Maybe you’ve seen those orange boxes of Goya Sazón at your local grocery store. It’s a miracle ingredient, a punch of MSG with enough other spices to flavor just about any soup, stew, bean dish, or braise. It’s an incredible cheat, and so full of sodium it might give you a migraine. I’ll admit that I have a box in my pantry right now in case of emergency. But I think you can do better.

Ingredients

　　1 tablespoon garlic powder

　　1 tablespoon onion powder

　　1 tablespoon ground cumin

　　1 tablespoon ground turmeric

　　½ teaspoon ground black pepper

　　2 tablespoons salt

　　2 tablespoons ground achiote or sweet paprika

　　Combine all the ingredients in an airtight container, cover, and shake well to incorporate. It keeps indefinitely.

　　From Coconuts and Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South © 2018 by Von Diaz. Reprinted by permission of the University Press of Florida.Buy the full book from Amazon.