Phase: Any phase. A flavour tool for the whole journey, strict to stable.
When you eat low fat, flavour has to come from somewhere, and most supermarket seasoning blends solve that with a wall of salt, and sometimes a little hidden fat or anti-caking oil. So make your own house blend once and keep it by the stove. It does the job of five jars, costs less, and you decide what goes in.
Makes: about half a small jar · about 4 kcal a teaspoon, no fat to speak of
Prep 5 min · Total 5 min
Ingredients
All dried.
- Dried parsley, 2 tbsp
- Dried basil, 1 tbsp
- Dried oregano, 1 tbsp
- Dried thyme, 1 tsp
- Garlic powder, 2 tsp
- Onion powder, 2 tsp
- Ground cumin, 1 tsp (warmth without any heat)
- Dried lemon zest, 1 tsp (the secret weapon, it brightens everything)
- Salt, optional and minimal, or leave it out entirely
Method
- Combine everything in a small bowl. Crush any large flakes between your fingers so the blend is even.
- Funnel into a clean, dry jar. Label and date it.
- Use on chicken, fish, vegetables, rice, potatoes, soups. A teaspoon goes a long way.
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Fat note: Zero fat. If you leave the salt out, you have a blend you can use freely and salt to taste at the plate.
Safety note: There is no pepper, no paprika, no chilli and no curry in here, and there never will be. Those are permanent no items on my list. Cumin sits fine with me, but strong aromatics are personal, so start with half and build up.
Stepan’s Rule: Add the dried lemon zest. It is the difference between “low-fat food” and “food.” Acid and brightness are what your tongue misses when the fat is gone, and zest brings them for free.
Patient experience, not medical advice.
This blend pairs with the fat-budget cooking in the book, where the whole point is making safe food taste like food you actually want to eat.