Category Archives: Condiments and Spreads

Pad Thai Sauce

Pad Thai Sauce by Alison's AllspiceI used to live about a block away from a Thai restaurant in a loft apartment.  We would frequent the restaurant with family, to celebrate, or to grab an easy dinner.  Luckily, we still live close by, but these days I cook at home more.  This pad Thai sauce recipe allows me to make my restaurant favorite at home.

You only need 4 ingredients, one for each flavor: sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.  The tamarind paste is your sour flavor, and it varies greatly from brand to brand in my experience. You might have to do some trial and error with the specific brand you can get to figure out just how you like it, but it will be worth it! Continue reading

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch by Alison's AllspiceThis healthy Greek yogurt ranch is better than bottled ranch for a wide variety of reasons. First of all, it tastes better! The yogurt and fresh lemon juice add tang that you would expect from a traditional buttermilk ranch and the fresh herbs have a distinctly bright flavor that you will never get in a bottle. 

Beyond the amazing flavor, this recipe is very easy to make. Simply mix together all the ingredients! I almost always have a tub of Greek yogurt in the fridge, so if you are the same then all you need are the herbs.  Continue reading

Kale Hemp Seed Pesto

Kale Hemp Seed Pesto by Alison's AllspiceHave you ever tried to turn kale into a pesto?  It is a delicous way to enjoy kale, and I didn’t always like it.  The secret?  Hemp seeds.  They are not only healthy, but delicious in this kale hemp seed pesto.

Why hemp seeds?  Yes, they are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids which come along with many health benefits, but the true reason I use them is for their creamy flavor profile. Continue reading

No Peel Slow Cooker Marinara

No Peel Slow Cooker Marinara by Alison's AllspiceI always have an abundance of tomatoes at the end of gardening season.  I stay very busy at the end of gardening season as well with back to school and fall events so I appreciate this no peel slow cooker marinara recipe that allows me to use my tomatoes with minimal effort!

This recipe cooks for a total of 8 hours on high in the slow cooker (with one required stir).  Most recipes in the slow cooker don’t cook on high for that long, but it is necessary with the marinara. Continue reading

Lemon Feta Vinaigrette

Lemon Feta Vinaigrette by Alison's AllspiceI love to add feta to my salads.  Especially when I use a vinaigrette, the feta adds something creamy.  I often find myself dumping tons of feta onto my salad because I want a little feta in every bite.  This lemon feta vinaigrette solves that issue.

The feta is blended right into the dressing so end up getting a little bit coating every leaf and vegetable in your salad.  It turns into a less is more situation. Continue reading

Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette

Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette by Alison's AllspiceThis homemade red wine vinaigrette is my go-to dressing for salads.  It only requires 5 ingredients, so it is really easy to keep everything you  need on hand.

I prefer my vinaigrettes to be very strong, and I wrote the recipe how I make it.  Traditionally, more olive oil is used which will reduce the vinegar-y-ness of the dressing.   Make it how you like it. Continue reading

Homemade Canned Zucchini Relish

Homemade Canned Zucchini Relish by Alison's AllspiceWhen your garden is producing way more zucchini than you can get used, you start searching pinterest for ideas for long term storage.  Or, at least I did.  This homemade canned zucchini relish is a great way to save your homegrown zucchinis for long term use!

At the beginning of summer I posted this recipe collection for 15 ways to use zucchini, and this recipe would be an excellent addition to that post. Continue reading

Homemade Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce

Homemade Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce by Alison's AllspiceRhubarb is one of my favorite seasonal items to experiment with. Most commonly rhubarb is used in sweet recipes, but without too much poking around you will see that sweet recipes are not my thing.  I prefer to use it in more savory applications, like this homemade rhubarb barbecue sauce recipe.

Rhubarb is out of season here, but I was able to get some while it was in season, and luckily it freezes very well.  If you can’t find fresh rhubarb any more this season, look for it frozen, it will be just as good. Continue reading

Homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons by Alison's AllspiceOne of my favorite things to order at a restaurant is a salad.  They always have toppings and dressings that make you want to crush that bowl of veggies in front of you.  During covid, I have been craving salads at home.  Therefore I started making my own homemade croutons.

These homemade croutons do not disappoint.  They are loaded with flavor but, the biggest difference in making them homemade is the freshness.  That right-out-of-the-oven savoriness that you cannot beat. Continue reading

Peach Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Peach Bourbon Barbecue Sauce by Alison's AllspiceThis recipe is a little late coming to the blog, but better late than never.  Late this summer I was craving some barbecue and decided to experiment with my own sauce.  I made peach bourbon barbecue sauce with this years bumper peach crop!

Barbecue sauce comes in soooo many varieties, there is no one way to make it.  This barbecue sauce recipe is a little sweet, but still balanced with savory flavors like onion, garlic, and tomato.  Continue reading