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Making Healthy Eating Taste Delicious

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and stabilizing your mood. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. But by using these simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, varied, and nutritious diet that is as good for your mind as it is for your body.Eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to be overly complicated. While some specific foods or nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on mood, it’s your overall dietary pattern that is most important. The cornerstone of a healthy diet pattern should be to replace processed food with real food whenever possible and making it taste delicious.  Eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it can make a huge difference to the way you think, look, and feel.  Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Spices are here to help you make your heathy dishes more flavorful.  Purchase your spices at keepitspicey.com

New Gourmet Spice Blends are Coming August 1, 2018.

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Cauliflower Grilled Cheese

Comfort food is defined as food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking. It also is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature or simple preparation. Here is one of our favorites that is quick,  easy to make, and goes great with soups.

So easy and delicious to make, instead of bread, you use cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, (to make about 4 cups processed cauliflower)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 c. shredded white Cheddar
Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Kosher Salt and Gourmet Smoked Pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. Keep It Spicey Gourmet Smoked Granulated Onion

DIRECTIONS
Cut cauliflower into florets. Process cauliflower florets in a food processor until the texture resembles rice. Alternatively, you can grate the cauliflower.

In a medium bowl, combine processed cauliflower, eggs, Parmesan and oregano. Mix until evenly combined then season with salt, pepper and granulated onion

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray then scoop the cauliflower mixture into a small patty on one side of the pan. Repeat to form a second patty on the other side. (These are your “bread” slices.) Press down on both pieces with a spatula and cook until golden underneath, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the other sides are golden, about 3 minutes more.

Top one cauliflower slice with cheese then place the other cauliflower slice on top. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes more per side. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

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Valentine’s Special

A perfect gift for your love one is our Keep it Spicey Gift Set for Valentines Day.  This set includes one of our Signature Keep it Spicey T-Shirts available in sizes Small -Large for ladies and for Men, a pair of our signature lace undies and a 4 oz. container of our Keep it  Spicey Gourmet Smoked Brown Sugar for your pleasure, retail value is $58.00 on sale for just $45.00 Order yours today before they are all sold out.  Keep it Spicey, no matter what room of the house you’re in!

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Paprika, not just a spice

Paprika is not just a spice that adds color and a lot of flavor to your dishes, but is also rich in vitamin C and carotenoids, providing a variety of health and beauty benefits. Because of the large amount of antioxidants present in this spice, such as vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin, it’s already clear that paprika benefits you by helping prevent diseases that damage your eyes. In addition to these nutrients, the existence of vitamin B6 in paprika also helps keep your eyes healthy.  We’ve had so many customers to tell us how much they love and use our gourmet smoked paprika, including , on Chicken, in Omelets, Salads, and of course Vegetables.  Try our delicious smoked spices today.

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Keep It Spicey Sweet Potato Soup

Take a break from baking, roasting, or mashing sweet potatoes, and cook them up into this luxurious soup. You can add so many things to make this recipe your favorite, adding sour cream, or half and half to give your soup a little more creaminess. Perfect for the vegetarian looking for different yummy recipes

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 small onion, diced about 1/4 cup
  • 1/2 teaspoons Keep it Spicey Kosher Salt
  • 1 t Keep It Spicey Gourmet Smoked black pepper
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 t Keep It Spicey Gourmet Smoked Granulated Onion and Garlic each
  • 1/4 cup of Keep It Spicey Gourmet Smoked Brown Sugar
  • 2 apples (Your Choice) cut in 1 inch cubes
  • Sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (You can substitute with Pumpkin)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon Keep It Spicey Gourmet Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Cup Butternut Squash (Optional) or can substitute for Sweet potatoes
  • Goat Cheese, Pumpkin Seeds, Shoodie Bread Croutons, Maple Toast OR Sour Cream for garnishment
Directions
  1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and shallot, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add Apples (and Squash) and cook 2 more minutes
  3. Stir in sweet potatoes, stock, cinnamon, and paprika. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. (Sweet potatoes should be very tender.)
  4. Using a blender, stick blender, or food processor, purée mixture (in batches, if necessary). Return mixture to the pot. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a little more gourmet smoked brown sugar if needed.  
  5. Garnish, we love the Toasted Shoodie Bread croutons toasted with our Gourmet Smoked Brown Sugar…YUMMY
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Quick & Easy Turkey Stew

When the temperature drops, it’s time to head to the kitchen to make a hearty, warming meal.  When I think of cold weather, I immediately think of hearty chilis and stews, bean dishes, pasta meals, slow braises, and casseroles. Plan ahead meals and create a weekly dinner menu to make life less stressful.  It’s easy to incorporate healthy eating while creating comfort foods. Creating meals such as Shrimp or Chicken Jambalaya, Hearty Chicken Chili (white bean chili) to homemade Chicken Pot pies can be comforting to your belly and easy on your waist line. I created a Turkey Stew Yesterday from our left-over smoked turkey that was to die for. It was so quick, easy and delicious,  you must try it!

Ingredients

1 cup of left over turkey ( or more if you have) cut into chunks

1 bag of mixed frozen vegetables (I used fresh carrots, corn, and a few green bean stalks I froze from our garden)

4 potatoes pealed and cubed

1 medium onion

2 celery stalks

2 cups of water

1 T Chicken Bullion

1 T Corn Starch

1 T Keep it Gourmet Smoked Spicey Granulated Onion

1 t Keep it Gourmet Smoked Spicey Granulated garlic

1 T Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Kosher Salt

1 t Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Black Pepper

Twig of Fresh Rosemary (Optional)

In a large pot add water, potatoes, celery and onions. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, add the seasonings, left over turkey and vegetables. Simmer until all ingredients are tender (about another 10 minutes).  Thicken with cornstarch and let simmer about another 5-10 minutes.  We ate ours of course with “Shoodie Bread” made into corn muffins. I placed my “Shoodie Bread” muffin inside the soup in the bowl and broke it up in the soup as I was eating.  YUMMY!

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Ways to use your left over “Shoodie Bread”, our Gourmet Corn Bread

Cornbread Croutons/Snack

Most of the Time “Shoodie Bread is made, there are never left overs. But just in case you looking for ways to use up your cornbread is by transforming it into croutons. Chefs often do this with day-old bread, so you shouldn’t forget that you can easily do it with cornbread, too. Follow this recipe for Cornbread Croutons found on Tablespoon.com and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

  • 1 batch day-old “Shoodie Bread” prepared 

  • Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Salt,  Gourmet Smoked Pepper and Gourmet Smoked Garlic Powder,  to taste

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut leftover or day-old cornbread into cubes, any size. Place cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle a few dashes of salt and pepper to taste on croutons. Drizzle with olive oil and toss lightly to coat. Toast in oven until edges are a deep brown, about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping once during baking. Remove from oven and sprinkle on your favorite foods. Also Great for a snack all by it self!

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Keep it Spicey Loaded Baked Potato Skins

“I recently served this appetizer while watching football on Sunday at our house, and it was simple yet delicious!” It’s perfect for your holiday event, easy to take to a party just reheat in the over 5-7 ,minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 Potatoes Boiled or Baked until Done

  • 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice We use  Smoked Cheddar

  • 1⁄2cup sour cream or ranch dressing

  • 1⁄2cup chives, diced or red onions

  • 1⁄2cup bacon, crisp and chopped

  • Sprinkle with Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Salt and Pepper on the Potatoes

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut Cooked Potatoes in Half then cut a couple of slits into the potatoes so spices can sink in

  2. Sprinkle with Keep it Spicey Gourmet Smoked Salt and Pepper

  3. Tope Each Potatoe with Cheese, Bacon Bits and Onions

  4. Bake at 350-375 until cheese is melted and bubbly

  5. Serve with sour cream or ranch dressing and chives on the side.

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Shoodie Bread, Gourmet Cornbread

This time of year the weather outside is frightful here on the East Coast. When the temperature drops, it’s time to head to the kitchen to make a hearty, warming meal. From gooey baked pastas to meaty stews chili and soups, they all will warm your belly. It’s time for comfort food cooking and we have the perfect bread for your dish.  Our Gourmet Cornbread called “Shoodie Bread”.  This dynamic cornbread is a combination of both my wife’s grandmother and my grandmother’s recipes combined to create this rich creamy cornbread.  We’ve added corn kernels to give it a special touch of love. We have been making “Shoodie Bread for over 12 years for our friends and family.  Make sure you have a container in your refrigerator.

You will love the way it taste. 

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Untitled

A lot of cooking processes tend to cause vegetables and nutrients to lose their health benefits, but not Indian cooking. … So when people think of Indian food as being spicy, what they are not realizing is that the spices used to make the dishes are actually good for the body and will enhance the flavor of the food you’re eating.  My wife and I started Keep is Spicey not only to have healthier choices but to bring us closer by sharing recipes and ideas.  Not only are we making your food taste great but we are bringing families back in the kitchen, creating conversations and bonds between family and friends.