Category Archives: Recipes

Have you ever taken a look at the ingredients in prepackaged taco seasoning? If not, then you really should. It is filled with unnecessary ingredients, like sugar in various forms.

Why does taco seasoning need any form of sugar in it? If you have never watched the documentary Fed Up, you really should. It divulges into sugar and the food industry’s role in adding it to everything possible.

It really is an eye opener, and this is coming from someone who loves their sweets!

Anyway, making your own taco seasoning not only gives you complete control over the ingredients, which means no more added sugar or potentially harmful preservatives, but it is cheaper in the long run when you buy the spices in bulk.

I started making my own taco seasoning mix about a year ago when me and my husband did the Whole30 program for a month. And, along with checking labels and trying to avoid things that have sugar in it when it really shouldn’t (like fresh chicken breast, yes, a lot of companies add sugar to their “fresh” raw chicken breast), making my own seasoning mixes have been one of the few habits we kept.

Taco Seasoning Recipe

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

• Step 1: Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight glass container.
• Step 2: When ready, use about 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix per 1 pound of meat.

That’s it! Pretty simple, great tasting and doesn’t contain potentially harmful ingredients.

Tips: If you notice that the seasoning mix is a bit on the spicy side, I would suggest reducing the amount of crushed red pepper since this ingredient can be a little hot for some people. My best advice is to experiment and taste the seasoning as you go along. You may find you want more oregano and less salt, and that’s okay. This is your seasoning mix so you should have it the way you and your family like.

I absolutely love pumpkin pie spice and use it regularly throughout the summer, fall and winter season. And while I do try to keep this spice on hand, there has been more than one occasion when I desperately needed it for a recipe but all the local stores were sold out. When that happens, however, I can turn to one of these trusty alternatives that work just as good as the commercial blend and is more budget-friendly!

Betty Crocker’s Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

For me, at least, the following pumpkin pie spice recipe from Betty Crocker works the best. It tastes the same as the McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice and is my go-to recipe when I’m out of the real deal.

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground clove

Alternative Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

I have used this recipe only once before when I didn’t have any McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice and I was all out of allspice. Despite its missing ingredient, this recipe works in a pinch and I couldn’t even tell that it was lacking allspice once added to the desired recipe.

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg