Victoria Gourmet

“Our ingredients come from all over the world. They have to. Many of our ingredients are only grown in certain climates. Black pepper, an ingredient in many of my formulas, can only be grown in countries within 10 degrees of the equator. Its most common source country is India. We use hundreds of different ingredients form all over the world.”

Although it doesn’t quite “feel” like spring yet, we’re discovering how much of our brands have great recipes for the spring and summer seasons. For example, Victoria Gourmet makes some excellent spice blends for salads and barbeque.

Ginger Citrus Chicken Salad

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
4 boneless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
2 Tbsp. Victoria Taylor’s Ginger Citrus Seasoning
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Brush each lightly with olive oil and rub each piece with 1-2 tsp. Ginger Citrus Seasoning. Grill or sauté chicken until just cooked through.Serve on a bed of greens and mandarin orange slices, and drizzle with a light vinaigrette.

Spicy Corn Salad

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8
10 Ears of Corn, husks removed
1 tsp salt
1 tbs Victoria Taylor’s New Orleans Seasoning
1 small jalepeno pepper, diced very fine
1 Large Red, Orange or yellow Bell Pepper, 1/2 inch dice
1 Large red or orange tomato
1 Large yellow onion chopped fine
3 Cloves minced fresh garlic
2 tbs. olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil. Add salt and corn. Return water to a boil and cook corn for 8 minutes. Rinse the cooked corn in cold water to cool and slice the corn from the cobs. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Mix in the seasoning and add the jalepeno and bell peppers and corn. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and saute for another minute. Refrigerate before serving.

Tuscan Pasta Primavera Salad

1 lb Fusilli or Tricolor Pasta
1 cup Whole Baby Carrots, sliced
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Medium Yellow Pepper, diced
5 Radishes, sliced
3 Scallions, diced
½ cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
3 Tbl Victoria Taylor’s Tuscan Seasoning
3 Tbl Olive Oil
2 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and let cool. Prepare all vegetables as directed, then add the oil, vinegar and Victoria Gourmet Tuscan Seasoning. Combine with pasta. Refrigerate 2 hours then serve. Serves 4.

The Best Curried Chicken Salad

Preparation time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves: 8
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts Halves (about 2 to 2 1/2 Pounds)
4 tsp. Victoria Taylor’s Curry
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Currents (Raisins can be substituted)
1/4 cup Peanuts
1 Bunch Scallions, finely sliced (pale green and white portions only)
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil and add chicken breasts. Return to a boil and simmer until just cooked (about 15 minutes total). Place the cooked chicken breasts on a plate in a single layer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cooled (about 1 hour). While chicken is cooking, combine the other ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate also. When the chicken is cool, cut into 1/4 inch dice and combine with the other ingredients.

I love recipes. I love to prepare a new recipe. I love to create recipes, change them, test them and improve them. The creation of my seasoning blends was a nine-month journey paved with hundreds of recipes. Each blend had a mission. The Toasted Onion Herb had to make the best onion dip and amazing meatloaf. The Texas Red Seasoning needed to be perfect in chili recipes and make great fajitas. Holiday Seasoning’s mission was to make wonderful stuffing recipes and to be the key to a flavorful roasted turkey.
So I blended and tested for nine months. I served chili and stuffing to my husband for dinner for ten straight days. Sometimes the chili was too spicy for him and he couldn’t eat it without sweating. Too much ground jalapeno. Then we had 20 different versions of roasted potatoes with Herbes de Provence. Next came the meatloaf. I must have put 20 pounds of hamburger down the disposal before I was finally satisfied. I had the best time of my life.