Berbere, Michigan Part I and a New Puppy

Hi, I am back! From our visit to Michigan and  back to school getting ready for the kids on Monday! 

Before I left for my trip I blended some more spice mixtures. Here I tried berbere, it's an Ethiopian spice blend that every family has there own recipe, and it's used in many dishes like their stew and for meats and such.

While I was off for the summer I was able to organize most of my spices and label the stainless steel tins that I like to use, and fill them with fresh spices. This made it easier to gather all the spices that I needed for the blends. I am actually happy to cross at least one thing from my long list that I wanted to get done over the summer.

First you toast the whole spices that you have like cardamom pods, allspice berries, peppercorn, cumin, cloves, chilies, coriander, fenugreek seeds (I didn't have the seeds just powder).

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 12 cardamom pods
• 2 dried de arbol chilies stemmed and deseeded (you can do this to taste)
• 1 teaspoon or 6 whole allspice berries

Lightly toast the seeds in a tiny skillet and let cool before grinding them. Remove the shells from the cardamom pods, and if you don't like it too spicy remove the seeds from the chilies. Grind them all together in a spice grinder and add to the remaining powdered spices.

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix together well and store in an air tight container.

I used berbere in my meatballs and I really enjoyed this flavor...even in my lunch the next day! Use it on eggs, in soups and stews and to season roasts, and I'm sure it would go well on veggies too!


A few vacation photos.

Sharing a little of my Michigan trip. Here we are in Grand Haven, Michigan  on the west coast right on Lake Michigan. W

Turkey Avocado Salad

The other day I picked up a whole turkey breast with the bone. I roasted it and it came out so good...full of flavor and so moist. It was perfect for lunches with the leftovers. I have been getting away from sandwiches and it was good in the salad with avocados which are at their peak right now.

So easy too, on a bed of mixed greens. I used key lime juice, you could use lemon...I just squeezed it on the avocado, then some rice bran oil. I have been using it for salads, and it works great when making a stir fry. It has a high smoke point, and is pretty healthy using the whole bran of the rice. You can us a good olive oil or pumpkin seed oil or what ever healthy oil that you like. Then some balsamic vinegar to taste. Seasoned with my favorite season blend, and a little sea salt. If I had tomatoes like my mom grows in her garden in Michigan I would have loved to add them here. But either way I enjoyed it a lot! Simple but good!


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