We’re all about investing in premium spices, but that doesn’t mean we don’t understand the need for an affordable weeknight meal. Everyone likes an easy, healthy dinner when they get home from work or need something quick! One of the best things about quality spices and herbs is that they make food much more delicious and complex-tasting without any extra effort - or calories! Here are a few ideas for healthy and affordable weeknight meals using spices.
OurGarlic Chili seasoning is aromatic and spicy, so it’s perfect to use on simple, accessible ingredients. Pasta is super affordable, so try it on a whole wheat variety with olive oil and whatever vegetables you’ve got lying around - tomatoes, mushrooms, courgettes, or broccoli. Or sprinkle our blend on on your protein - shrimp or chicken is great - and saute it in olive oil before tossing it over salad or couscous. Garlic and chili liven anything up, and our seasoning also includes parsley and sea salt, so you won’t feel like you’re missing out on flavour.
We’d also recommend adding honey to this seasoning -this recipe has a great way to create a sweet yet bold sauce for chicken or prawns. Soy sauce and sesame oil are a great way to get Asian flavours fromour chili garlic blend too - perfect for a healthy vegetable stirfry. Or make these easychili garlic rice and broccoli bowls with whatever fish or meat that you have in the freezer (or tofu or vegetables). These simplechili garlic tofu bowls are another budget way to get your fiber and vitamins by adding kale.
Greek cuisine just screams fresh, healthy, and delicious, doesn’t it? Light salads, Mediterranean flavours, grilled meats, and fish can all be part of your weekday meal plan with ourGreek Seasoning. TheMediterranean diet was linked to longevity, so this is a great place to get inspiration for healthy dishes. Our blend can elevate those simple, affordable ingredients with very little extra work on your part. It’s got garlic, onion, marjoram, spearmint, oregano, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, black pepper, so it’s packed with flavour.
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Greek Seasoning is great on a lean mince likelamb or beef which you can grill and then serve with salad or yogurt dressing. Try it with thesechicken and vegetable kebabs too and you’ve got your side dishes and main all in one. But you could also mix it with olive oil or balsamic to create for a simple vinaigrette to serve up on aneasy, light Greek Salad. And theseGreek chicken souvlaki bowls with roasted vegetables and rice look perfect for a quick, healthy weeknight meal. (Tzatziki sauce and pitas are always optional!)
We’ve mentioned it before, butour vegan pesto blend is a great addition to all things plant-based, especially roasted vegetables and pasta. But it’s also lovely on pizza, fish, and meat. And on the weekdays, it saves you the trouble of coming up with your own blend of spices or making your own pesto from scratch. Just a dash ofthis seasoning and you’ve got basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, sea salt, and black pepper ready to go. You can use it anywhere you’d use regular pesto!
It doesn’t get any easier than ourpasta with tuna, cherry tomatoes, and pesto, but of course, pesto is irresistible on any pasta. It’s also amazing tossed with olive oil for roasted vegetables. If you want to get slightly more involved, try it with thesechicken pesto grilled mushrooms for something healthy that’s also easy to assemble with just a few ingredients. Just looking to grill some chicken or vegetables? Season with this pesto all by itself, or add it to a bit of olive oil and chili first. Serve your pesto-spiced chicken or veggies alongside salads, onopen-faced sandwiches, or in asimple brown rice bowl with green beans (or a farro and lentil bowl). A sprinkle of it would also be great in this healthychicken, spinach, and tortellini soup.
Chilies can boost metabolism and spicy food can make you feel full, so adding a little bit ofAleppo Pepper to your weekday meals is a no-brainer. That fruity, nuanced heat will also make your meal feel exotic without breaking the bank. You can use it with lean meats, vegetables, eggs, or even our ownbutternut squash soup. Aleppo Pepper is really great when you need something super fast and affordable for one person, like avocado toast or a simple green salad, but also when you’re cooking dishes for a family, like pizza or roast chicken.
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One of the simplest ways to create a healthy weekday meal is, again, the grill! Theseyogurt-marinated chicken kebabs with aleppo pepper are quick and easy to prepare, plus super versatile. Add them to pitas, salads, sandwiches, or a side dish of rice or couscous with roasted vegetables. A healthy yet easy dish that you might not think up on your own, these scrambled eggs with avocado, aleppo pepper, goat cheese, and spring onions could become weeknight standby. If you’ve got some whole wheat pizza dough lying around, thisolive, aleppo pepper, and mozzarella pizza looks light yet satisfying. And for a quick side dish, aleppo pepper is fantastic withroasted corn orroasted potatoes.
The tang ofSun Dried Tomato is a welcome addition to lots of savoury dishes, and our dried blend adds a depth of flavour without the calories of those soaked in oil. We’d especially recommend it on quick dinners ofsalads filled with chickpeas or one with cucumber, fresh tomato, and feta. It’s indulgent on roasted potatoes or even pizzas, but you could also throw it into veggie-laden pastas orhealthy soups with greens.
Use our Sun Dried Tomato in place of the real thing in dishes like this easysun-dried tomato spinach quinoa salad recipe or in thisvegetable ratatouille with white beans. For a healthy, family-friendly one-pot dish, try it in creamy sun-dried tomato chicken which is made with coconut milk. Thesebruschetta chicken breasts served rolled up with marinara sauce and baked would be great alongside salad or roasted courgettes. For a super light and easy dinner idea, how about sun-dried tomato and lemon baked fish? You could use any frozen fish fillets you have, like cod or haddock, and serve it with peas or rice.
