Almond Flour Cheese Biscuits

Recommended blends: Chesapeake, Creole, Gyro, Ranch, Tuscan/Tuscan Heat

Makes 12 biscuits

2 tbsp District Spice blend (see above for recommended blends)
1.5 cups almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 oz shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey jack)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (plain, full fat recommended)
4 tbsp butter, melted

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F
2. Mix together District Spice blend, almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in shredded cheese.
4. Add in eggs, sour cream (or yogurt), and butter.  Mix until well incorporated.
5. Grease a cupcake tin (or use silicon or nonstick).  Divide batter evenly among 12 cupcake spaces.
6. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until cooked through and tops are slightly browning.
7. Remove from oven, and let sit until cool enough to handle.  Remove from tin, and serve.

Dry ingredients (Creole blend)

Biscuit dough (Creole blend)

Creole biscuits, ready to serve!

Roasted Radishes

Recommended Blends: Adana, Gyro, Montreal, Ranch, Tuscan/Tuscan Heat

Serves 4

2 tbsp preferred District Spice blend
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs radishes, quartered
1 tsp salt
2 oz shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.  Toss radishes with olive oil, salt, and District Spice blend. Spread on baking sheet.
2. Bake at 400F for an hour, or until cooked through
3. Toss with Parmesan cheese.
4. Serve hot.

Pan Sauteed Shrimp

Recommended blends: Chesapeake, Chili Dust, Creole, Currying Favor, Gyro, Montreal, Sriracha, Tuscan, Tuscan Heat

1 tbsp District Spice blend (start with 1 tsp for Sriracha)
1 lb medium-sized raw shrimp (tails removed)
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Add olive oil to pan, heat until almost smoking
2. Add shrimp to oil and stir, cooking until slightly pink
3. Sprinkle on District Spice blend, and continue stirring until shrimp is cooked (opaque)
4. Optional: Add a dash of salt

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recommended blends: Gyro, Montreal, Tuscan/Tuscan Heat

Makes approximately 6-8 servings

1 tbsp District Spice blend
1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt (optional)

• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
• Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and District Spice blend until coated.
• Spread Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle on salt, as desired.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until roasted.  Serve hot.

Brussels sprouts before oven (Montreal blend):

Finished Brussels sprouts (Montreal blend):

District Spice Hummus

Recommended blends: Chesapeake, Chili Dust, Creole, Currying Favor, Gyro, Ranch, SouthWest, Sriracha, Taco/Taco Heat, Tuscan/Tuscan Heat, Za’atar

1 tbsp District Spice blend (see above for recommended blends, use 1/2 tbsp for Sriracha), plus 1 tsp for garnish (1/2 tsp for Sriracha)
2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp salt

1. Drain chickpea cans, saving the reserve for use later.
2. Combine District Spice blend of choice, chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a blender or food processor, and puree.  While mixing, incrementally add chickpea reserve chickpea until you reach your desired creamy consistency.  Throw away unused liquid.
3. Transfer to bowl, and lightly sprinkle 1 tsp District Spice blend over top for garnish. Serve, or chill for later use.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Makes 4-6 servings

1 1/2 tbsp District Spice blend (Gyro, Tuscan, or Tuscan Heat)
31 oz (2 cans) Chickpeas
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Strain chickpeas, add to mixing bowl.
2. Add red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, District Spice blend, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Toss thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper to taste and toss.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

 

Tuscan Focaccia

Makes 1-2 loaves

2 tbsp District Spice Tuscan or Tuscan Heat blend
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups warm water
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pack of active dry yeast (1/4 oz or 2 1/4 tsp)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp coarse Kosher or sea salt

1. Mix warm water, active dry yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
2. Add flour, salt, 1/2 cup olive oil, District Spice Tuscan or Tuscan Heat, and yeast mix to a mixing bowl. If you have a mixer, attach the dough hook and mix on low until the ingredients combine.  Otherwise, knead by hand to combine.
3. Once the ingredients are combined, beat the dough on medium (or continue kneading by hand) for 3 – 6 minutes until smooth. Add additional flour if dough sticks to the bowl or dough hook.
4. Flour a clean surface and knead the dough by hand. If you choose to separate the dough into two separate loafs, use a knife to cut two evenly sized loafs prior to kneading dough.
5. Pour a small amount of olive oil into the bowl to coat the inside of the bowl. Return the dough to the bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
6. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Lightly oil the top of the dough and invert the bowl to place dough onto parchment paper. Stretch out dough and oil the surface of the dough. Flip the dough and and oil the other side. Once dough has been stretched, press finger tips into the dough and press finger tip firmly against the baking sheet to form small divots.
7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
8. Baste the top of the dough with the remaining olive oil (surface should be saturated with olive oil) and sprinkle coarse salt over the surface of the dough; for additional flavor, sprinkle additional District Spice Tuscan  or Tuscan Heat seasoning over the top of the dough.
9. Bake in oven for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve focaccia immediately, or allow focaccia to cool prior to storing in a plastic bag (storing warm focaccia in bag may result in moisture accumulation which may make focaccia doughy).

Tuscan focaccia

Tuscan Focaccia

District Spice Chicken Thighs

Recommended Blends: Adana, BBQ, Chili Dust, Congressional Grilling, Currying Favor, Jamaican Jerk, Memphis BBQ, Montreal, Nice & Naughty, Plov, Pork Barrel, Poultry, Ranch, SouthWest, Tuscan/Tuscan Heat, Za’atar

District Spice blend (see above for recommended blends)
Bone-in skin on chicken thighs
Coarse ground salt (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees on bake.

Place chicken thighs on baking rack, in baking pan.

Sprinkle District Spice blend over tops of thighs until coated. Give a very light sprinkle of coarsely ground salt over the tops of thighs (optional).

Bake for 45 minutes using top oven rack, or until cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

(Chicken thighs with Jamaican Jerk, just before baking)

Tuscan Toast

District Spice Tuscan or Tuscan Heat blend
Sliced bread
Butter or olive oil

Toast bread, spread on butter or olive oil, and sprinkle on District Spice Tuscan blend. Serve.

Tuscan Pasta

1 tbsp District Spice Tuscan or Tuscan Heat blend
1 16 oz package thin spaghetti noodles
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 sprigs fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

Put all ingredients, except the basil, into a pot and simmer until the pasta is done. Remove from heat, stir in basil, and serve.