Because I grew up eating foods that were prepared with little to no salt (thanks to my father’s incredible cooking), I learned to substitute spices in place of sodium to create flavor. During those early years when my husband and I were newly married, he often stated that my cooking was a bit bland without the addition of salt. With a little experimentation and compromise, we’ve both learned to use more spices and less salt to create diverse, bold, flavorful dishes.
Last month, McCormick challenged myself and a group of bloggers to substitute spices and herbs in place of sugar, sodium and fat to flavor meals and add antioxidants. If you visit their website, you’ll find thirty super swap tips like adding ground ginger to fruit or green tea in place of sugar, replacing the butter and salt in mashed potatoes with Rosemary Leaves, Garlic Powder, and Black Pepper, adding curry powder in place of salt before roasting chicken, and many more.
Over the last month, I’ve used cinnamon in place of sugar and Rosemary/Thyme in place of fats and sodium. And, I got a little creative with the hubby when we whipped up this ethnic chicken dish. Here is the recipe:
Moroccan Chicken With Whole Wheat Couscous
Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 Large Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, diced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup golden raisins
Cook chicken in large saucepan in olive oil. Sautee until starting to brown, add onions and garlic. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in all spices. Simmer until reduced. Optionally, add 1 Tablespoon of flour to thicken.
Couscous:
1 Package Couscous (to be cooked according to package directions with chicken broth)
Add several strands of Saffon, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried cilantro.
Serve chicken and couscous topped with chopped cilantro and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
My husband and I enjoy a variety of ethnic cuisines and have been attempting over the last year to recreate some of our restaurant favorites. This is definitely a bold dish and one that uses spices not often combined in American households. Plan to spend about 30-40 minutes preparing it.
Swapping spices and herbs in for fats, sugar, and sodium doesn’t have to be as elaborate as the dish above. Why not give your homemade chicken soup an Asian flair by adding 2 teaspoons of ground ginger and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to 4 cups of soup topped with snow peas and shredded carrots? Or add oregano, thyme powder to your Italian dishes?
For additional Super Swap Tips from McCormick, just visit their website.
No compensation was received for this post. Product samples and gift card for supplies to create the meal were supplied by McCormick. Original recipe and photos courtesy of Rockin’ Mama.
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