Made of popular Mediterranean herbs, this herb and pepper mix provides excellent seasoning for pasta sauce, pasta salads, vegetable soups and salad dressing or topping. It eliminates the need for salt, even in soups. Herbs are expensive, but all of the herbs are easy to grow, if purchased as seedlings. All but parsley are perennials. Parsley is a biennial and so it must be replanted every two years.
Ingredients for Easy Herb and Pepper Mixture
Amounts do not have to be exact. If purchasing by bulk, calculate into parts. (.25 oz = 1 part, .5 oz. = 2 parts, and 1 oz. = 4 parts.)
- Parsley leaves 1oz.
- Sweet basil 1 oz.
- Thyme .5 oz.
- Oregano .25 oz.
- Rosemary .25 oz.
- Marjoram .25 oz.
- Black pepper 1 tsp
Mix herbs in a jar.
Mixed Herbs and Pepper: A Substitute for Salt
When one uses this mixture of herbs on meat, salads, in soups and sauces, lack of salt is seldom noticed.
Herb and Pepper Mix for Soup Recipes
The combination of pepper and herbs is perfect for homemade chicken or turkey soup with rice or noodles, tomato vegetable soup - with or without meat, potato soup, cream of tomato soup and most meat, poultry or vegetable soups.
Herb and Pepper Mixture for Salt Free Salad Dressing Recipe
- 2 T. Herb & Pepper Mixture
- 1 & 1/4 cup olive oil or olive oil mixed with less expensive oil
- 1/4 cup basalmic, red wine or apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 cup water
- 1 tsp. sugar or 1 tsp molasses
To make your own salad dressing, mix all ingredients. If you are using molasses, mix very well and give it some time to blend in completely. This recipe goes great with green salads or for tossing pasta with vegetables to make a cold pasta salad.
Herbs and Pepper for Salt Free Pasta Sauce
The herb mixture can be mixed with tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, dried onions and garlic to taste to make quick pasta sauce.
For full flavored pasta sauce:
- Brown chopped onions, green peppers and garlic,
- Add ground beef or meatballs and brown meat
- Drain fat and add tomato sauce
- Add herb mixture plus red pepper flakes
- Let simmer for 1 - 2 hours.
Herbs and Pepper for Grain Dishes
The herb and pepper mix can be used to flavor grains, such as white rice, brown rice, wild rice, barley, and orzo. Orzo is actually tiny, rice-like pasta made from wheat, is harder than normal pasta and is similar to grains.
Tossing cooked grains with the herb mixture and frozen vegetables (which thaw on contact with the hot grains) makes an excellent vegetarian main dish.
Herb and Pepper Mixture for Roast Vegetables
When mixed with oil and vinegar dressing, the herb and spice mixture can be used to coat large chunks of chopped vegetables, such as zucchini, carrots and potatoes, and baked for an elegant mixed vegetable side dish.
Using Herbs and Pepper in Ground Beef or Turkey
The herb and pepper mixture is also ideal for making salt-free spicy meatballs, spicy hamburgers and turkey burgers.
Drying Herbs from the Garden
To dry herbs grown in the garden, rinse and place in a long baking dish in a dry part of the house (not a basement). When herbs are crackly and dry, roll in hands to separate fine leafy parts from stems. Remove large stems by hand and sift the of the ground leaves by rubbing into a colander.
One Herb and Pepper Mixture - Dozens of Salt-free Recipes
This easy herb and pepper mixture has many uses in cooking and can be added to other spices, such as onion, garlic and red pepper for any number of recipes. Best of all, the saltshaker is not needed when using this fragrant mix of herbs and pepper.
