Friday, June 4, 2010

Substitutes For Chili Seasoning







Out of chili seasoning mix? You can make your own at home.


Chili seasoning is sold by many food companies to consumers looking to spice up their homemade chili. Containing ingredients such as cumin, chili powder, salt, paprika, onion and garlic, this blend generally has a spicy "kick" to it. As much as a chili seasoning mix adds flavor to your chili, there are substitutes available, including ones for people with special dietary needs.


Homemade Chili Seasoning


If you're out of chili seasoning, you can put together a blend of your own with common spices and ingredients typically found in the kitchen. According to your taste and tolerance for spicy foods, mix together minced garlic and onion, crushed red chili pepper flakes, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, Tabasco sauce and dried oregano.


Gluten-Free Chili Seasoning








If you or a family member is sensitive to or unable to tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, you'll need to find a substitute for chili seasoning that is verified to be gluten-free. Cuisine Mentor sells a three-pack of gluten-free chili spices containing the flavors Espresso BBQ, African Piri-Piri, and Native American Three Sisters Stew Blends. The spice mixes also come with chili recipes.


Low-sodium Chili Seasoning


If you're on a low-sodium diet, you may want to avoid most chili seasoning mixes, which can be loaded with sodium. You can make a chili seasoning at home with cumin, chopped garlic, chili powder and other spicy ingredients, but forget the salt. There are also low-sodium or salt-free chili seasoning mixes available, such as Mrs. Dash's Salt-Free Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend.


Spicy Ingredients


If you don't have seasonings in your kitchen to make a chili seasoning of your own, you can still make a flavorful recipe by choosing spicy ingredients. Add hot peppers such as jalapeno, chopped onions, garlic, hot sauce and salt to your chili if you're in need of some chili seasoning. You can also add spicy enchilada sauce to your chili, which goes well with tomato sauce, if you're in need of some spice.

Tags: chili powder, chili seasoning, your chili, chili seasoning, chili seasoning