spice up your food

**The following article was written by guest contributor, Beverly Schaefer.**

Here are a few examples of ways you can still give great flavor to your favorite foods and try new and exciting food adventures.

ALLSPICE - Excellent in baking or in Caribbean or Middle East meat dishes
BASIL - Light licorice/mint flavor, compliments tomatoes
CAYENNE PEPPER - Cajun dishes, curries and seafood
CELERY SEED - Great compliments to egg salad
CHILI POWDER - Add to eggs, Mexican foods etc. Use a teaspoon of this spice in Tomato sauce dishes such as spaghetti, and watch a deep rich flavor appear.
CILANTRO - Essential to salsas and Latin, Indian and Asian dishes.
CUMIN - Southwestern, Indian and Mediterranean foods.
DILL - Excellent with seafood; marries well with mustard and lemon.
GINGER - Excellent with baked goods, orange and yellow vegetables and Asian foods
MARJORAM - Related to oregano but gentler and sweeter. Use with beans and on pizza.
OREGANO - Better suited to Italian, Greek and Mexican foods.
PAPRIKA - Brilliant red and sweet. Use to color and flavor a variety of foods.
ROSEMARY - Great with pork, lamb chicken and anything with olive oil and garlic.
TARRAGON - Compliments chicken and fish dishes, salads, dressings and mustard sauce.
THYME - Excellent with meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables and tomato sauces.
VINEGAR - One teaspoon stirred into a 32 oz. jar of fat free mayonnaise revives flavor of mayonnaise.
BALSAMIC VINEGAR - Use in seasoning green vegetables such as collard greens and cabbage. Lends a sweet flavor.
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE - Adds a sweet, seasoned flavor to most meats, mushrooms and sauces.
RASPBERRY EXTRACT - One teaspoon in a large box of fat free chocolate pudding adds a rich flavor. Also a great addition to any chocolate recipe.
ORANGE EXTRACT - One teaspoon mixed with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar makes an excellent glaze for any dessert. This extract, mixed with 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 1 quarter packet of artificial sweetener makes a glaze for and large bowl of fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, red grapes, and melon).
VANILLA EXTRACT - One teaspoon in a large box of sugar free pudding brings a rich flavor.
HAM SEASONING PACKETS - (Usually found in the ethnic section of the grocery store) This seasoning is used in greens, dry beans, and all vegetables to add a ham taste. One packet is equal to a quarter pound of smoked ham.
CREAM OF CHICKEN OR MUSHROOM SOUPS - 98% FAT FREE. Mixed with chicken broth or fat free milk makes gravy and sauces for many dishes.
FAT FREE CHEESE (SHREDDED OR WHOLE) - Place in a chopper for a few seconds, to break the coating. This will allow the original texture and flavor or rich cheese to return.