Diary Entry 5: Ingredients to spice up any meal!

Knowing what ingredients can make a bland meal extraordinary can be challenging. Through trial and error, I created a list of spices and ingredients to make any meal tasty and divine.

Garlic

This ingredient should always be readily available in your kitchen. Most people only use garlic when making Mediterranean cuisine, but you can use garlic in any meal to give your food that extra flavor.

Pink Salt

I just discovered pink salt, and let me tell you, it’s a game-changer for me. Pink salt is considered a healthier version of regular salt, which can sometimes be harsh on the meal; with pink salt, this is no longer an issue, and you can get the exact taste of your meal.

Fresh Onion

Most people prefer to use something other than fresh onion in their meals because of the pilling process and the smell. However, having one onion on your meal can give that extra flavor and bring the meal together.

Salted butter

Salted butter is simply butter that contains added salt. In addition to giving a saltier taste, the salt acts as a preservative and prolongs the shelf life of the butter. This type of butter is perfect for spreading over crusty bread and melting over homemade pancakes and waffles, and you can add it to grilled meat or when making garlic-butter prawns.

Lemon juice and zest

You can add lemon juice and zest to everything to give any meal that extra flavor. It’s a high-impact flavor enhancer and a great source of vitamin C. Lemon juice and zest are used to marinade salad dressings, pasta, desserts, soups, custards, and so much more.

Peppers & Chilies

Ground, crushed, dried, or fresh peppers and chilies excite any meal and provide extra heat. I love chilies and peppers so much that I keep a bottle of crushed red pepper flakes handy and add them to any meal I prepare.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the original superfood, and it tastes even better. There’s a reason why this good-for-you fat is one of our most used ingredients, providing a foundation for long, slow roasts and weeknight sautés and rounding out finished dishes with a drizzle of liquid sunshine.

Cheese

Cheese is delicious, incredible, and a superfood, and used to enhance any meal, such as soup, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, and make the crusts of some roasts extra tasty and divine. Anytime you want to make any meal extra divine, add some cheese!

Soy Sauce

This sauce comes in two forms, namely, light and dark sauce, and it’s great to use when making Chinese dishes such as Chow Mein, adding extra flavor to Chinese Noddle soup , or when making stir fries like Chop Suey . I love the taste of soy sauce; it adds extra flavor to any meal!