Lemon Red Bell Pepper Blend Seasoning

It is easy to make your own seasoning blends. With a few simple ingredients, you can have your own spice blends in a jar. They will be perfect for seasoning any meal.

It is not really cost-efficient to dry your own lemons unless you have a lot of lemons, or you use them every day. However, it is cost-effective if you are a gardener and have a great harvest of red peppers.  You can dry them easily.

Ingredients

1/2 c. dried lemon peel
2 1/2 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. salt (optional)
1 Tbs. dried red bell pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

Combine dried lemon peel, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder salt, dried red bell, and cayenne pepper together in a food processor, or spice grinder. You can also use a mortar and pestle, rolling pin or wooden mallet to turn the lemon peels and dried red bell peppers into flakes or powder form.  

Process them to the consistency that you like best.

Pour them into a container that has a tight-fitting lid, or you can use a sealable plastic bag. 

Shake to combine.

Note:

You can dry your own lemon peel and red peppers.  It is not really cost-efficient to dry your own lemons unless you have a lot of lemons that you use every day.  If you are a gardener and have a great harvest of red peppers, you can dry them easily. Here's how!

Wash and dry the lemons and red bell peppers. Make sure they are completely dry before going any further. 

Zest the lemons with a microplane grater.  Do not grate off any of the pith because that is very bitter.  If you don't have a microplane grater, you can peel them. For sweet lemons, peel them like you would an orange. Tear or cut the lemon peel into smaller portions. If your lemons are thick-skinned, use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer part of the rind, leaving the white pith.

Prepare peppers for drying by cutting them in half lengthwise. Remove all the pith, or white stuff, along with the seeds. 

Cut  the peppers into thin slices. If you leave them in thick pieces, the slices will not dry properly.  They will become leathery instead of being crisp.

If baking:

Spread out the lemon zest evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake on the lowest setting that your oven has. Leave in the oven to dry.  The amount of time varies a great deal.  It could take as little as 30 minutes if you used a microplane grater or several hours to a day if drying the skins.

If using a dehydrator:

Line the dehydrator tray with parchment paper if you used a microplane grater for the lemons. Place the lemon peel or red bell peppers on the rack of the dehydrator. Dehydrate them according to manufacture's directions. It can take 12 to 24 hours for the red bells and lemons to become totally dry.  It really depends on how much humidity is in the air and how much juice your peppers and lemons had in them. 

Make sure they are completely dry before you grind them up. You do not want them to have any softness to them.  They are dry when they are crisp and brittle.

**One red pepper can yield about a 1/4 cup when dried.