Seasoning Your Senses

Tasty food does not have to be complex or time consuming to be satisfying, in fact the simpler you keep it, the more likely you are to be able to stick to it long term. Many athletes including myself have spent hours in the kitchen trying to make up new and interesting ways to make our food taste better or different, when in actual fact the answer was sitting right in front of us.

How many of you have been using the same seasonings for years and years? Guilty as charged, and it wasn’t until recently I had a good look at some of the commercial marinades and sauces and analysed what was in them. Ever thought of mixing lime juice and cumin or ginger and citrus zest to make a tasty topping for your chicken? Me neither, but if you experiment a little with your pantry and maybe try out one or 2 new ingredients then you may just come up with some new ideas to tantalise your tastebuds.

Here are some of the new combinations on my menu:

Sesame seeds, lime juice and ginger (Chicken or Fish)

Coriander, black pepper and orange zest (Fish)

Tomato paste, coriander and ginger (Beef or Chicken)

Basil, lime and tomato paste (Chicken or Fish)

Lemon, garlic and ginger (Chicken or Fish)

Marjoram, garlic, tarragon and celery salt (Fish)

Rice flour with salt and pepper and sesame seeds (Chicken)

Oregano, tomato paste and lemon or lime juice (Beef or Chicken)

Balsamic vinegar, lime and ginger (Fish)

Soy Sauce, worcestershire sauce, ginger and tomato paste (Beef)

If you can get fresh herbs all the better-even set up a small planter box outside your kitchen with several of your favourites, but otherwise powdered varieties are fine.

For those of you with a sweet tooth there are plenty of combinations to use in your muffins and fruit desserts:

Cinnamon and nutmeg (Apples, Peaches)

Citrus zest and ginger (Apples, Pears, Peaches)

Ginger and mixed spice (Apple)

Mixed peel and cinnamon (Apricots, Pears)

Lime, ginger and cinnamon (Pears)

Cardamon and ginger (Apples, Pears)

Nutmeg and lemon juice (Apples)

As you can see the only limitation is your imagination so if you are curious as to what something tastes like, test your tastebuds and try them out.

If you have a combination you have found particularly satisfying, then drop me a line and tell me about it, I am always on the outlook for new and interesting ways of cooking chicken, fish and beef.