What's in my Cupboard: Penzey's Essentials

My friend Sarah recently messaged me to ask which Penzey's spices I deemed essential for low-sodium cooking - since she doesn't have a bricks-and-mortar store nearby, she wanted to make sure she got everything she needed when ordering online. For anyone else in a similar situation, here's a rundown of some of my favorite spice blends from their salt-free section:

Tuscan Sunset is my go-to for making marinara and just about any pasta dish. I go through a large jar fairly quickly these days.

Adobo Seasoning is a fantastic seasoning for beans or potatoes to be used as taco filling. It's so flavorful, you don't even need to add salsa or other fixings to potato tacos. 

Penzey's has a lot of salt-free Chili Powders, and the Regular is the first one I've tried - it makes excellent Tempeh Tacos. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other variations, too. 

Bangkok Blend is something that I'm still getting the hang of - so far, my preferred use is in a Thai-style coconut curry (spoiler alert, that's next week's recipe). 

Hot Curry Powder is what I use for my Indian-style curry, and it is definitely hot, even in small amounts (there is also a Sweet Curry Powder if you prefer).

Mural of Flavor is a new-to-me spice blend that I've been experimenting with - it's been pretty tasty in scrambled tofu and pasta dishes. A little seems to go a long way, so this small jar has lasted quite a while. 

Not pictured above is the Chinese 5-Spice, which I've been using in stir fries a lot lately. I'm also a huge fan of their bay leaves (for making no-salt-added vege stock) and more "basic" spices like dill, black pepper, etc. Each time I place a Penzey's order or visit the shop, I try to pick up something I haven't tried before. Here are some other blends that are on my list to try: 

• Arizona Dreaming
• California Style Seasoned Pepper
• Sunny Paris
• Vindaloo Seasoning 

It should be noted that I haven't received any compensation for this post, and no one at Penzey's has contacted me (yet) to do proper reviews. I have purchased all of these spices myself and just want to share the love.