Friday, November 29, 2013

Guest post from FillMyRecipe: Curried Green Beans Spice Mix

Today we have Sara from FillMyRecipe guest posting for the blog. Back in June she posted with her delicious curried cauliflower and carrots spice mix. I still make that recipe all the time to serve with tandoori chicken , chana masala, or masoor daal.

Curried Green Beans Spice Mix (single use)

Contributed by Sara Parthasarathy, co-founder, FillMyRecipe LLC



Fresh green beans delicacy is flavored with genuine ethnic spices included in this package. This popular recipe of South India is relished as a side dish with rice and lentil soup.

Whenever I dine at an Indian restaurant, I look forward to savoring the salivating curries, flavorful rice dishes and soft breads. While these dishes from North India are popularly served in Indian restaurants in United States and Canada, there are many more interesting dishes prepared in other parts of India that are healthy, tasteful, and unique. You see, India is a land of many states, and each state has its own culture, its own cuisine, and yes, its own language! Imagine driving to the next province or state and experiencing a different culture, different food, and speaking a different language!!

I hail from Tamil Nadu, one of the South Indian states, and, the dishes I make are way different from those generally available in local Indian restaurants. Born a vegetarian and living life as one, I have collected a variety of South Indian dishes that have been passed down through the generations. Many of these dishes fall into the vegan category as well, since they don’t include dairy products.

Here is the recipe for one such dish – Curried Green Beans – an all time favorite of mine, that my great grandmother used to cook! My great grandmother was a culinary master, whipping up exotic South Indian curries with aplomb, cooking for a family of no less than twenty hungry youngsters. To this day, her culinary skills are unrivaled – and I am sure you will love her simple recipe.

Add a unique twist to this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner with this new Curried Beans casserole! You can acquire pre-measured, individually packed spices for this recipe from www.fillmyrecipe.com .

Enjoy the experience of cooking this flavorful dish!

Curried Green Beans recipe pack contains following ingredients for 2 servings:



Prep time: 5-10 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients assembled in the Spice Mix packet

1 tsp splitblack gram lentil
1 tsp chick peas lentil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafetida

You need

1/2 lb (2 cups)fresh green beans cut into 1” pieces (Tip: you could use frozen beans as well)
1 tbsp cooking oil
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
10” non-stick skillet



Cooking Directions: (Remember to stop and savor the flavors!)

1. Heat oil in pan, sputter mustard seeds
2. Add cumin seeds, asafetida, split black gram lentil and chick peas lentil fry to golden brown
3. Add green beans, salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder
4. Cook covered for 10 mins stirring every 2-3 mins.
5. Remove cover, stir fry on medium heat until moisture evaporates
6. Stir in shredded coconut (optional), remove from fire

Variation: substitute ¼ cup green beans with carrot cut into 1” cubes

Serve hot with rice and lentil soup





I tried out her spice packet in the Mix It Up kitchen. First I assembled my ingredients:



I stir fried all the spices in order, then added the green beans. I omitted the red chili powder which I suggest anyone with small children do as well. Use it if you like spicy food!! When I make the recipes from scratch I substitute the chili with paprika to keep the red color/mild pepper flavor. Also if you can't track down asafoetida you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder for 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (I know this doesn't add up, but it works. I use it all the time in my Indian cooking).



I served them with some basmati rice. I ate the whole thing myself because it was so good and I didn't want to share.



FillMyRecipe is a great company because it allows you to try out Indian spices in small quantities without buying huge packets of spice right away. They have many pre made packets but can also 'fill your recipe' by providing the spices you need in a recipe you find in a cookbook or online.

You can also 'like' their Facebook page.





Monday, November 18, 2013

Lemon cranberry cookie mix



Halloween is long gone and we're already in the full swing of the Christmas season. This weekend we went to the Santa Claus parade, took the girls to the mall to meet Santa (where our youngest daughter kicked him in the kneecaps), and went for a walk to see the lights on the local outdoor Christmas tree.

People around me are starting to inquire about teacher and office gifts, they were hoping for some new ideas for gifts in a jar. Today is was rainy and grey so I decided to skip my afternoon walk and bake instead. I wanted something a little bit different, so I made...

Lemon Cranberry Cookie Mix (in a jar)

1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon dried lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda



This mix fit perfectly into a 2 cup (500 ml) mason jar. I would have done a much prettier job layering it but I had an impatient baby snacking in her high chair and didn't have a lot of time to mess around before she protested her captivity.

What else you'll need

1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Blend butter, egg and lemon juice until smooth, then shake mix and stir into wet ingredients and stir.



Drop batter by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until cookies just begin to brown.



These were delicious and a nice change from the usual chocolate chip. You can make them into orange cranberry cookies by using dried orange peel instead of lemon peel and orange juice instead of lemon juice.