpkin and Root Vegetable Delights

Jul, 2020

Spice Up Your Drinks

with Cardamom

Share this post:

Ingredients

Optional

Culinary Spice Kit

Instructions

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Culinary Spice Kit

Instructions

Option 1

Option 2

Enjoy!

Notes

Jun, 2020

Mexican Taco Night In

One or More?

Share this post:

Quick Tips for Tasty Tortillas

Essential Mexican Sauces

Guacamole

Ingredients: Avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro + optionally jalapeño

Guacamole Tips!

How to Prevent Avocado from Turning Brown:

Inspirations for Guacamole with a Twist:

Pico de Gallo

Tacos al Pastor

Variations

Tacos al Pastor Culinary Spice Kit:

Fajitas

Variations

Fajitas Culinary Spice Kit:

May, 2020

In 5 Delicious Dishes around the World

Share this post:

EUROPE

ASIA

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY

So delicious and authentic

Where will I go today?

SOUTH AMERICA

MIDDLE EAST

AFRICA

Apr, 2020

Share this post:

Easy 5-Ingredients Dinner from Around the World

Easy way to try new cuisine!

Indonesian Nasi Goreng

French Crêpes

Great Gift!