Mexican Fiesta Dip Mix

It's the long weekend, so I'm sure lots of you will be entertaining company and bring food to parties. This is the second favorite dip tasted at my Mix It Up party during May and would make a good addition to any Canada Day celebration.

Mexican Fiesta Dip Mix (single use)

2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chives
1 teaspoon cumin

What else you'll need

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream

Stir well and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours if you can to let the flavors really blend in. This can be made with either mayo, sour cream or plain yogurt or any combo of them as long as it totals one cup. This means it can be made low fat or fat free.

It's not really spicy but it's got a bit of kick and is good for nachos and other Mexican foods as well as a baked potato topper.

Satay Sauce Mix

When I lived in Australia there was this kebab shop on campus that offered a choice of sauces on your chicken sandwich and I always chose the satay sauce. It was incredible. When I returned home I tried the bottled sauces but they just didn't taste right. The unnamed pyramid scheme company version of a mix tasted worse than the bottled kind.

I was very determined to get it right....

Today in my mix it up kitchen I gave it a go...

Satay Sauce Mix (single use)

2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoons dried garlic flakes
1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
1/8 teaspoon dried lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon coriander powder

What else you'll need

1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Combine the mix, soy sauce and peanut butter and microwave for 30 seconds until peanut butter is melted, then stir in the coconut milk.

I served mine with some grilled chicken as a dipping sauce but it's great for fresh spring rolls, shrimp and other Thai dishes.

Let me just say... OH MY GOD! I got it right! It tastes exactly like the kind in Australia. My husband was snorting it down so fast that it was all gone before I had eaten one piece of chicken. He wanted to lick the bowl clean.

Chai tea mix

First off I apologize for my recent lack of posts, but I was on vacation! We drove out to Prince Edward Island and rented a cottage.

Anyway, most people are under the impression that to get a good cup of chai they need to spend a fortune at a coffee shop or buy really expensive tea bags. This mix tastes better than anything you can order in a cafe and costs very little to make. All you need to do is add a spoonful or two to a regular cup of tea and you've got sweet delicious chai. The best part is that since you put it in an ordinary cup of tea you can serve both decaf and regular chai to your guests with just one mix.


Chai tea mix: Big Batch (makes 12 uses)

1 cup sugar
½ cup powdered milk
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon pepper

What else you'll need


1 cup boiling water
1 black tea bag

Use 2 tablespoons of mix with 1 cup of black tea.

I used my sister as a tester for this mix on her recent visit since she likes chai so much and I think she had about 6 cups of it she liked it so much.

Falafel Mix

My sister's been a vegetarian for 8 years and when she comes to visit I struggle to find dishes that are egg, dairy and soy free for me and meat free for her. But this week when she was here I thought of a great one. Falafels!

Falafel Mix (makes enough for about 4 wraps)

1 cup chick pea flour
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt

What else you'll need

2/3 cup boiling water
oil for frying
pitas, lettuce, tomato, cucumber ect...

Combine mix with boiling water and stir until it's a thick paste. Drop mixture by the spoonful into a frying pan of hot oil and cook on both sides. Serve with pitas and your favourite toppings.

Chick pea flour can be purchased at a bulk food store or any Indian grocery store. I was very skeptical about this recipe I created, worried it might taste terrible (I adapted it from the classic recipe using fresh chick peas). To my delight it was SO GOOD I couldn't stop talking about it (or eating it) for two days.

Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

I once had a roommate who ate the same lunch every day- a wrap with spinach, cheese and ranch dressing. I think of her every time I see a bottle of ranch salad dressing.

I made ranch dressing for my Mix it up party since I can't have eggs and needed people to taste it. They offered advice to thicken the recipe and make it more tangy so here is the improved version:

Ranch salad dressing mix (single use)

1/3 cup buttermilk powder
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon dill weed
¾ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Dash pepper

What else you’ll need

1 ½ cups mayonnaise
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar

Combine 1/3 cup of mix with mayonnaise, water and vinegar and shake well.

Spaghetti Seasoning Mix

My daughter is almost two and like most kids her age she LOVES pasta with tomato sauce. I used to just buy ragu, but then I read the ingredients (milk? in pasta sauce?) so now I make spaghetti seasoning mix and combine it with a can of crushed tomatoes instead and get that same ragu taste without any added dairy.

Spaghetti Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sage

What else you'll need

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (or about 2 pounds fresh tomatoes)
1 pound of ground beef, browned (optional)

Combine tomatoes, beef and mix in a slow cooker and cook on low for a few hours until hot. I served mine with bow tie pasta because fun shapes taste better.

This summer when my garden starts producing too many tomatoes I plan to use this mix to make sauce out of them for the freezer instead of letting them rot on the vines like I did last year.

Gluten Free Meatloaf Mix

My husband likes classic 'comfort foods' like meatloaf, so while I've always despised such things I thought I would give it another try for his sake.

Meatloaf Mix

1 cup quick cook oats (for those with Gluten allergy use the 'safe' brands)
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

What else you'll need

1 pound of ground beef
1 cup water

Combine mix, water and beef and stir until smooth. Shape mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I tried making this two ways- one with bread crumbs, milk and egg replacer (the classic way) and the other with oats, which allows you to omit the wheat, milk and egg, making it not only cheaper but hypoallergenic for those with allergies and intolerances.

Both kinds tasted exactly the same, and my husband and daughter LOVED them. I thought they were ok but I'm still not won over by meatloaf. I'll just make it once in a while when I want to butter him up.