Think Spice.... Think Cumin!

Sunita, a fellow Daring Baker, is hosting her first ever Blog Event. Good for you Sunita!

The topic of her first event should be pretty obvious from my own posts title, but just in case you missed it, CUMIN!

I have not been able to keep up with the tonnes of blog events available to me lately, no matter how badly I want to. But as cumin has to be one of my favorite spices, I had to find a way to participate in this one!

I didn't preplan this, I simply jumped on the opportunity to add cumin when we ended up with plans to have friends over for a bbq. Burgers are a favorite of the bbq, with recipes available everywhere, ranging from simple to highly complex. I like simple and very rarely look up a recipe for making burgers.

So no recipe, simply a mixture of lean ground beef, chopped red onions, lots of dried cumin (lots!), salt, pepper and a sprinkling of chili powder for a bit of a kick. Served on a fresh cheese bun with Monterey Jack Jalapeno cheese, fresh salsa and fresh guacamole.

And while I don't normally serve more than a salad with hamburgers, this time I had to take advantage of my friends bounty of zucchini and summer squash, from her CSA box, and see if I could add more cumin flavors to our meal. The result was the beautiful veggies tossed in a dressing made from lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and more cumin, then grilled on the bbq next to the burgers!

While the cumin really jumped out of the burgers (oh yes, they were good!), it was much milder with the veggies, providing a nice balance.

Thanks for giving me a chance to make something with my favorite spice Sunita! Looking forward to next month's spice to see if I can expand my spice world!