WHEN it comes to some of our favourite dishes and ingredients, we often get stuck in a rut and never try to spice them up.
Try the following seven original tips….
1. Put chocolate chips in… chilli!
For deep, rich-tasting vegetarian chilli, stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips at the end of cooking. After you’ve cooked the chilli, remove from the heat and stir in 2tbs semi-sweet chocolate chips, salt and pepper.
2. Improve guacamole with… yogurt!
Line the bottom of a strainer with cheesecloth and set over a medium bowl. Spoon in 65g plain yogurt, cover and chill overnight until yogurt “cheese” is thick and creamy. Mix up your favourite guacamole ingredients in a large bowl, then fold in the yogurt cheese and 65g sour cream to make an amazing dip.
3. Add sour cream to… pasta sauce!
To give your sauce a rich flavour, stir in 30g sour cream per 260g sauce. Cook over a low heat until the sour cream blends into the sauce. Keep the sauce warm over a low heat, but don’t allow it to boil or the cream may curdle.
4. Perk up steak with… coffee!
Mix fine coffee grounds into a spice rub for a rich, aromatic flavour. For an especially good combination, mix together ground espresso or other coffee, paprika, chilli powder, cumin, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a touch of sugar.
5. Wake up potato salad with… horseradish!
Potato salads tend to be mild and creamy from mayonnaise or sharp from vinegar. But for an amazing potato salad, prepare your usual recipe and simply stir in a teaspoon or two of prepared horseradish.
6. Amp up eggs with… cream cheese!
Cream cheese gives eggs a smooth texture that’s irresistible. Melt 2tbs butter and 30g cream cheese in a skillet before adding the beaten egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until the eggs are just firm, yet moist.
7. Squeeze lemon over… pasta!
Skip the salt when you boil pasta. Instead, squeeze in half a lemon – you’ll give your pasta some zip and cut down on your sodium intake.
