This is the spice mix I use when making low carb pizza.

Utensils

• Mortar and pestle (or spice grinder)
• Small frying pan for toasting spices
• Air tight container for storing spice mix

Ingredients

Notes

1. I do not add salt to the spice mix.  I prefer to add salt to taste whenever I use this spice mix.
2. If you have a spice grinder, then use black pepper corns.  I find the mortor and pestle method for cracking pepper corns is inconsistent, with some pieces too large.  You have to use a lot of mustle and time to really hand grid the pepper in a mortar and pestle.
3. I don't like to keep the spice mix in the refrigerator, as it tends to collect moisture.
4. I prefer fresh oregano, basil and parsley from my garden, but dry spices perform well and the spice mix can be stored when you use dried spices.
5. I like to warm up my mortar and pestle with hot water for 5 or 10 minutes, and then dry well before using.
6. Fennel seed is very high in carbs, basically about 10 grams per tablespoon, based on my little kitchen scale average weight for 1 tbsp of fennel seed.
7. Pine nuts are very high in carbs.  1 oz translates to roughly 1/4 cup.  7g Carbs
8. Depending on how fine the spice grind is, you should end up with between 6 and 10 tablespoons of spice mix.
9. I calculate 4 grams of carbs per tablespoon of mix, based on producing 6 tbsp of pizza spice mix.
10. Without pine nuts, I calculate 3g carbs based on 6 tbsp of ground spice mix.
11. Remember, this is low carb, not NO carb spice mix.  Use sparingly, depending on where you are with Atkins stages.

Directions

1. Heat a dry frying pan over low to medium heat.  Allow time for the frying pan to reach a uniform temperature.  Add whole fennel seeds and pine nuts.  Stir constantly.  When pine nuts just begin to turn color, add the remaining ingredients and stir for 30 to 60 seconds, or until you can smell the basil.
2. Pour ingrdients into a dry mortar and pestle and grind the ingredients until you see only small chunks of fennel seed and pine nuts.
3. Place in air tight container.  This will keep for several weeks to a month in a cool dry place away from sunlight.

You might not think that spice mixes have measurable carbs.  Wrong!  Spices, particularly seeds, are loaded with carbohydrates.

Moral of the story: Look it up.  Look at two or three sources.  Always round the carbs up to the nearest whole number.