Spanish Peppers

Several years ago, my best friend and I were in Dallas. We were there for me to run a qualifying half-marathon. My husband was unable to go, so she gladly went with me. The night before the race, we went to eat at a quaint Spanish restaurant. While there, we ordered an appetizer of goat cheese peppers. We loved them so much that we ordered a second. They must have been fantastic because I qualified for the race I was trying to qualify for by 2 seconds!!! However, on a sad note, I didn’t get to run that next race because I fractured my pelvis in 4 places in the Dallas race. Just goes to show what determination can do for you, though. I ran my best ever race even AFTER the fracture happened at mile 5 of 13.1 miles. Once I returned home, I decided I wanted to try to duplicate what we had eaten and this is the recipe I came up with. Even my youngest grandchildren love eating these.

Shrimp Pops

I love a tasty low-carb recipe, especially when it's an appetizer. I like my guests not to be too filled up so they can enjoy the main event! These Shrimp Pops fit the bill, although you will have to watch yourself with the Sweet Chile Sauce - it's not low-carb but it IS delicious! Although I didn't include the recipe for it, don't you think these pops would taste so good as a corn dog? It would be very simple to turn this low-carb dish into a high-carb one, but I think it might be worth it. If you try it, please tell me about it. I'll do the same!

Pork Chops With An Apple Cider Sauce And Roasted Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers

I am in a cookbook group with 15 friends. We each pick a cookbook and then it is mailed around the country to each member so we can cook from it and make notes in the book. We also post pictures and discuss what we have made in a private Facebook group. One of the books chosen this round was The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. There were two recipes that I made from the book that my husband and I loved. When it was announced that we would be doing The Spice House Challenge, I knew I wanted to use these two recipes as my inspiration. I hope you will pick up a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and that you will try Deb’s wonderful recipes. I was lucky enough to be given a copy for Mother’s Day. It’s a wonderful cookbook with great recipes and beautiful pictures. To accommodate The Spice House seasonings and to turn this into one recipe, you will find this recipe to be similar to Deb’s, yet very different. Enjoy!

Kabocha Squash Puree with Seared Sea Scallops

Kabocha Squash Puree with Seared Sea Scallops
by Jenny

8 sea scallops
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil - divided
1/2 cup white onion - rough chop
2 celery stalks - rough chop
2 Tablespoons garlic - rough chop
1 Tablespoon ginger - rough chop
1/3 cup green apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon The Spice House Fleur de Sel de Noirmoutier Malandel French Sea Salt
2 cups kabocha squash - peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 - 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
1/3 cup of sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 - 3 Tablespoons The Spice House Spicy Sesame Seasoning
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup

Smoked Salmon Dip

Smoked Salmon Dip
by Tracy

makes about 2 cups

8 ounces Mascarpone
1/4 Cup sour cream
Juice of half of a lemon
2 teaspoons The Spice House Dill Weed
1 teaspoon The Spice House Tarragon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon The Spice House Meyer Lemon Peel Zest, soaked in 1 teaspoon of water for 10 minutes
8 ounces Alaskan style smoked salmon, flaked
Salt
Pepper

Mix together all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve with crackers or toast points. Leftovers would be nice on bagels too.

Zaalouk al Qarnabit Cauliflower Dip

In Moroccan cooking, a Zaalouk is a roughly mashed dip, usually scooped up with pita bread. Here it’s made with qarnabit, or cauliflower. It’s really pretty simple, and consists of mashing cooked cauliflower and sautéing it with tomatoes, olive oil, and spices. It makes a nice accompaniment or change to the traditional hummus in an appetizer spread. But it’s also chunky enough to serve as a vegetable course. The spicing is pretty free form as is the heat, depending on how much pepper you add, so use your imagination. All in all, it’s a very forgiving dish. The preserved lemon adds a tart, salty kick.

Tandoori Chicken

I love Indian food and I REALLY love tandoori chicken. But, not having a 900-degree tandoor oven presented a problem. Or so I thought. Fortunately, The Spice House has this amazing tandoori seasoning that makes it SO easy to make tandoori chicken at home! Moist, tasty, and low-calorie, tandoori chicken is now a new staple in my cooking repertoire.

Paprika Chicken with Lavender-Pumpkin Cream Sauce

Paprika Chicken with Lavender-Pumpkin Cream Sauce
by Debbie

1 teaspoon The Spice House Sel Marin de Guerande French Grey Sea Salt
1 tablespoon The Spice House Lavender Flower Buds

4 medium size chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
Pinch of salt

Black pepper

2 Tablespoons The Spice House Spanish Smoked Hot Paprika
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin pureé

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a spice grinder, add the French Grey Sea Salt and Lavender Flower Buds. Grind until both are a fine powder. Set aside.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love hot soup on a cold January day. This soup comes together quickly and is easily reheated. I like my food on the spicy side, but you can downscale the heat if you prefer. And, weird or not, I prefer my soup in a large mug instead of a soup bowl, but to each his own, right? Mark is not a big soup lover, especially if beef isn't involved, but he ate two bowls of this! Everyone can customize their own bowl – avocado, cheese, sour cream, green onions and tortilla strips.

Creamy Baharat Vegetable Soup

Around my house, we love "spice" but we aren't always really adventurous with our spice choices. We know what we like and we use our favorites often. When I was given the opportunity to try a few new spices, courtesy of the generous folks over at The Spice House, I decided to really stretch my boundaries and go for a couple of completely unknown (to me) spice blends. I must say that everything I received from The Spice House was fantastic, and this spicy, creamy soup was so easy to put together. There is no meat involved, and you could even use a can of soup as your base if you want or need a quick meal! It is a little on the spicy side, but if you serve it with a dollop of yogurt (as suggested), the heat is nicely tamed and mellowed. We really enjoyed it...hope you do as well!

*For the vegetable soup just I used some that I had in the freezer. It contained chicken broth, tomato puree, carrots, celery, corn, peas, green beans, and potatoes. It was lightly seasoned and very basic. You can use whatever you have or prefer, as long as it's not already too seasoned. You can even use canned, or minestrone, as the pasta will add a bit of thickness once it is pureed. Just be sure not to have too much salt in the soup beforehand.