I'm a bit obsessed with seasoning. I have a drawer packed to the gills with various bottles of dried herbs and spices, as well as several in jars stacked up on my counter (because I use them so often, it's just easier to have them at the ready). I know they can make ingredient lists longer, but the layers of flavor that multiple herbs and spices bring make it totally worth it. When I see a specialty spice at the market (bourbon-smoked paprika, anyone?), it's ends up in my basket faster than you can even say "basket" (or something less dorky-sounding, perhaps with a couple more syllables).
My problem occurs when I feel like getting in an out of the kitchen fast. I don't feel like fiddling around in my magical spice drawer, looking for the ones I need, and I certainly don't feel like dealing with teaspoons and measuring things out and what-have-you. I just want to get in and out fast. During these times, I tend to stick to the basics: Plain ol' salt and pepper. While this works just fine, I sometimes miss those layers of flavor that the right balance of herbs and spices can bring.
For some reason, it has never crossed my mind to use a seasoning salt during these times. Perhaps it's because I've always associated seasoning salts with the large, generic tubs of the stuff my parents get at Costco and use on everything, or maybe I had a notion that they were for meat only, but for some reason, I didn't think they could really bring any life to my vegan meals.
The seasoning salts from Borsari Foods, however, have proved me completely wrong. The nice folks at Borsari Foods sent me a sampler pack of their seasoned salts to play around with and that I did. There are 5 different flavors: Original, Savory, Peppercorn, Citrus, and Orange-Ginger. I've been using a little here and a little there and I've been quite impressed with the amount of flavor that these salts pack. With just using a few dashes, I get plenty of flavor without the food tasting too salty. In fact, I would say that every time I've used one of their salts, the seasonings have been perfectly balanced.
My favorite so far has been the Citrus seasoning salt. With an ingredient list that includes, garlic, basil, rosemary, and lemon peel, I can't think of anything this seasoning salt couldn't enhance. I recently used it to make this portobello and asparagus salad and couldn't have been more pleased with the simple, yet delicate flavor that seems to burst through with every bite. Another thing that I loved: This salad only took me about 15 minutes to make. I mean, we're talking about an impressively delicious salad that would shine just as bright as a main course for you and a friend as it would as a side to bring to a party or potluck. And it takes only 15 minutes to make.
The portobellos are roasted with just a sprinkling of the citrus seasoned salt and a bit of thyme and the asparagus is cooked in a skillet with some melted butter and a little bit more of the seasoned salt. The trick is to not overcook either, no more than 7 minutes for the portobello and no more than 5 minutes for the asparagus. You want them to each have a bit of a bite to them. Then you just toss them together with some sliced sun-dried tomatoes and a light dressing of lemon juice and white wine vinegar. You can eat it right away while it's still warm or let it chill to allow the flavors to marry. Either way, it's fantastic. And I've made it three times already (and one of those times, I threw in some roasted potatoes coated in the same salt and can I just say, hot damn!). Because it only take 15 minutes (Did I mention it only takes 15 minutes to make this whole dang salad?).
Since asparagus season will be soon coming to an end, I suggest you get yourself to the market to grab all that you can and while you're at it, pick up some portobellos and some Borsari Foods Seasoned Salts. If you can't find them in stores, you can order them online. Then all you need is 15 minutes to whip up this fine meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
- olive oil spray
- Borsari Citrus Seasoned Salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 bundle asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- a couple dashes of garlic powder
- a couple dashes of onion powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for about 10 minutes. If your sun-dried tomatoes are already hydrated and/or packed in oil, you may skip this step.
- Place the portobello mushrooms on the prepared baking sheet, gill-side down. Lightly spray with olive oil. Flip the mushrooms and lightly spray the gill-side as well. Sprinkle the mushrooms with Borsari Citrus Seasoned Salt, thyme, and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, melt the butter in a large frying pan, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat. Add the asparagus and season with the Borsari Citrus Seasoned Salt and pepper. Cover and let cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until slightly tender (you want it to be tender with still a bit of crunch in the bite). Remove from heat.
- Strain the sun-dried tomatoes, slice and toss into a large bowl. Slice the mushrooms into 1/2 inch strips and toss into the large bowl with the tomatoes. Add the asparagus. In a cup, combine the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pour over the veggies and toss until fully combined. Chill the salad for 1 hour.
- There will be a large amount of dark liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Before serving, drain most of the liquid from the bowl. Serve, garnished with fresh parsley (if using). Enjoy! Leftovers can refrigerated in an airtight container and will keep for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
If you do not have the Borsari seasoned salt, I would season the mushrooms with salt, pepper, basil, dried orange/lemon peel (or maybe a little lemon zest), rosemary, and garlic powder. Season the asparagus with just salt and pepper.
Borsari Foods has been generous enough to let me give away a sampler pack of all 5 Borsari Seasoning Salts to one of you wonderful people! The giveaway is open to US residents (sorry, my international friends!) only and will run through 11:59pm on 4/30/15. Please use the box below to enter.
Borsari Seasoning Salt Sampler Giveaway
Thank you so much to Borsari Foods for letting me try your wonderful seasoning salts and to all of you incredible people for stopping by! Have a great day!
Disclaimer: I was given these products to review and was compensated for this post but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Photography by Chris Miller
Kelsey R
I have a soft spot for Old Bay seasoning. I put it on my popcorn and corn on the cob!
sara
my favorite seasonings are salt, basil and oregano
Rachel M
Roasted Paprika, & spices like ginger dill rosemary. & of course good ole sea salt and pepper
Stacy @ Nourishing Health
Lemon Basil - I love the fresh tang of this combination 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Smoked Paprika!!!!
Cadry
I am in love with ancho chili powder. It's a million times better than any other chili powder and gives dishes a little extra somethin'-somethin'.
ali
love ancho chili powder!
Kristina
I love oregano and lemon peel together.
Claire Tucker
I use smoked paprika a lot. Also cinnamon, turmeric, or just salt+pepper!
aimeed28
I am obsessed with smoked paprika.
Shannon
Oregano, smoked paprika, and coriander!
Christina
I love a "mixed spice" I purchased in Kenya on both sweet and savory foods. It contains nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, bay leaf, and several other spices.
Kate
I am obsessed with Penzey's spices. Their vietnamese cinnamon has no match. Despite being vegan, I also love their Chicago Steak Seasoning (it's great on everything but especially things like black beans and corn).
Vera K
I like gingerroot a lot.
Nickole
Cumin and Cayenne Pepper go on almost everything I eat that is savory and sometimes sweet too! Yum!
Bianca @ Sweet Dreaming
lemon pepper and peppercorn!
Julie
Cinnamon and cayenne pepper, sometimes together!
Nicollette D
For the last year or so, I have been obsessed with dill...but I never know what to pair ot with!
Christine (The Raw Project)
Curry, dill, and smoked paprika are my current favs.
Laura
Chipolte powder is my new fav!
Chloé
I love coriander so much - I put it in everything
mason
I love smoked paprika, chipotle, and toasted cumin...on their own or together!
Annette
My favorites are sage, oregano, and thyme.
Madeline
I love thyme and sage
Millie | Add A Little
Mmm I love the look of this Kristy - super flavourful!
Greg A
Does nutritional yeast count? Because that goes on everything not sweet. Black pepper, sometimes rosemary. Anything sweet? Lots of high quality cinnamon.
kim
I like dill, Mrs. dash, onion powder, basil, garlic powder
Gretchen
My favorites are sea salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Lorena Blackmon
Smoked paprika and Chipotle powder are great!
Wendy @ Plantivores
This looks delish! I'm going to have to go with chocolate as my favorite seasoning. 😉 But these Borsari seasonings look pretty swell too.
Liz
So hard to choose! I use a lot of cumin and chili powder in my dishes 🙂
Jessica
Garlic and cumin
Jessica
Also follow Kristy on histogram @JessJordan5 but don't want to give access to my account to the 3rd party
Janel M.
I love garlic salt and pepper.
Christine
That citrus seasoning sounds great for salads!
Kristy
Garlic and cumin
Anita
Garlic, black pepper, cilantro and basil. YUM!
Heather B.
I gravitate to different seasonings, depending on my mood. Sometimes I love basil and citrus, and other times I want curries or smoked paprika!
JoAnn Lakes
I still love Old Bay but Spike is a great go to.
Mary Syrenne
I love smoked paprika, cumin, and oregano.
Marianne
Hickory smoked sea salt. I put it on damn near everything!
Gretchen
Rosemary and garlic. Yesm.
Carolyn
Ginger, garlic, turmeric and cardamom
Danielle T
I use lots of salt and garlic powder to season foods!
Jennifer
I would probably have to say cumin and cinnamon get used up the most in my kitchen. I buy huge bags of them and keep them in the freezer even!
Antonia Mertes
I put TONS of black pepper and Cayenne on everything! Love it!
Rachel R.
I'm a lot like you when it comes to spices - I have a jam-packed drawer of them! Probably my most-used spices, though, are cayenne (which I add to basically everything) and cumin.
Jane Fleming
Turmeric, smoked paprika and cumin
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship
I'd never considered putting asparagus and mushrooms together- but they just look so perfect together in this recipe!
Sammi W.
My favorite seasonings are typically just salt and pepper but old bay really hits the spot when I'm making shrimp. I am always up for trying new seasonings!
Amy Lucero
We have some cherrywood smoked pacific sea salt that is fantastic - just a pinch!
jacquie
how can you pick one? my favorites vary w/ the season and with whether i'm making something savory or sweet.
Terri Cole
I'm currently obsessed with the spice blends from Penzey's. Arizona Dreaming is one of my favorites. Thanks for the giveaway!
Lindsay F
cumin or coriander
courtney
Garlic
jessica z
I love cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne!
Marina
Cinnamon and basil, hands down. But not combined! 😉
Marsha A
Salt, pepper and garlic and onion powders (when I don't have the real stuff).
Marsha A
Hi Kristy - FYI, the pin a picture in the widget doesn't work - says it won't pin due to "spam" (I pinned manually for the entry 😉 thank you!
Paula
I just ordered the sampler spices. I am much like you, a seasoning freak...Love to experiment with different layers of flavors. I can't wait to get them! Thanks for your post about them!
Paula
I love Italian seasonings. Garlic & basil are faves. These salts sound awesome!
Carolsue
I like cinnamon, cumin and oregano the most
Melissa
I'm pretty much obsessed with Old Bay seasoning. I always put it on my sweet potatoes and it's really good on popcorn, too. As much as I love Old Bay, though, I'd love to try some of these seasoning salts to mix it up.
michelle
Lemon
Marie
One of my many favorite seasonings is Maldon salt.
shaunie
I would have to say thyme and rosemary
Lydia Claire
Cilantro is my hands down favorite!
Anna
yumm love this combination!!!
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
Katie Barthel
One of my go-to seasonings is McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning. It adds a good flavor I used to associate with steak, making my veggies and mushrooms taste divine.
Stevie
Curry powder.
Julie
smoked paprika, garlic powder! fresh cilantro & basil (does that count?) 😉
LynneMarie
My top three seasonings that get used most often in my recipes are dill, curry and garlic powder (or garlic salt).
Kimberly M.
I love garlic, onion powder, basil, and depending on the dish cayenne pepper.
Lauryn Linley
I love cumin, cayenne and pumpkin pie spice! Anything warm and cinnamony is great!
Tonya Atkinson
Cayenne Pepper and oregano
Hypnotherapy Adelaide
Beautiful recipe. You are making me realise how lazy I am with making my vegetable dishes. You have got my creativity sparked.
Shanasy
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I've shared it (the link) to my FB group "Super Quick Plant-Based Recipes" https://www.facebook.com/SuperQuickPBRecipes/ - I think my group will love it and your site!