I found myself looking through some Substack notes and posts. I find that I like it when there is a note that leads to a post.
Today I was shown 10 great spices and herbs by Doctor Poonam Desai
I subscribed for free after reading a few more posts in the hope of having more come up in my feed.
I listed the 10 spices and herbs in my journal.
I had to get more about how to use them by turning to Chat GPT.
I love all the suggestions and I will be trying some out over the next few days.
The second thing I asked was for some more healthy herbs and spices that would fit my diet. It even supplied nice images.
I can’t wait to try some of the spice combinations in different meals. I will be trying rosemary fried eggs with potatoes for breakfast tomorrow. I’m going to boil some small half potatoes then flatten them a bit with a fork and fry them in butter and olive oil and rosemary. I saw the smashed potato idea on Substack too.
Here is my breakfast.
Since reading the Wizard’s Butler I have been using a tray to bring my breakfast to the table. A visitor joined me today.
I will definitely be printing out this information to keep it handy. I have an A5 journal for recipes. I will print the answers on A5 and slip them in my journal.
The image of the masala dabba spice box in the Doctor Poonam post has inspired me to use my tea box for spices instead of teas. It’s a lovely wooden box with 12 round tins inside. 8 are empty already so it is practically ready to go.
Isn’t life exciting!
Even if I don’t make up a masala dabba I have already made lots of plans for how I can use herbs and spices more often.
I started adding spices to my tea box. There is still some tea in there but I will use that up soon.
There is turmeric on the right, then ginger and cinnamon.
These three along with black pepper are what I put in my porridge.
Cheers,
Val
Below is the first answer I got from Chat GPT. Just copy and paste it if you want to keep it.
Me:
I’m excited about these herbs and spices turmeric, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, saffron, cardamom, oregano, rosemary, chili pepper. Suggest ideas for adding these to my common meals on a regular basis, separately or in combination.
I was really happy with the reply:
ChatGPT:
These herbs and spices work well because many of them overlap in warmth, depth, circulation support, digestion, and blood sugar balance. You can build “default flavour combinations” so using them becomes automatic rather than something you have to think about each meal.
Warm breakfast combinations
Oats or porridge
A very easy daily base:
Cinnamon + ginger + cloves
Cinnamon + cardamom + saffron
Turmeric + ginger + black pepper + cinnamon
Ideas:
Stir saffron into warm milk before adding to oats
Add cardamom to baked oats
Use cloves very lightly — a pinch changes the whole flavour
Chili works surprisingly well in chocolate oats
Yogurt or cottage cheese
Cinnamon + cardamom + saffron
Ginger + cinnamon
Chili + oregano for savoury cottage cheese
Eggs
Turmeric + black pepper scrambled eggs
Chili + oregano omelette
Rosemary fried eggs with potatoes
Ginger and chili in an Asian-style omelette
Lunch and dinner defaults
Easy “golden” savoury mix
Works in:
Rice
Soup
Chicken
Lentils
Roasted vegetables
Use:
Turmeric
Black pepper
Ginger
Garlic
Optional chili
This becomes almost invisible once habitual.
Mediterranean combination
Very versatile for vegetables and meats:
Oregano
Rosemary
Black pepper
Chili flakes
Use on:
Roast potatoes
Chicken thighs
Tomato dishes
Beans
Zucchini and eggplant
Warm spiced tomato flavour
Excellent in:
Mince
Lentils
Soup
Pasta sauce
Use:
Cinnamon
Chili
Oregano
Black pepper
A tiny amount of cinnamon in tomato dishes gives richness without tasting “sweet.”
Rice ideas
Saffron rice
Add:
Saffron
Cardamom
Black pepper
Turmeric rice
Add:
Turmeric
Ginger
Black pepper
Spiced rice
Add:
Cloves
Cardamom
Cinnamon stick
Chili
Even plain rice feels special this way.
Roasted vegetables
Earthy roast vegetables
Rosemary
Oregano
Black pepper
Warm spiced vegetables
Turmeric
Ginger
Chili
Sweet-spiced pumpkin or carrots
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Tea and drink ideas
Evening calming tea
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Clove
Morning warming tea
Ginger
Chili
Cinnamon
Golden milk
Turmeric
Ginger
Black pepper
Cinnamon
Saffron milk
Saffron
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Easy “habit stacking” strategy
Instead of trying to use all of them every day, create categories:
Meal TypeDefault Spice PatternBreakfastCinnamon + gingerEggsTurmeric + pepperRoast vegetablesRosemary + oreganoRiceTurmeric or saffronSoupGinger + chiliTomato dishesOregano + cinnamonEvening drinkCardamom + clove
That way the flavour combinations become part of your identity and routine rather than a health project.
Some unexpectedly good combinations
Cinnamon + chili
Rosemary + cinnamon on roasted carrots
Cardamom + black pepper in tea
Oregano + chili on eggs
Saffron + ginger in rice
Cloves + chili in slow-cooked beef
Turmeric + oregano on roasted cauliflower
Weekly rhythm idea
You could naturally rotate them:
Monday: turmeric/ginger meals
Tuesday: rosemary/oregano meals
Wednesday: saffron/cardamom meals
Thursday: chili/oregano meals
Friday: cinnamon/clove comfort foods
This keeps variety high without needing lots of planning.