Vegan Vigilante: Saving the World One Meal at a Time

For me, one of the most daunting aspects of learning to cook was getting comfortable with spices. Coriander? Fennel? Mustard seed? Huh? I was comfortable with salt, pepper, and garlic. I mean, you can do a heck of a lot with salt, pepper, and garlic! But eventually, I came to accept that there might be other flavors out there worth investigating. After all, there’s a whole wall of spices at the grocery store, right? Let the games begin!

(At this point, I’d like to mention how patient Chris is when I get transfixed… okay, obsessed with things like this. Yes, fried potatoes are bland on their own. Yes, dumping a bottle of paprika on them will turn them a lovely orange. No, woman cannot live by paprika alone.)

After a year of experimenting, I’m finally getting comfortable with a wider array of spices. In fact, I’m kind in love with toasted mustard seeds, and little glass bottles of spices are encroaching on cereal’s real estate in the pantry. I found the following recipe in an old Vegetarian Times issue. I clipped it out without jotting down the date, and I couldn’t locate it on the website.

Salt-Free Seasoning

1 tsp. each:

• paprika
• dried parsley
• dried oregano
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ground black pepper
• ground red pepper
• celery seed
• ground cumin
• dried lemon peel

Blend all ingredients and fill a large-holed shaker with the mixture. Makes about 3 tablespoons.

I didn’t have ground red pepper or dried lemon peel on hand, so I just omitted them and have been using this veggie burgers, tofu steaks, and yes even fried potatoes. It’s an excellent low-sodium, vegan replacement for something like Lawry’s Seasoned Salt with a better, fuller flavor than Mrs. Dash.

Skillet-fried potatoes for the win!