Onion Salt Mix

This is a simple seasoning that I like to sprinkle on whole chickens before roasting them. It's also amazing on fries and other potatoes.

Onion salt mix

3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon onion powder



I poured the ingredients directly into a dollar store spice jar.

And shake!!!



Done! Easy and delicious!

Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix

This year we ordered 20 weeks of farm share produce from a local farm and we've been getting some amazing salad greens from them. I'm burning through bottles of salad dressing faster than I can buy it so I've been making a lot of my own. My old recipe for Italian salad dressing tasted 'too herby' and strong for me so I came up with one that tastes more like the store bought kind.

Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix

1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes
1 teaspoon dried red bell pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast

Xanthan gum is a thickener used in commercial dressings and other foods. You can omit it if you don't have any. Nutritional yeast enhances flavor but can also be omitted.

What else you'll need

1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar

You can also add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice if you want the dressing to be more sour.

This salad dressing has the same garlicky tang as the store bought dressing without too much overpowering herb taste, but can be made at home using healthier oils for much less money. It was delicious on our nice fresh salads.

Omelette Filling Mix

My husband has been eating gluten free/semi paleo for a while now, which can make breakfast difficult. For the longest time I was cooking up huge packages of sausages and freezing them in baggies so he could microwave them every morning. This worked, but it's both expensive and unhealthy (so much sodium!!! Especially with all the BBQ sauce he uses!). I've discovered that eggs are much cheaper and better for him, so I started making him little 'omelette cupcakes' to freeze and reheat. The only problem with them was that they were more labor intensive- having to chop and cook all the veggies for them every week. So I came up with this!!!

Omelette Filling Mix (makes enough for 2 dozen eggs)

1/4 cup dried red or green bell peppers
1/4 cup dried mushrooms
1/4 cup dried apples, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons dried chives
1 tablespoon onion flakes
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes



I made most of these dried veggies in my oven using surplus produce that would have gone bad, so this saves me even more money. You can modify this recipe to include any dried veggies, fruits or herbs you like in your eggs and have on hand.

What else you'll need

Eggs

Combine mix in a small jar and shake well before each use as smaller contents will settle on the bottom.



Use one tablespoon of mix for each egg you're cooking. I made my husband a 2 egg omelette as a treat since it was Sunday.







With the rest of the carton of eggs I made egg cupcakes for the work week. You just pour the omelette batter into muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.



This mix makes a great gift in a jar and is perfect for those times you feel like eggs but are in too much of a rush to do anything too fancy.

Tomato and caramelized onion tuna seasoning mix

In general we just eat dinner leftovers for lunch the next day, but on the times we don't have any (because we've gone out the night before or just eaten them all) I like to make tuna sandwiches since it's quick and easy and always in the house. I buy a bunch of plain tuna on sale on in bulk at Costco and then mix it up with different flavors like...

Tomato and caramelized onion tuna seasoning mix

2 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder



What else you'll need

1 can of tuna, drained
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine mix with oil and vinegar and stir well. The sugar will taste grainy if you don't mix it well enough first. Stir mixture into the drained tuna and mix it well. If it's too dry add more oil or vinegar (depending on how high/low fat you want it use one or the other).



You can serve right away or store chilled until you want to use it. Spread it on your sandwich or wrap or top a salad with it and enjoy!

Copycat cheesy beef taco hamburger helper mix

I've been busy experimenting with hamburger helper mixes the past couple months and loved this one because it's gluten free (my husband is sensitive to wheat and has been trying not to eat it lately). Instead of pasta it's made with rice and topped with corn chips.

Copycat cheesy beef taco hamburger helper mix

1 cup rice
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons powdered milk
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt



This will be quite salty. I would suggest using 1/2 teaspoon of salt if you don't like salty food.

What else you'll need

1 pound cooked ground beef
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
corn tortilla chips

Combine mix with water in a saucepan and stir well. Add in beef and simmer on medium heat until rice cooks and sauce thickens. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and stir until it melts.



Top each serving with remaining cheese and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. I served mine with a delicious salad to balance it out.

Drying fruits, vegetables and herbs for mixes and other uses

When I first started mixing it up, I bought a lot of dried foods at Bulk Barn to make my mixes, which was often expensive. But something about the sun dried tomatoes always smelled funny to me, so I was determined to start making my own. They were a complete success:



I bought a bunch of cheap fresh tomatoes on sale for 88 cents a pound and made a giant batch.

I started experimenting with other foods. Like when mushrooms went on sale.



Or sweet red peppers (can also do the same with green)



I dried a bunch of apple slices when my apples were starting to get a bit shriveled looking in the fridge.



I made banana slices from the girls half eaten and overly brown bananas



I made dried blueberries and strawberries (not photographed) as well.

I also dry a lot of herbs (especially cilantro for salsa mix, because store bought dried cilantro is impossible to come by around here). I always have a surplus of fresh herbs from my garden, or my dads garden, or from bunches bought from the store or received in our farm share.



A lot of people buy food dehydrators to 'save money'. Ovens use a lot of electricity and heat up your house. But 1. I didn't want to spend money on a food dehydrator and 2. I didn't have any more space for ANOTHER small appliance. So...

I went to the dollar store. Bought a package of 100 Watt light bulbs. Put one in my oven. Think 'easy bake oven'. An oven is a small space and light bulbs are hot. This means you can dehydrate any fruits and vegetables you want using just the amount of electricity it takes to use one light bulb. This way you can also leave the oven unattended all day or over night while you dry them, it's just a light bulb.

For most things I just slice and dry them plain- but you can coat things in salt, oil or fruit juice depending on the flavor you want. I toss my tomato slices in sea salt and olive oil before drying.

I learned the hard way that everything sticks to baking sheets, so I use parchment paper or silicone baking mats on them now. Silicone baking mats are amazing, you can dry the thinnest slices of mushroom even without them sticking.

Drying fruits, vegetables and herbs has become such a great way to save money- you can utilize wilted produce, sales, garden surplus or half eaten toddler foods without using up any precious freezer space. Home dried only sit around until you're ready to use them- not in transport and on store shelves too, so they have much more flavor and none of the chemicals (or in some cases allergens).

I plan to try out a lot more this summer- peaches, carrots, apricots... basically anything I want to use up or can buy cheaply. Do you ever dry foods? What do you make and how?

Onion and chive cream cheese mix

Aside from pizza and toasted French bread with butter, bagels with cream cheese are my greatest carb-tastic addiction. I love making all sorts of flavored cream cheeses, especially...

Onion and chive cream cheese mix

2 teaspoons dried chives
1 teaspoon onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt



What else you'll need

1 package of plain cream cheese

Combine mix with cream cheese and stir well. Let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or more (if you can wait!!!) to let flavors mix.



Enjoy on bagels, crackers or chips!