Vegan MoFo Day 6: Magic Powders

This week's DIY challenge is homemade tortillas. I have been reading up on directions from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican, and last night I bought a wooden tortilla press from the La Hacienda mercado on Nolensville Road. The cashier was amused, but I will show him!

Hopefully, I will get to the tortillas tonight, but I doubt I will have time to finish the blog post until tomorrow. Thus, I bring you this filler post to keep the MoFo going:

When you go veg*n, your pantry begins to morph, with previously unknown ingredients becoming staples. Here are four homemade mixtures which I cannot live without:

1. Vegan Parmesan from Joanna Vaught's Yellow Rose Recipes. Quite simply the best - and so easy! I always make a double batch. Don't bother buying the crap from the health food store. It is incredible on pasta - and udon noodles!

2. Country-Style Seasoning from The Country Life Vegetarian Cookbook. This is a delicious noochy-herby seasoning mix that is great in gravies and anything savory. I find myself throwing it in everything. Sometimes I rub it on vegetables (e.g. summer squash) with a little olive oil and roast them in the oven.

3. Bryanna's chicken-style broth powder. If you detect a nutritional yeast theme in this post, you might be right. The broth powder is so handy for last minute soups.

4. The American Heart Association's salt-free herb mix. I found this recipe over 20 years ago in Jane Brody's Good Food Book and have kept a jar of it in my pantry ever since. As the AHA has distributed this recipe widely, and it is posted all over the internet, I don't feel reserved about giving it to you here. Obviously, all the herbs are dried:

1 T. garlic powder
1 t. basil
1 t. thyme
1 t. parsley
1 t. savory
1 t. mace
1 t. onion powder
1 t. black pepper
1 t. sage
1/2 t. cayenne pepper

Put everything in your blender, and grind until uniform and well-combined.