Italian Sausage Seasoning Blend

 “You had me at pizza…”

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Obviously this is not pizza, but it is pizza soup! And it will be making several more appearances on my table in the cold winter months to come. Now, you can find hundreds of recipes for pizza soup online, but this one is from @thewholesmiths #goodfoodcookbook and it is the 💣 , she really turned this recipe into something special. I highly recommend her cookbook...it is so family friendly, with simple ingredients and processes...it has become my most used cookbook! •

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Italian sausage is called for in this recipe, but Icouldn’t find any #whole30compliant, so I added my own spice blend to ground pork and it worked perfectly! A great option if you don’t have sausage on hand (perfect for pork, turkey or chicken).

Italian sausage seasoning blend:

2 tsp fennel (I only had ground)

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp paprika

½ - 2 tsp cayenne pepper (all depends on how spicy you like it, I used ½ tsp and it was on the verge of too spicy for my “super sensitive to spice daughter”, I thought it was perfect. Start with less and add to your preference.

*I mixed this all in with 1lb. of ground pork, then salted the pork when browning. 

Homemade Mayo (Paleo & Whole30)

I’ve had a couple of friends and family members ask me how I make homemade mayo, so I figured I would share how I do it. It takes just a few ingredients (and an immersion blender... if you don’t have one I suggest getting one, they are great for blending sauces and soups), is a lot better for you than the processed stuff at the grocery store, is cheaper than buying, and once you have everything in the container, takes less than 30 seconds! There are many different varieties of homemade mayo and I’ve tried several, but this is my favorite. 

Ingredients:
1 cup avocado oil
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg

Instructions:

1. Place ingredients in a wide rimmed, large mason jar or plastic container.

2. Place immersion blender directly over egg yolk at the bottom of the jar/container. Blend on high for about 10 seconds.

3. Slowly move immersion blender up and down for another 10-15 seconds until all ingredients are smoothly blended together.

4. Store in a closed container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

   *For video instructions, check out “Mayo” in our Instagram story highlights.

I use homemade mayo to make aioli, chicken/tuna salad, deviled eggs, and a plethora of sauces. I encourage you to try making your own mayo if you haven’t already!

Shake ’n Bake style Seasoning Blend

 "Live life with a little spice."

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Here's another one of my favorite staple spice blends, just in time for Thanksgiving! It is the perfect blend for seasoning poultry and root vegetables and squashes, so make up a batch and use it in somewhere in your holiday meal! Does anyone remember Shake 'n Bake? That is what this blend reminds me of (without all the junk).

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Combine the following:

2 parts sage

2 parts ground mustard

1 part onion powder

1 part turmeric

1 part oregano

1 part thyme

1 part salt

I used this blend to make @nocrumbsleft Everyday Roasted Chicken and cooked some cubed butternut squash along with it, and this blend was perfection!

Hot Mustard Sauce

 “You should put a sauce on it…”

I think having a variety of sauces in your cooking arsenal is the key to avoiding food boredom. This mustard sauce is a household favorite...I’ve used it as a veggie stir-fry sauce, a dressing for kale salad, sauce for a one pot eggroll in a bowl dish and also as a basting and finishing sauce for pork tenderloin. Minimal ingredients, tons of flavor! Do you have any favorite homemade sauces that you mix and match with different ingredients? Share in the comments!

Ingredients:

½ c bone broth

¼ c coconut aminos

1 tsp fish sauce

2 T ground mustard (start w/2T and add more if you like more kick)

fresh grated ginger (about 1 inch cube)

1 garlic clove (grated or minced)

⅛ tsp lime zest

oil

Directions:

Drizzle a little oil in a heated saucepan (I used about 2 tsp of sesame oil). Add garlic and ginger, stir constantly and heat through until aromatic. Add broth, coconut aminos, fish sauce and mustard. Heat up to boil and reduce to simmer for 2 minutes or so. Add lime zest, stir and remove from heat. Enjoy!