Salt & Sugar Free Seasonings

Benson's Gourmet Seasonings 

Salt & Sugar Free, no potassium salt substitute, certified Kosher

A visit to the San Clemente,CA. farmers market, this weekend, was again a fun adventure.  Clients often complain that the raw-vegan diet lacks flavor, especially in the begining when your taste buds are readjusting.  Our typical Western diet deadens the pallet.  We don't really taste the flavor of our fresh whole foods until some detoxing occurs. 

As a professional Chef I always used salt and pepper on just about everything.  When I transitioned to a raw-vegan diet and researched more about the self healing process, I stopped leaning on salt for flavor and incorporated more herbs and spices.  I taught a class on blending flavors to create international dishes but the majority of clients aren't interested in the time investment.  I suggest herb and spice blends to inspire you in the kitchen.

I met Debbie Benson of Benson's Gourmet Seasonings in her booth at the farmers market.  My sister and I followed the savory aroma (skillet chicken) through the line of booths to Debbies oasis of flavors.  When I saw the words Salt Free and Sugar Free, I was already hooked.  Debbie introduced us to a few samples and told us more about the quality of her blends including: No potassium salt substitute, non-irradiated ingredients, and certified Kosher.  Debbie sells the blends singularly and as a collection of six.  We bought a collection and I've been using them on everything.  You can order from the website and you can also find the Benson Gourmet Seasoning booth at the San Clemente farmers market on Saturdays. 
http://www.bensonsgourmetseasonings.com/

2010 was certainly the tastiest year so far!

Vegan cooking is so creative if you get into shopping for global flavors with herbs and spice blends,  fresh seasonal produce and specialty ingredients from specialty markets.  Orange County is culturally diverse so thankfully we have an abundance of fresh international markets, health food stores and farmers markets. 

I was interested in recreating a Moroccan Stew a client requested so I Googled Moroccan spices and a few Middle Eastern recipes, wrote some notes and went shopping.

I've wanted an authentic vegan recipe for Pad Thai Noodles using raw almond butter, shittake mushrooms, snappy vegetables and a pungent ginger, Thai basil sauce.  This recipe was so perfect and it even froze and reheated well. 

When shopping I group the ingredients together for a particular recipe or by cultural flavors. Flipping through my favorite cook books, with lots of sexy color photos, I write down ingredients for the dishes and portions I want to create, improvising and multiplying the recipe, then I finish a menu as I shop based on what's in season and looks fresh.  

One of my favorite Mexican dishes is Chili Relleno so I roasted winter vegetables and created a fiesta rice with corn and turnips, red beans, root vegetables in a roasted tomitillo sauce.  I added dark chocolate shavings for a rich mellow tone that made this a spicy winter classic.  Get organized before shopping and have your list planned, take some extra time and try an international market or the local farmers market.