A few years ago I met the folks at Spicetionary, a small company here in Ottawa that specialized in making spice blends. One of the owners, Rafa, was from Venezuela, and as it often happens when Latino meets Latino, we became friends right away. Rafa and his wife Laurel are the nicest people and we did some collaborations and we would always talk food, recipes and flavour combinations.
One of the products Rafa and Laurel created was a delicious salad topper. When I bought it, I went through it in no time and would go back to get it time and again. Fast forward and Covid happens. Unfortunately, for Rafa and Laurel the business was hit hard and they decided to close their doors. I was so sad to see all their hard work come to a stop like that, as it happened to a lot of small businesses during and after the pandemic.
This recipe is in honour of Spicetionary and Rafa and Laurel. I remember some of the ingredients in their recipe, but you know me - I cannot leave well enough alone, so I added more delicious crunchy and healthy things to it. It is so good and really addictive, because it adds crunch, spice, and interest to your salads!
If you’re starting your year on a healthy note, try this salad topper to enhance your greens. You can add any other things you like to it. Other nuts or seeds would be delicious. What else would you like in your blend?
Crunchy, Spicy Salad Topper
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp sumac
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp mild Aleppo pepper
1 Tbsp nigella seeds
1/2 - 1 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp hemp hearts
Mix everything together in a small bowl. Store in a glass jar.
Makes about 1 cup.