You Can Do It Better: Taco Seasoning

I think I read more ingredients lists and nutrition facts than prose anymore, which often leads to some surprising findings. Having an especially strong affinity for Mexican food, I naturally flipped around my can of taco seasoning to have a look. Here's what I found:

(in decreasing order based on percentage of the total weight)
Maltodextrin
Salt
Chili pepper
Onion powder
Spice
Monosodium glutamate
Corn starch
Yellow corn flour
Partially hydrogenated soybean oil
Silicon dioxide (anticaking agent)
Natural flavor
Ethoxyquin (preservative)
BHT (preservative)

I'm not a food chemist, so I had to do some research about some of these ingredients. Without going into painful detail, I'll break down the list:

• You'll notice the first ingredient isn't something you're likely to have in your spice rack. Maltodextrin is a sugar-like compound derived from corn.
• The second ingredient isn't a good sign either. In fact, one pound of ground beef prepared with this seasoning, following the instructions, will yield a concoction with a total 115 percent of a single person's daily allowance of sodium on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet.
• Chili pepper and onion powder are the third and fourth most prevalent ingredients, respectively, but they're the first ingredients providing anything close to "taco flavor." They're also very strong flavors, which probably mask the flavors of the other ingredients—and of bland industrially-produced beef or chicken—rather well.
• "Spice" is the maker's way of protecting their proprietary mix of herbs and/or spices from would-be copycats. It's a pretty safe bet that this "spice" is likely a mixture of cumin, garlic powder and maybe coriander.
• MSG, the bane of lovers of Americanized Chinese food, is also present here. Its purpose is to magnify the flavors of the spices—and to some extent the meat—by artificially triggering the fifth sense of taste the Japanese call "umami," or deliciousness. MSG is also a good source of headaches for many people.
• Corn starch and yellow corn flour are the second and third instances of corn products in this taco seasoning. They probably act as thickeners and/or fillers.
• The soybean oil is a bit of a mystery to me, but it might lock on to the oils in the spices in order to increase the shelf life of the product.
• Yes, silicon dioxide is basically sand. And yes, it is considered a legitimate additive.
• I have no idea what "natural flavor" might contain, but it could be any proprietary combination of what the manufacturer considers flavor enhancers.
• These last two ingredients are preservatives.
• Ethoxyquin is both a food preservative and a pesticide. It's used to prevent fats, like aromatic spice oils, from becoming rancid. There's no conclusive evidence that this chemical is dangerous, but it has been linked to increased levels of enzymes in the liver.
• BHT is butylated hydroxytoluene, a fat-soluble antioxidant, which has been (inconclusively) linked to child hyperactivity and possibly cancer. Basically, it protects the flavors of the product by preventing the spices from reacting with oxygen.

Honestly, some of these "ingredients" are down right odd—and even scary. From a corporate perspective, food product stability is incredibly important, but is having taco seasoning with a shelf life of two to three years worth passing on (to the consumers) the unknown costs of using some of these ingredients? Besides, how many consumers are likely to take the time to research butylated hydroxytoluene?

So with these questions and others swirling around my taco-craving brain, I set out to create my own seasoning mix without corn, sand and pesticides. I've been adjusting the proportions for some time now, but I think it's a good, all-natural alternative to the store bought stuff.

Homemade taco seasoning
Makes spice mix for 1 pound of meat or beans

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (not salt)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:
Stirring together ground versions of all these ingredients is perfectly acceptable, but I like to lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan to amp up their flavors. I add all these ingredients to a coffee grinder (dedicated to spices) and grind until they form an even mixture.

It's perfectly fine to add this spice mix to browned meat with 1/2 cup of water and reduce over low heat, but I usually go a little further. I normally stir the spice mixture together with 1/2 cup of water, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to create a surprisingly deep flavor.  (The Worcestershire sauce is a better way to develop "umami" without chemical additives.) Just before serving, I like to stir in a tablespoon or two of finely chopped, fresh cilantro.

This is a really versatile recipe that can be altered for any personal preferences. The important part is that the total volume of ground spices be about 1/4 cup. It would be ideal to use this mixture immediately, but it's not likely to degrade in quality for about a month if stored in an air-tight container.

Results:
Customization is the name of the taco game, in my opinion. You could eliminate the garlic and onion powders in favor of freshly chopped ingredients added directly to the meat. I hope to eventually try an altered version of this with a black bean base. Ooh, new idea: tacos with a splash of fresh lime juice! See what I mean?

I've really come to love the vibrant, fresher flavors I find when I make tacos this way, especially with better quality, local meat. Best of all, however, is that I know precisely what's going into my food. No sand, no laboratory chemicals and no corn unless I choose to have corn tortillas! One thing is for sure, though—I'll never buy factory-made taco seasoning again.

My blender gets all the love

Near the end of 2009, I set out to change my eating habits for better—and for good. Looking back at what I ate, I didn't eat horribly, just too much of everything. Developing recipes (mostly sweets) for the business I'd hoped would take off wasn't lite work by any stretch. For several months in 2009 I was baking between three and five nights a week, and I was snacking on the results as opposed to just tasting them.

I'd like to say I had some wonderful epiphany that led me to my dietary transformation, but I really just stepped on the scale. It was about a week before Christmas when I realized I'd quickly gone from one most-ever weight to another one 15 pounds heavier. After spending a week or so in shock—and overreacting with severe dietary cuts—I stumbling across an article about one of my favorite food-TV personalities, Alton Brown (of "Good Eats"), losing 50 pounds with a simplified menu that seemed mostly doable for me.

Shortly after the start of 2010, I watched the first episode of the new season of "Good Eats," which was hosted by an almost-too-thin Brown. What struck me at the time was the lack of processing to which the foods he ate were subjected. Aside from simple preparations and/or combinations, almost all of it was procured in its natural form.

Here's Alton's list of food items and the frequencies he thought they should be consumed:

DAILY
Fruits
Whole Grains
Leafy Greens
Nuts
Carrots
Green Tea

THREE TIMES A WEEK
Oily Fish
Yogurt
Broccoli
Sweet Potato
Avocado

ONCE A WEEK
Red meat
Pasta
Dessert
Alcohol

NEVER
Fast Food
Soda
Processed meals/frozen dinners
Canned soup
"Diet" anything

A quick analysis of the food listed above should reveal that it's really not that restrictive, which is why Alton rejects calling it a "diet" in the modern sense of the word. I'm not a nutritionist, so I would never recommend that anyone follow this (or any other) food plan, but I used it to guide the changes I was making in my own diet.

By now you've probably noticed the word "carbs" hasn't come up at all. That's because I don't share the same views on low-carb diets that so many others have deemed essential to weight loss. I've certainly tried to eat fewer total carbs, but I've also resolved to choose the right kinds of carbs as opposed to just avoiding them altogether. You might also have noticed that "whole grains" and "fruit"—significant sources of carbohydrates—appeared in Brown's "daily" category.

And I've finally meandered my way to the point of this entry: the recipe. The single most important thing to contribute to my own weight loss has been eating breakfast. In the episode of "Good Eats" I mentioned above, Alton presented a recipe for a huge 24-ounce (by weight) breakfast smoothie. Yes, you read that right, it's a 1.5-pound smoothie made mostly of fruit. I made several changes for my own smoothie recipe, but the process remains the same.

Fruit smoothie

Ingredients:
The ingredients measured in grams allow for even divisions of the bags of frozen fruit over a five-day work week. They were all measured as 4-ounce portions until I reached a point where the smoothie became too large for me to drink.

1 fresh banana
90 grams frozen peach slices
90 grams frozen strawberries
70 grams frozen blueberries
70 grams frozen dark sweet cherries
1 cup light, regular soy milk
1 cup acai, cranberry or blueberry juice

Instructions:
Blend all the ingredients until a smooth mixture develops. Makes one large serving for one person or two medium ones for two people. For best results, drink immediately

The frozen, ready-to-use fruit makes this entire process possible. There's no way I could swing this kind of thing with fresh fruit on a daily basis. I prefer to put the smoothie together in the blender carafe the night before to allow the frozen fruit time to defrost a bit in the refrigerator. You could add nutritional supplements to the recipe or edit it to your personal taste. It's incredibly forgiving, and it certainly doesn't need any sugar added!

The daily smoothie for breakfast definitely doesn't get all the credit for what weight I've lost, but it's played a far bigger role than I ever thought possible. As it worked out, I hadn't read any of Michael Pollan's books until well after 7 months of eating a simple, less processed selection of food, but they've only served to inform, improve and clarify the certainty that I've found something that works for me.

FYI:
Oh, and one bit of information I've been careful not to mention throughout this whole entry is that I'm closing in on having lost 30 pounds.

You Can Do It Better: Oatmeal

This post is the first of my new You Can Do It Better series. Recipes presented under this title will attempt to prove that common store-bought items just can't beat the homemade versions (in flavor, quality or nutrition).

About one day a week I usually replace a standard dinner meal with a few small snack-like portions spread over the afternoon and early evening. This past Thursday was such a day, and sometime around eight o'clock I started to get hungry. One of my favorite adages from Michael Pollan's Food Rules, "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry," came to mind. If my last apple hadn't fallen prey (to me) earlier that day, it would have surely been my first choice, so a snack was definitely warranted.

As I rummaged through the cabinets, I came across some forgotten packets of instant oatmeal—not exactly the flavorful, unprocessed snack I was looking for—but just as I was about to continue my search elsewhere, I thought, "Why don't I just make my own oatmeal?"

I try to keep old-fashioned oats around for various baking purposes, so a few flavorful ingredients later and I was good to go.* To compliment the nuttiness of the oats, I chopped some raw almonds. For some fruity sweetness I diced half a banana. Some soy milk (instead of water) seemed a perfect way to add creaminess and earthier flavor notes. For a little extra sweetness, I opted for a little dark brown sugar and real maple syrup. For a final touch, I went for the vanilla extract (just a little) for its richness and its tendency to magnify the flavors other sweet and nutty ingredients.

Banana and Almond Oatmeal
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
7/8 cup (just a little less than 1 cup) soy milk
1/4 cup banana, diced
12 almonds, chopped
1/2 tablespoon real maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
Bring the soy milk to a low boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats, sugar, maple syrup and chopped almonds to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about four minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the diced banana and cook for one to two additional minutes. In order to retain as much of its flavor as possible, stir in the vanilla extract just before serving/eating.

FYI:
This dish contains about 400 calories, about 15 grams of protein, almost no saturated fat and is a solid source of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. (These figures are based on on the individual ingredients' nutrition facts.)

The Results:
I don't think any prepackaged instant oatmeal can even come close to the rich, sweet, nutty flavor of this homemade version. Am I surprised? Not really. Many of my recent experiments have reaffirmed my faith in good, simple ingredients. Each element of the recipe served its purpose perfectly, and the flavors were incredible together. And the best part: the oats weren't just starchy mush—they had texture and body, along with great flavor. For even nuttier notes, you might consider lightly toasting the oats and/or the nuts before preparing this recipe. Also, other fresh and dried fruits could add more depth of flavor to this recipe—or change the flavor aesthetic altogether.

I plan to conduct some more experiments with other flavor/fruit combinations, which I will post here. I'm curious to see just how far I can go with the liquids in which I cook the oats. It should be interesting! Also, if you have any suggestions for future You Can Do It Better recipes, please send them to me! Coming soon: taco seasoning.

*Old-fashioned oats are less refined than instant oats. The closer the oat to its raw form, the earthier and nuttier the flavor. I'm going to be experimenting with steel-cut oats soon, which are much closer to the raw oat berry than common oatmeal. Think of steel cut oats like oaty, unrefined rice.

There and back again

(The abbreviated version of this entry can be found in the new summary titled Be Untamed.)

You might call this "The Untamed Palate 3.0." About two years ago, I started this blog to explore my interests and experiments in all things food (1.0). I used to lament my inability to produce a quality dessert despite ample success with just about every other culinary pursuit.

One night, while firmly in the throes of baking optimisim, I produced a sweet that changed everything. It was a dark chocolate cookie whose every bite was punctuated by the light burn of cayenne pepper. I called it "caliente."

With my new confidence in tow, I set out to create an entire line of unique cookies with unusual and rich flavor profiles. Success with cookies like strawberry and toasted almond, dark chocolate espresso and orange-ginger led me to begin long-term plans to start my own baking business. This blog started to become more a marketing tool than a forum for culinary expression (2.0). Unfortunately, after several valiant attempts (and a couple near misses), I found myself unable to locate a legally inspected kitchen in which to do some off-hours baking, which forced me to pause my business aspirations (2.d'oh).

In addition to struggling with the business phase of The Untamed Palate, I had also set out on Jan. 1, 2010 to change my diet, lose weight and get into shape. While in the middle of a frustrating, 3-month-long weight loss plateau, I was taken by an insatiable urge to read. I'm ashamed to admit, I hadn't picked up a book in some time, but I felt oddly drawn to non-fiction for the first time in my life.

One of the first books I read was Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. I can count on one hand the events that have changed my life more than this book. A single paragraph cannot do its wealth of information justice, but in it Pollan examines the ways in which we get our food. From industrial agriculture to sustainable farming, the story of the American food supply is both frightening and inspiring. Whether this book changes a person's food-buying behavior or not, no one who reads it will be able to look at any morsel without wondering what path(s) it traveled to reach his or her plate.

After letting this once vibrant blog lie fallow for several months, I've found new inspiration in food that springs not only from my desire for healthiness, but from the superior value and quality of locally-produced ingredients (3.0). In the coming weeks and months I hope to better explain this renaissance while also writing about the lessons learned from my locally-inspired culinary experiments. And I promise, there will be no short supply of stories, photos and recipes.