Spice It Up With Altius Spices & Seasonings Inc.

It all started when I finished my last batch of cinnamon. Usually I could just mosey to the grocery or bulk food store to buy it, but welcome to 2020, where even the most common used spices are out of stock! I love sprinkling cinnamon on oatmeal for breakfast, making pancakes, baking cookies and even a dash with a cup of tea. 

So after some sleuthing on the Internet, I found a Canadian company called Altius Spices & Seasonings Inc. They are a full service spice house and so whether you're a regular home-cook like me, part of the food service industry and buy in bulk or even want to take things a step further to create your own label with expertise from their in-house R&D team, check them out!

Here is an example of some of the spices from the Encore Gourmet section that we have used at home and love so far!  Note these are small sizes, but you have options to get larger bottles too!

There is a HUGE inventory to choose from, so you can mix and match your favourites and since they are reasonably priced, you can even go ahead and try out new spices to experiment with. 

They are also committed to food safety and you can read more about steps are taken to assure safe quality products: https://altiusspice.com/food-safety/

I am very excited to try more spices from Altius. I hope you'll give them a try for all your flavourful adventures!

High Quality Spices ✔

Budget-friendly ✔

Variety  ✔

Safety ✔

and a Canadian Company! ✔

💜

Shop directly online: https://altiusspice.com/shop/  (FREE shipping is available too!)

For tasty recipes, gift ideas and more, visit them on Facebook

Food Review: Heating Up The Kitchen With Club House Organic Spices!

I received complimentary packages of Club House's Organic Kung Pao and Taco Seasoning Mix from a great site that I belong to called Influenster.

These are the two packages I was sent in the mail.

I couldn't take the heat from the Kung Pao rice dish, so I enjoyed the tasty fries!

My honest thoughts: The packaging was okay, although I would love to have a re-sealable option so I don't need to transfer any leftover spice mix into another container for later use. The spice definitely packs a punch, so a little goes a long way for any recipe. I could smell it a mile away. lol The heat is very much present in each bite for the rice dish that I made but Bill found that despite the heat, it didn't have a lot of flavour. I wish there was less sodium in each package too because that is a bit of a deterrent. This won't be a staple spice product for our home, but it was good to try out.

The Taco mix though was really tasty! A lot of flavour and a great blend of spices. My baked fries turned out excellent. It had a bit of a zesty taste, but still tolerable. I would definitely make them again and we still have quite a bit left of the mix to enjoy!

So there you have it. These goodies that I got in the mail was a nice surprise and if you haven't already joined up, I would encourage you to check out Influenster (totally free to be a member!) so you can have an opportunity to test out all sorts of cool new products that launch.

Have you tried any of these organic spices out yet? If so, let me know your thoughts!

Flavour.ca  Influenster Canada #HelloFlavour #Complimentary

Spicing Up Your Life: A. Vogel Herbed Sea Salt Review

It’s always a bit of a panicked feeling when you realize that you’re pretty low on spices and yet in your head there are numerous dishes that you want to make. I received a complimentary bottle of A. Vogel Herbed Sea Salt from Social Nature, which came to the rescue today for lunch!  I will admit that i’m not usually a big fan of sea salt, but lately it’s been really growing on me.

The blend of organic spices (rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, etc...) mixed in is quite tasty. I added only a sprinkling to my veggie/hummus wrap and a little bit on the sweet potatoes, which was the perfect amount.  I can envision putting this in mashed potatoes, meatloaf, and all kinds of soups! I honestly don't think I would like this as much without the herbs.

My lunch - Mixed veggies with hummus on a tortilla wrap,
side salad with blueberries, roasted sweet potatoes and pickles!

The bottle design was a bit tricky to figure out with opening at the top, but I really like the sliding feature that allows you to put in the desired amount and then just gently slide back into place to seal and stay fresh.

Instead of having the salt shaker around, I think this Herbed Sea Salt by A. Vogel, has earned a place on the table.

A few extra bits of product information claims:

Free from artificial flavors, additives, and preservatives
Free of top 11 allergens
Certified Organic
Non-GMO Project Verified
MSG and Gluten-Free

#trynatural  #howdoyouherbamare #gotitfree

Food: Nutrition of Green Beans

It is technically not quite summer yet, but I am seeing a lot of delicious produce and when those sales come on, it's easy to pack away the frozen vegetables for a later time and opt out for fresh.

Green beans are a personal favourite of mine. If you didn't know, they are packed with a lot of nutritional value, like Vitamin A, C, K, and of course dietary fibre, which you read more in depth from this site here that has a lot of good articles on health and nutrition:  Nutrition of green beans 

They were in a giant crate at Metro for $1.88/lb, so we bought a good amount to last us the week. We used them as side dishes, and incorporated into our salads.

I know that some people can wash green beans and then consume them raw, but personally I find this extremely difficult on my stomach and digestion.  Once they are cooked, I have no issues eating them cold, but that's as far as I go!

Anyhow, just a quick photo of some fresh green beans that I steamed up, sprinkled with a bit of oregano, maple bacon salt, and a little melted butter. Yum!

How do you like your green beans? Send me an e-mail or leave a note under this post!

Windsor Restaurant Review: The Spice Of Life At House Of India

All photos by Melissa Arditti

Indian cuisine is characterized by the widespread usage of a variety of delicious spices such as cumin, cardamom, ginger, garlic, coriander, red chili peppers, and many more. The word spices, or masala as it is called in Hindi, is often referred to as the heartbeat of an Indian kitchen.

Entering House of India, located at 325 Ouellette Avenue, you’re whisked into an aroma of flavours. The actual restaurant does need some sprucing up, with some of the paint chipped on the walls and scratches on the furniture, but there are some traditional Indian paintings and while you are eating, you can tune into the TV with Bollywood style music videos to keep you entertained. (*Note the décor has changed now, this photo was taken in 2014)

The menu is filled with many options and also caters to vegetarians. If you are not familiar with an entree, the waitress is happy to explain exactly what you’ll be getting, right down to the spices used. Another plus is that they are very accommodating with the spice levels, so you can be adventurous or ask for a milder version.

The 1 to 10 scale works wonderfully, but I will say that even at a level 1 I was starting to sweat. However, it’s a good feeling because all these spices have well-known health and healing properties. For example ginger is often used for nausea. The knowledge has been used for thousands of years in India and has circulated throughout North America.

As an appetizer we had the vegetable samosa. It was quite tasty. Very light and crispy, but it definitely had a kick. The sweet sauce on the side was a nice touch for dipping.

If there was one entree that I would recommend, it would be the tandoori chicken with basmati rice. Cooked in a clay oven, the meat was so tender and, combined with the spices, your mouth was in for a real treat. This was just a half order, by the way.

Another fantastic dish was the lamb korma. Dip with traditional naan or paratha bread and oh you’re going to be satisfied. It had a stew-like consistency, so a great excuse to scoop it all up. The blend of richness and creaminess with coconut and raisins was perfect.

For dessert, gulab jamun would be a great choice to cool off your body after enduring the spices, as it is milk-based and will take away the heat. It is soaked with rose flavoured sugar syrup.

The prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge, so I was able to have leftovers. My home now has a wonderful aroma that reminds me of this dinner.

So, next time you’re in downtown Windsor, add a little spice to your life and visit House of India

*Updated: No longer in business. :(

Cooking: Meaty Monday!

After winding down from the weekend, Monday always comes around too soon! Looking in my fridge, I realized that aside from the beef, I had a bunch of vegetables that needed some attention and a Tupperware container filled with beans. 

Healthy and easy meal for a Monday night that everyone will enjoy!

-Extra lean ground beef
-Veggies (baby carrots, green peppers, red onions)
-6 bean medley (thanks PC!) chickpeas, red/white kidney beans, black-eyed peas, romano beans, and baby lima beans)
-garlic, basil, oregano
-add whatever sauce you like
-serve with noodles