The Spices of Life

I've been hitting the baked and grilled vegetables pretty hard lately. Over the last few weeks, I've cut up and baked a zucchini and yellow squash for dinner, along with other veggies that make it home from the grocery with me that week - eggplant, onions, bell peppers, corn. In the past, I basted these suckers with olive oil and sprinkled on some sea salt and pepper to season. But lately, I've been spraying my slices of vegetables down with canola oil and seasoning them using a Cajun spice mix a friend fell in love with when she recently went on an extreme calorie restriction diet that didn't allow for much in the way of sweeteners or fat.
I bought a canister of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning at least 3 years ago, and it sat mostly unused in my pantry until my friend, who was putting it on everything during her diet, brought it back to my attention. I overdid the seasoning the first couple of times when I sprinkled it on my vegetables, but I've found a balance that is delicious without being also face-searingly hot.

Also making a regular appearance on my plate: turmeric. I bought a baggie of the stuff at Sprout's Farmers Market, stored it in an empty spice bottle I happened to have, and sprinkle some in my eggs, when I can be bothered to make eggs in the morning instead of opting for oatmeal or fruit or Kroger's low carb yogurt. I saute frozen cajun mirepoix mix, mix the egg or egg whites with some turmeric, then bring the whole thing together and put it on an Oroweat sandwich thin with a slice of cheese. Let melt in microwave as you tend to the dogs, and it's a great sandwich to accompany you on your maddening commute to work.

Less a spice and more a source of face contortion when I think about it too hard: I have been eating the Kroger Carbmaster yogurt for a couple of weeks now, as it's a pretty good low-sugar, protein-y goo without being as expensive as Greek yogurt. I read the ingredients list and found that it contains gelatin, which will forever bring this Penny Arcade comic to mind. It only bothers me for as long as it takes to mix up the settled yogurt in its container.