Tacos, The All-American Mexican Food

That's right, you read the opening graphic correctly, tacos as we know them made with ground beef is an all-American version of the Mexican sandwich. While tacos made with ground beef share a Mexican heritage with carne asada (shredded beef) and al pastor (shredded pork) the seasoned ground beef filling is uniquely American in origin. During the 1960's several small Mexican fast food restaurants began serving American 'style' tacos made with seasoned ground beef. These included Taco Bell (1962), Del Taco (1964) both in California, Taco Bueno (1967) in Texas, Taco John's (1969) in Wyoming, and Taco Casa (1974) in Alabama. Many others have followed suit over the years, but these companies were the ones that helped make tacos famous in America.

In America the term 'taco' has become known by most people as a spicy chili powder based ground beef mixture served on a flour tortilla or crunchy taco shell with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and diced tomatoes. Only hamburgers and pizza are more popular fast food choices than tacos. In fact, according to the website 'How Things Work', the Taco Bell taco is listed as the third most famous American fast in the United States. In addition, according to the research obtained from The Daily Meal website, Taco bell's “Crunchy Beef Taco remains its current best-seller, with over 2 billion sold in the past year alone”.

Whether Taco Bell is famous or infamous is a matter of personal opinion. In this article, I am going to teach you how you can make better tasting, less expansive tacos than those from Taco Bell, Del Taco, Taco Bueno, Taco Casa or the any number of fast food TexMex or Mexican restaurants. In addition, I will share with you my recipe for taco seasoning that tastes better than any prepackaged taco seasoning you can buy, and it is a whole cheaper to boot!

Ingredients

Taco seasoning mixes are pretty straight forward with all of the ingredients being essentially the same, with only Old El Paso containing monosodium glutamate (MSG). All except for the homemade taco seasoning contain some form of preservative. Most of them are gluten free except for Lawry's and Old El Paso which use flour alone or in addition to cornstarch as a thickening agent. As always, making your spice mix, in this case taco seasoning, gives you the most control over the additives in the food that you serve your family.

In this article I have included to versions of my taco seasoning, one which includes beef bouillon which contains monosodium glutamate (MSG), and one without. Personally, I prefer the flavor of the taco seasoning made with beef bouillon so this is the one I use most often. If you have concerns about MSG, then the non-MSG recipe is the one for you. I have supplied the following information so that you can examine the ingredients of each of the prepackaged taco seasonings as well as the homemade version so that you can make a well informed decision regarding any future purchases.

French's Taco Seasoning – Cornstarch, Chili Pepper And Other Spices, Maltodextrin, Salt, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Paprika (As Color), Red Pepper, Disodium Inosinate, Paprika Extractives (As Color).

Great Value Taco Seasoning – Spices, Onion, Whey Solids (Milk), Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Garlic, Potato Starch, Citric Acid.

Lawry's Taco Seasoning – Spices (Including Paprika And Chili Peppers), Onion, Salt, Lactose (Milk), Sugar, Garlic, Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Cocoa Powder, Citric Acid, And Natural Flavor.

McCormick Taco Seasoning – Spices (Including Chili Pepper, Cumin, Oregano, And Red Peppers), Onion, Whey Solids (Milk), Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Garlic, Potato Starch And Citric Acid.

Old El Paso – Salt, Maltodextrin, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Corn Starch, Yellow Corn Flour, Spice. Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Natural Flavor, Ethoxyquin (Preservative).

Homemade Taco Seasoning – Chili Pepper, Cumin. Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cornstarch, Paprika, Beef Bouillon* (optional).

*Beef bouillon contains quite a few additives including monosodium glutamate (MSG). For further reading on the ingredients of powdered bouillons, see my previous article: 'Restaurants Use Them, So Should You?' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Bullion.

Cost Analysis of Pre-packaged Versus Homemade Taco Seasoning

Prepackaged taco seasoning mixes are one of the few prepackaged items that you can buy that are almost as cheap as making them yourself, however, ounce for ounce making your own is 30% cheaper than the cheapest prepackaged mix (Great Value at 40 cents per ounce). Occasionally you can even find them on sale for half of their original retail price. On those occasions it makes sense to purchase these mixes and keep a few on hand in your pantry, especially if you can get them for less than 35 cents per package. If you do not have a decent sized pantry or stocked spice rack it may actually be cheaper to buy the prepackaged mixes as opposed to making your own, however, most of you should have the ingredients to make your own mixes on your shelves right now.

French's Taco Seasoning $1.12 for a 1.25oz packet (90 cents per ounce)

Great Value Taco Seasoning $0.50 for a 1.25oz packet (40 cents per ounce)

Homemade Mild Taco Seasoning $0.38 for 1.3oz (29 cents per ounce)

Homemade Spicy Taco Seasoning $0.44 for 1.3oz (34 cents per ounce)

Lawry's Taco Seasoning $0.58 for a 1oz packet (58 cents per ounce)

McCormick Original and Hot Taco Seasoning $0.58 for a 1.25oz packet (46.4 cents per ounce)

Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning $0.78 for a 1oz packet (78 cents per ounce)

The individual costs of the spices used my our homemade taco seasoning mix are based on those found in my local Walmart. You may find that there is some variation in price based on your location, but generally the cost should be about the same. The following is a cost breakdown of the individual spices that I used in this recipe. Bandia Chile Powder $2.92 for a 9oz container (32.4 cents per ounce), Bandia Ground Cumin $2.38 for a 7oz container (33.8 cents per ounce), Knorr Beef Bouillon $4.48 for a 35oz container (12.8 cents per ounce), Argo Corn Starch $1.48 for 16oz container (9.25 cents per ounce), Great Value Iodized salt $0.54 for a 26oz container (2.1 cents per ounce), 5^th Season Garlic Powder $0.88 for 3.62oz container (24 cents per ounce), 5^th Season Onion Powder $0.88 for 3.25oz container (27 cents per ounce), Badia Smoked Paprika $1.42 for a 2oz container (71 cents per ounce), McCormick Red Pepper Flakes $3.24 for a 2.62oz container ($1.24 per ounce). Total cost for your homemade taco seasoning per the recipe below is 38 cents for mild seasoning (without the red pepper flakes) and 44 cents for medium heat (with the red pepper flakes).

Cost Analysis of Fast Food Tacos Versus Homemade Tacos

So making your own taco seasoning can save you 30 to 70% over the prepackaged taco seasoning mixes depending on the brand you purchase. However, if you want to see the real cost savings associated with making tacos at home, we have to look at the total picture.

Ground Beef 1lb, $1.88 on sale, 11.75 cents per ounce

Homemade taco seasoning $0.38 cents for one recipe

Mission Crunchy Taco Shells 12ct $1.28 (10.6 cents per shell)

Great Value Fiesta Blend Shredded Cheese $7.94 for 32oz (24.8 cents per ounce)

Marketside shredded Lettuce $2.98 for 16oz package (18.6 cents per ounce)

To make one taco similar in weight and ingredients found in the original Taco Bell Crunchy taco it costs us approximately $0.67 (3oz ground beef (1/3 cup) with seasoning $0.38, $0.11 for the taco shell, $0.12 cents for ½ ounce cheddar cheese, and $0.05 for ¼ cup shredded lettuce). The original Taco Bell crunchy taco costs $1.31 plus tax. That means that the taco you just bought at the drive through cost you 51% more than if you made it yourself. Let's look at it in one more way. If you bought 12 tacos from Taco Bell it would cost you $15.72 (with our local 1.08% sales tax), to make those same 12 tacos at home it only costs you $8.03. That is a 51% savings by making your own tacos at home.

Because in this section we are comparing our homemade tacos versus the original Taco Bell 'Crunchy Taco' I thought you would like to see exactly what Taco Bell lists as the ingredients for the seasoned beef they use on their tacos compared to the recipe here. I know which one I would rather serve my family.

Taco Bell Seasoned Beef – Beef, water, seasoning [cellulose, chili pepper, onion powder, salt, oats (contains wheat), maltodextrin, soy lecithin, tomato powder, sugar, soybean oil, spices, garlic powder, citric acid, caramel color (C), disodium inosinate & guanylate, cocoa powder, natural and artificial flavors (contains gluten), trehalose, modified corn starch, lactic acid, torula yeast], salt, phosphates. Contains: Soy, Wheat

Homemade Taco Seasoned Beef – Ground beef, Chili Pepper, Cumin. Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cornstarch, Paprika, Beef Bouillon* (optional).

Taco Seasoning Mix Recipes

Because I know some people do not like to use monosodium glutamate (MSG) I have included to recipes for homemade taco seasoning in this article. In addition each taco seasoning mix can be made as either mild (no red pepper flakes) or spicy (with red pepper flakes). Included with these recipes is the individual weight of the spices and the cost of each to make the taco seasoning mix. In making thes mixes all spices were individually weighed to ensure the most possibly accuracy.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (With MSG)

2 tablespoons chili powder (0.6oz = 19.4 cents)

2 teaspoons cornstarch (0.2oz = 1.85 cents)

2 teaspoons beef bouillon (0.1oz = 1.28 cents)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (0.1oz = 3.38 cents)

1 teaspoon onion powder (0.1oz = 2.7 cents)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (0.1oz = 2.4 cents)

1 teaspoon paprika (0.1oz = 7.1 cents)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), (0.05oz = 6.2 cents)

Total Cost: Mild $0.38, Spicy $0.44

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Omit the red pepper flakes if you want a mild taco seasoning, or plan to add diced jalapenos or a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green chilies to your meat mixture.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (No MSG) Total Cost $0.43

2 tablespoons chili powder (0.6oz = 19.4 cents)

2 teaspoons cornstarch (0.2oz = 1.85 cents)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (0.1oz = 3.38 cents)

1 teaspoon iodized salt (less than ¼ of a penny)

1 teaspoon onion powder (0.1oz = 2.7 cents)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (0.1oz = 2.4 cents)

1 teaspoon paprika (0.1oz = 7.1 cents)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), (0.05oz = 6.2 cents)

Total Cost: Mild $0.37, Spicy $0.43

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Omit the red pepper flakes if you want a mild taco seasoning, or plan to add diced jalapenos or a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green chilies to your meat mixture.

Homemade Tacos (Serving Size 6 tacos)

1 pound ground beef (73/27)

1 recipe taco seasoning

¾ cup of water

1 large onion, diced (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Add oil to medium skillet pan and put on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté' until translucent. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown, then drain in wire mesh strainer in the sink, rinsing with hot water to remove the unwanted grease, rinse out the skillet as well. Once the ground beef and the skillet have been rinsed, return the skillet and ground beef to the stove and add the sautéed onion.

Add the dry taco seasoning mix, and the ¾ cup of water. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes making sure to break up any clumps of ground beef. Then remove the lid and continue to simmer as necessary until the meat mixture has absorbed almost all of the liquid. Serve with crunchy taco shells or flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, and cheddar cheese.

Taco Tip – My wife and I often purchase 3 to 5lb packages of ground beef (73/27) on sale for $1.88 to $1.99 a lb (a 50% savings from regular price) and cook it in batches with sautéed onions. We rinse the meat thoroughly in a mesh strainer with hot water and set aside to allow it to dry as much as possible. We then weigh the cooked ground beef and store it in 1lb packages in zip lock bags and pace it in the freezer. Now when we want to make tacos we simply set it in the fridge the night before, or thaw it out in the microwave (just takes a few minutes). And we can have tacos ready faster than you can drive to the local fast food Mexican restaurant and back. To see why we rinse our ground beef check out the article on our blog 'Cheap Ground Beef Can Be Just As Healthy As Lean' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthy%20Beef

Additions

Tomatoes and Green Chilies - Drain them thoroughly and reserve the liquid, then combine that liquid with any additional water as needed to make ¾ cup of liquid.

Pinto Beans – Adding a rinsed and drained can of pinto beans to your taco meat with the rest of your ingredients is a good way to almost double the yield of your taco meat mixture. It is even cheaper if you have left over pinto beans from a previous meal, or if you cook dried pintos just as an addition. Pinto beans are not only rich in protein, but help to lower the overall cost of your meal, while allowing you to feed more hungry mouths.

Conclusion

This bottom line, making tacos at home can save you up to 59% versus fast food tacos, and the best thing is that you can make them start to finish in just about the same amount of time as it takes you to drive through your local fast food Mexican restaurant. And as always, you have total control over the ingredients you use. The great thing about making tacos at home is that it is a quick and easy dish, and it is one of the few dishes I never had to beg the kids or grandkids to eat. In fact, I get requests for my homemade tacos on a regular basis. The great thing about tacos, is you can setup a taco bar and let everyone can help themselves.

I must admit this article was way longer than I expected it to be, but there just so much information to share with you to help you make better informed food purchases for you and your family. If you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Google+

References

How Stuff Works: 10 Most Famous American Fast Foods http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/10-american-fast-food-menu-items.htm#page=8

The Daily Meal: America's 10 Most Popular Fast Food Items http://my.xfinity.com/slideshow/news-popularfastfood/

Taco Bell Website: Nutrition and Ingredients http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/ingredientstatement

If you grew up in the 1970's like I did, you probably remember a product called 'Shake and Bake' that was marketed as a healthier alternative to pan or deep frying chicken or pork. If you have never heard of Shake and Bake that would not be surprise me either as it has not really been heavily marketed on television since the early to mid 1990's. During the 70's and 80's though their commercial's were seen on television on a regular basis. Having explained all that, Shake and Bake is a bread crumb, flour and seasoned coating that was developed for chicken and pork to mimic the crunchy texture of deep frying when baked in the oven.

It works relatively well in simulating deep frying, and when used with chicken that has the skin on makes for a petty crispy crust. When used on skinless chicken and or rabbit, you do not quite get that crispy crunchy coating as the fat from the skin is not there to crisp up as much, but I quite enjoy the flavor of the coating. It is as General Foods originally advertised “a better alternative to frying.”

Now owned by Kraft foods, there are thirteen different varieties of 'Shake and Bake' listed on their website. That's quite a few for a product which is no longer advertised on national television. Anyway, while I love fried chicken, I knew I needed to have a healthier alternative to frying. While shopping for groceries I remembered seeing 'Shake and Bake' at my local Walmart. Because this blog is all about stretching your food dollar, and giving you and you family healthier food alternatives, I thought to myself, I bet I can made a homemade version that is not only cheaper, but tastes better. I think I was successful, and I hope you think so as well.

The Ingredients

The ingredient list of both the commercially prepared and the recipe for my homemade Shake and Bake are very similar, and in this instance there is very little health advantage between using one over the other unless you are wanting to eliminate high fructose corn sugar from your diet. Eliminating the powdered chicken bouillon in the homemade recipe will however decrease the number of ingredients as well as remove any unwanted MSG. Personally I like the recipe as it stands, but feel free to modify it to suit your personal tastes.

Shake and Bake Original Chicken Seasoned Coating Mix – Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [Vitamin B1], riboflavin [Vitamin B2], folic acid), enriched bleached wheat flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [Vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), maltodextrin, salt, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, canola oil, paprika, contains less than 2% of celery seed, spice, high fructose corn syrup, dried garlic, yeast, dried onions, natural flavors.

Homemade Shake & Bake – All purpose flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin [A B Vitamin], Iron, Thiamin, Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), plain bread crumbs, salt, sugar, cornstarch, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and powdered chicken bouillon*.

*Chicken bouillon contains quite a few additives including monosodium glutamate (MSG). For further reading on the ingredients of powdered bouillons, see my previous article: 'Restaurants Use Them, So Should You?' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Bullion.

Cost Analysis

A box of Kraft Original flavor Shake and Bake is $2.00 for a 5 ounce box or 40 cents per ounce.

Great Value all-purpose flour sells for $1.60 for a 5lb bag or 2 cents per ounce, while Great Value plain breadcrumbs are $1.68 for a 15 ounce container or 11.2 cents per ounce. As with most recipes, the spices that go into the mix are of such a small quantity they are no more than one or two pennies each. In this instance 10 cents should cover the overall cost of all the miscellaneous spices in this recipe. So when everything is totaled we see that our homemade shake and bake costs approximately 8.43 cents per ounce (8oz AP flour = 16 cents, 15oz bread crumbs = $1.68, miscellaneous spices 10 cents, total for mix $1.94 divided by 23oz = 8.43 cents per ounce) versus the Kraft brand which costs 40 cents per ounce. So we see once again that making your mix can save you a significant amount of money. In this case making your own shake and bake is 79% cheaper than buying a pre-packaged mix.

Homemade Shake & Bake

1 cup AP flour

2 cups breadcrumbs

2 tablespoon dried parsley

4 teaspoons chicken bouillon

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

Mix all dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

When ready to use, add 1 cup shake and bake and 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil to a medium sized bowl and stir with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Pour mix into a zip lock bag or container and add the poultry or rabbit a few pieces at a time and mix until evenly coated.

For Chicken – Place on foil lined baking sheet sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until done. Do not cover chicken. (1 cup coats approximately 8 to 10 pieces of chicken or rabbit.

For Rabbit – Place in corning ware or casserole dish sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray and cover. Bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes or until done. Take the lid off during the last 15 minutes to crisp up the coating. (1 cup coats approximately 8 to 10 rabbit hindquarters). The rabbit is cooked longer and at a lower temperature to keep the meat from drying out as it is so lean. You can experiment with a higher temperature bu run the risk of drying out the rabbit.

For Pork -  Place on foil lined baking sheet sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray and bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes or until done. Do not cover or turn pork chops.

Conclusion

While the health benefits of making your own breading mix may not be that different from the commercially prepared product, using your homemade shake and bake as an alternative to deep fat frying is definitely a healthier choice. While we cannot put a price tag on the advantages of making significant lifestyle changes (baking versus frying), making your own shake and bake coating mix can save you and your family a significant amount of money (79%). Another way you could really cut the cost of your homemade shake and bake is if you prepared your own bread crumbs out of leftover stale bread, but that is a topic for another article. Once again I ask that if you enjoy this article and have found it informative, please share it with your friends so that they can make better informed food purchasing decisions.

'Jiffy' Style Southern Corn Mufin Mix

Winter is here and nothing beats the cold than a hot bowl of stew, chili or plain old pinto beans for warming both the body and the soul. The one side dish I almost always have to have with either of these is cornbread. I admit that I like 'Jiffy' brand corn muffin mix, and will buy it if I get a good deal. But about a two years ago when we started raising our own chickens and growing our own vegetables I finally decided it was time to start go back to making my own cornbread from scratch. Below you will find the recipe that I worked to get that 'Jiffy' style flavor. If you do not like sweet cornbread simply omit the sugar, however you may want to increase the salt to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon.

Todd's Homemade 'Jiffy' Corn Muffin Mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup milk

¼ cup corn or canola oil

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (While the oven is preheating add 1 to 2 teaspoons of bacon grease to an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place it on the middle shelf of the oven).
 

Add the wet ingredients (oil, egg, and milk) to a small bowl and whip with a fork or wire wish until combined. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mix into the dry.

Mix the wet and the dry together making sure there are no dry spots on the bottom of the bowl. The mixing process should take about 20 to 30 strokes; it is normal for the batter to have some small lumps.  

 

Remove your cast iron skillet from the oven once it has finished pre-heating, and spoon the batter into your heated cast iron skillet and bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly before removing from the pan.

 

Note: When it comes to sweet cornbread, Jiffy brand cornbread mix is one of my favorites, and at about 50 cents a box it is hard to beat. However, if like me, you have all-purpose flour and cornmeal on hand this recipe will definitely cure your hankering for 'Jiffy' brand cornbread mix, and not only does it taste great, it's even cheaper than Jiffy. I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Seasoned Salt Recipe

I received an email from 'JohnnyW37' asking what is seasoned salt? Well, seasoned salt is a spice mix made by combining a variety of herbs and spices with ordinary table salt. One of the most famous variations is Lawry's Brand seasoned salt which was created at the world famous Lawry's Prime Rib restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. 

 

Seasoned salt is very popular, and there are thousands of recipes in cookbooks and on the internet that list it as an ingredient. It seems as if almost every food manufacturer has their own blend of seasoned salt, and there are a wide variety of seasoned salts available on supermarket shelves across the United States. While each is inherently different, they almost all contain the same basic ingredients: salt, sugar, onion and garlic powders, . Variations include the addition of: celery salt, powdered chicken broth, marjoram, thyme, chili powder, paprika, tomato powder, MSG, and soy sauce powder.

Todd's Seasoned Salt

6 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon mustard powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon turmeric or curry powder

½ teaspoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon MSG (optional)

• Place the thyme and marjoram in a spice mill and grind into a medium to fine powder. Add to a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well, place in a small jar and store in a cool dry place, shake jar well before each use. Makes about 1/3 cup seasoned salt.

Note: In my opinion, this seasoning blend is far superior Lawry's or any other commercial seasoned salt that you can buy on your supermarket shelves and it is quite a bit cheaper to make. The addition of thyme, marjoram, and mustard powder give the seasoned salt a depth that Lawry's just doesn't have. However, if you want a simple copycat recipe for a Lawry's seasoned salt, omit the thyme, marjoram, and mustard powder as these are not in Lawry's original seasoned salt.

Lawry's Seasoned Salt

6 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cornstarch

• Place the thyme and marjoram in a spice mill and grind into a medium to fine powder. Add to a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well, place in a small jar and store in a cool dry place, shake jar well before each use. Makes about 1/3 cup seasoned salt.

So there you go 'JohnnyW37', hope you will find these recipes helpful and enjoyable.

Todd

Episode 2 - Homemade Chile and Chili Powder

Chile Powder

3 Ancho (Red Poblano) chile's, dried

3 Anaheim (California green chile) chile's, dried

3 New Mexico chile's dried

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
• Take a knife or kitchen shears and remove the stems of the peppers and split them lengthwise removing any loose seeds with your hand or knife.
• When all of the chiles are prepared, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and place them in your preheated oven and roast for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the peppers on a plate or another baking sheet and allow them to cool. Leaving them on the hot baking sheet may cause them to burn which will result in a chile powder of poor quality and taste.
• Once the chiles have cooled break them up and place them in a spice grinder or coffee mill and process into a fine powder then store in an airtight container until needed.

Use any chiles you desire to give your chile powder its own unique flavor. Check out the 'Scoville Heat Index' for information on the heat of each individual chile grown. Now that you have your own chile powder, let's look at making our own special blend of chili powder to use in place of the variety of commercial blends you can find on your supermarket shelves.

Chili Powder

4 tablespoons chile powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin seeds

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon Mexican oregano

1 tablespoon paprika

• Combine dry ingredients into an airtight container and mix thoroughly. Use in dishes that call for chili powder such as chili, tacos, soups and casseroles.

Note: Many commercial chili powders add salt as an ingredient in their chili powders. I do not add salt to my chili powder as this allows me to increase the amount of chili powder in my dish per the recipe or personal preference without overloading the dish with sodium. Instead, I check the flavor of the dish before serving making any adjustments for salt and pepper as necessary.

Mediterranean and Mexican oregano are two different plants with a similar flavor. The most common form of oregano found on supermarket shelves is Mediterranean oregano simply labeled 'oregano'. Mexican oregano is stronger and less sweet making it more suited to the spicy, hot, cumin flavored dishes such as chili, tacos, salsa and other Mexican and TexMex dishes. Either can be used, but I prefer the Mexican oregano for my chili powders. No matter which you use, your homemade chili powder will beat the commercial blends hands down no doubt.