Testing spices from “Your Inspiration at Home”

Emmanuelle, an independent consultant for “Your Inspiration at Home“, asked me if I wanted to try her spices. I NEVER say no to spices. Those who read The Flo Show probably know about my spice library created by Wendell to fit as many Bonne Maman jam jars as possible.
3 days later, I received a box containing a mouth watering catalogue enhanced by gorgeous photographs, recipe cards and little plastic tubs.

The recipes look awesome, very creative and based on quite interesting ingredients. Right up my alley.

The company Your Inspiration at Home was started by Colleen Walters, from Queensland  (Australia), who is always been crazy about spices, and her husband Steve. They travel the world together and bring back spices. They create very special and unique blends with no additives, being colour or preservatives and no gluten added. The products are 100%  handmade: hand blended and hand bottled.

These spices are sold online HERE or via workshops, markets, Facebook parties and bulk to restaurants or cooking schools.  Even though sales mostly rely on a Thermomix or Tupperware business model, the fact that you can buy online makes me feel more comfortable.
I have never bought a product through a pyramid scheme because I am not very confortable with the concept. Knowing that I can choose products from their gorgeous catalogue and buy online is easy enough for me and doesn’t make me feel like my friend or neighbour wants to rip me off.
But let’s go back to the cute little box… I had to put my nose over the 9 mini spice tubs and sprinkle those spices over a few dishes…

I’m not a huge fan of plastic… It’s ideal to ship things I guess but in my home things are stocked in glass with a metal or plastic lid. These lovely spices, vinegar and oil went straight in a Bonne Maman jar.

So this is what I received from “Your Inspiration at Home“:
– Meze dip mix
– Mediterranean Dukkah
– Caramelised balsamic vinegar
– Wasabi & Chive dip mix
– Wild Lime EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)
– Pulled Pork spice blend
– Lime and Cracked Pepper speciality salt
– Sri Lankan Coconut spice blend,
– Country Apple Pie baking spice

The one that instantly stole my heart is the Sri Lankan Coconut spice blend. It smells delicious, it very spicy on its own and goes extremely well with my special “instant dinner” (see below).

All ready to go in the spice library and be tested. I made a few dishes and will add what I make with those spices in this page.

So this is what I call my instant dinner.

INGREDIENTS
500g chicken breasts or thighs
a dash of olive oil
1 heaped  tbs Asian spice blend, here “Your Inspiration at Home Sri Lankan Coconut spice blend”
Salt
1/2 can of coconut milk
A twig of fresh coriander (optional)
Fresh pasta (I made those in the photo and will publish the recipe very soon)

RECIPE
Quickly dice chicken breasts or thighs.
Heat oil in a very hot pan.
When it start to smoke tip the diced chicken, spread it un the pan quickly and don’t stir or touch it until it’s golden.
Turn dices with a tong raw face facing down. Let fry for 2 mins.
Crack salt and stir at maximum temperature. Add spices and stir for 1 min.
Lower heat to the minium. Pour coconut milk. Leave it to cook on low heat while you cook the pasta.
Boil water and follow the instructions on the packet.
Serve pasta with chicken and the sauce in each plate. Sprinkle a bit more spices on top, cut a few leaves of coriander and enjoy!

This spice blend was very strong in flavour and spice. There is a bit of crunchiness from the coconut, which is lovely, when the spices are sprinkled “raw” on top of a dish.

It is delicious…

The sauce was so addictive we ate the rest with some bread :)

I sprinkled some “Country Apple Pie baking spice” on my breakfast bowl with raw almonds, fresh pear, rolled triticale and oats, sultanas and moist coconut shavings. It was a great improvement. I should have thought about it long ago…

I thought of another very simple dish:

INGREDIENTS
Cooked beetroot (or canned)
A dash of olive oil
1 tbs Your Inspiration at Home Mediterranean Dukkah
A few leaves of parsley

RECIPE

Cut beetroot and display on a dish.
Mix half the tbs of dukkah with olive oil and spread over the beetroot. Sprinkle the rest.
Serve with little bit of parsley on top.

So if you guys are fans of spices and like “food testing parties” or the privacy of online shopping, I’d recommend you try those. The spice blends are particularly strong, flavoursome, fresh and very well assembled. The oil was fragrant and tasty. The dukkahs and dip mixes where very creative.

As for me, I will definitely try a lot of their spices and recipes and would love to see a brick-and-mortar spice shop in Sydney to go put my nose in all those finely blended treasures.

What I have tested was delicious and I’d be very interested to discover more.

 

NOTE: The sample pack was sent to me for free to test spices, vinegar and oil from Emmanuelle, independent consultant for Your Inspiration at Home.

MORE INFO:
Emmanuelle’s spice store at YIAH is HERE
Her  Facebook page
The brand’s website Your Inspiration at Home
An interesting YouTube channel by Gina Moore, a YIAH consultant who shows you the products and recipes.