Salt Free Seasoning Blend

Salt Free Seasoning Blend

So here's the challenge with this clone recipe: Not only do we have to get the right ratios for nearly 20 different spices, but we also have to come up with a way to get the same lemony tang that makes the real Mrs. Dash the tasty salt-free seasoning blend we've come to know and love over the years. Sure, we could use powdered citric acid that is sometimes found in health food stores, but not everyone is going to have that scary sounding ingredient readily available. Then we still need to figure out the "lemon juice solids" part. Ah, but wait, there's citric acid and lemon juice solids in Kool-Aid unsweetened lemonade drink mix. It's perfect! Add a little of that drink powder to the spice blend and we have a clone that in a blindfolded taste test could fool even Mr. Dash.

1/4 cup crushed dried minced onion flakes
4 teaspoons crushed dried vegetable flakes (Schilling)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon Kool-Aid unsweetened lemonade drink mix
dash crushed dried rosemary
Crushing the vegetable flakes with extreme prejudice

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. As you stir, crush the leafy spices for a finer blend.

2. Store the spice blend in a covered container or a sealed shaker bottle.
Makes about 2/3 cup.

Tidbits
It's best to use a mortar and pestle to crush these sometimes toughlittle onion and vegetable flakes to about the size of rice, before adding them to the mix. But if you don't have one of those handy kitchen tools, you may also use the back of a spoon and a small bowl - plus a little grease. You know, the elbow kind.