Cumin is a medium - hot spice which blends well in curries and is the main spice in the Middle Eastern dip, hummus. It is being studied for potential anti-oxidant and anticancer effects.

Coriander is also know as cilantro. The fresh chopped green leaves in large amounts are a good source of vitamin C. The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many Indian, Thai, and Mexican dishes. They are usually tossed through just before serving as the heat can diminish the flavour. The dried fruits are known as coriander seeds, the seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed. The word coriander in food preparation may only be referring to the ground seeds not the plant.

Chilli is the spicy fruit of plants that belong to the capsicum family. It is eaten fresh or dried. Chilli powder is dried and ground red chilli peppers. They are members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Red chillies contain large amounts of vitamin C and are a good source of most B vitamins, they are also very high in potassium, magnesium and iron.

Oregano is an important culinary herb. It's used for the flavour of its leaves, when dried the leaves are more flavourful than fresh. Oregano has an aromatic, warm and slightly bitter taste and is popular in Italian and Mediterranean cuisines. I prefer to purchase an organic brand, Simply Organic.

Paprika is a relative of the chili pepper. Smoked paprika is used to add a sweet mildly spicy flavour to dishes and it adds a warm natural colour. Use organic smoked paprika, my favourite brands are Simply Organic or Frontier (I purchase online at iherb).

Organic unbleached, unrefined organic Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan salt is my salt of choice as these contain healthy minerals and trace elements that our body needs. Regular table salt has been bleached, refined and processed leaving minimal health benefits. If you choose to use regular table salt in my recipes you will need to reduce the quantity or the end result will be to salty.

Onion powder is ground, dehydrated onion. Where possible purchase an organic brand that doesn't contain anti-caking agents or fillers. I buy the 'Simply Organic' brand.

Garlic powder is ground, dehydrated garlic. Where possible purchase an organic brand that doesn't contain anti-caking agents or fillers. I use the 'Simply Organics' brand.

I am sure you will notice as you read my recipes that cinnamon appears quite frequently. It lends itself to savoury and sweet dishes. I have used ground cinnamon in my recipes if not stated otherwise. The best cinnamon to use is Ceylon (Verum). It has huge health benefits in regulating blood sugar levels. Cinnamon has antifungal properties and candida (yeast overgrowth) cannot live in a cinnamon environment. Added to food it inhibits bacterial growth, making it a natural food preservative and these are just a few of the benefits.

Cayenne pepper is a powdered form of red hot chili pepper, cultivated from the capsicum family (a nightshade vegetable). Cayenne pepper is high in vitamin A, it also contains vitamins B6, E and C, riboflavin, potassium and manganese. Cayenne can speed up the metabolism due to the high amounts of capsaicin.

Black and white pepper both come from the fruit of a tropical vine. Black pepper is the cooked and dried unripe fruit, known as a peppercorn and white pepper is from the ripe fruit seed. Pepper is usually coupled with salt, sprinkled over or added to food.