Guest post from FillMyRecipe: Vegetable Rice (Pulav) seasoning mix

My girls are still absolutely crazy about rice, and these days I've been packing a hot thermos with rice dishes to send in my daughter's school lunch every day. I try to mix it up with the spices a little to give her different tastes from around the world. Today with the help of FillMyRecipe I made her a little taste of India for her lunch tomorrow using the spices for vegetable rice (pulav).

Her pre-packaged seasoning mix comes with all spices needs to make this delicious dish.



Pulav seasoning mix (single use)

½ tsp cumin seeds
2 pods green cardamom
1 pod black cardamom
1 bay leaf
1” stick cinnamon
¼ tsp clove
Pinch of saffron

What else you'll need

1 cup chopped vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans)
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup long-grained rice or basmati rice


To garnish

2 tsp oil,
1 tbsp chopped cashews
1 tbsp raisins
1/2 cup white onions chopped thin & long (optional)

Cooking Directions

Remove spices marked with * before serving

1. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat, lightly brown cumin seeds, green cardamom*, black cardamom*, bay leaf*, cinnamon*, clove* for 20 seconds.


2. Add chopped vegetables, stir fry 1 min


3. Add washed and strained rice, stir fry 1 min


4. Add water, saffron and salt, cook covered until rice is ready (Note: you could cook mixture in a rice cooker if you like)



Optional:

5. Garnish: fry cashews, onions and raisins in 2 tsp oil for 1 min until golden brown. Add garnish to cooked rice and vegetables, mix and serve hot



The rice was perfect, fragrant and delicious (I managed to sneak in a few bites while packing her lunch). Definitely another hit from FillMyRecipe!

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.

Country Mushroom Rice Mix (Sidekicks Copycat Recipe)

I had some leftover dried mushrooms from my oven drying spree so I decided to try out a new side dish. I decided to do a Lipton's Sidekicks copycat and came up with...

Country Mushroom Rice Mix

2 tablespoons powered milk
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon dried mushrooms (more if you like)
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch pepper



What else you'll need

2 1/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked rice
2 tablespoons butter

Combine mix with cold water and add in rice and butter.



Simmer in a saucepan on medium heat until rice is tender.



I served this with honey garlic salmon and steamed broccoli and it was very good! The rice was creamy and full of flavor.

Guest post from FillMyRecipe: Curried Cauliflower and Carrots Spice Mix

Today we have Sara from FillMyRecipe guest posting for the blog.

Curried Cauliflower and Carrots Spice Mix (single use)

Contributed by Sara Parthasarathy, co-founder, FillMyRecipe LLC



Fresh cauliflower and carrots are a delicacy flavored with genuine Indian spices. This popular recipe of North India is relished as a side dish with rice or Indian bread.

I learned to cook from my mother, who treated cooking as an art. Married to a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, my mother was used to throwing elaborate parties at our house and would labor lovingly over the hot stove in 90 degree weather, whipping up exotic dishes, and relishing every moment of her cooking experience! No wonder I grew up appreciating the Indian cooking process wherein one introduces each spice at specific stages during the cooking process, releasing the aroma of each spice individually…. Ummmm….heavenly!

Here is the recipe for one such dish – Curried Cauliflower and Carrots – an all time favorite of many Indians! You can acquire pre-measured, individually packed spices for this recipe and others from my growing list of recipe mixes from www.fillmyrecipe.com – a web store that sells Ethnic Spicery spice mixes for pre-determined or custom Indian recipes. (You send in your recipe, the web store ‘fills’ it for you – get it?)

So here is a simple recipe for Curried Cauliflower and Carrots. Enjoy your cooking experience!

Recipe pack contains:



½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafetida
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp rice flour

What else you'll need:

½ medium size onion cut into small pieces
½ lb (2 cups) cauliflower broken into small florets
1 medium carrot cut into 1” long and 1” wide pieces
1 tbsp cooking oil
¼ tsp salt
10” non-stick skillet

Serves 2



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

1. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat, sputter mustard seeds
2. Lower heat, add cumin seeds and asafetida
3. Add onions, stir fry 1 minute on medium heat until brown
4. Add cauliflower, carrots, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt
5. Stir and cook covered on low heat for 5-6 min, stirring every 1-2 min so the vegetables absorb the flavors of spices
6. Uncover, stir-fry on medium heat for 5-6 min until moisture evaporates
7. Sprinkle rice flour and stir fry for 3-4 min on medium heat till brown

Serve hot with rice or Indian bread (naan)



I received a sample of this dish from FillMyRecipe this week and tested it out in the Mix It Up kitchen.

I pre-chopped and assembled all my ingredients in advance, a must for Indian cooking:



My mouth watered as I smelled it cooking...



The finished product looked, smelled and tasted amazing:



This dish was VERY spicy (my husband's exact words were 'It's burning a hole in my brain'). Authentic Indian food is generally very hot, and as we are a family with wimpy taste buds and small children we need to cook milder foods. The fact that the spices are separated makes this possible because you can choose to omit (or use less of) the red chili powder packet to make it a milder dish.

I have many Indian friends who have taught me how to cook authentic Indian foods, but I could never get them to turn out as well in mix form. I know now because the spices need to be added in at different times. Making a 'mix' package with separated spices can allow you do save time without sacrificing taste.

FillMyRecipe is a great company because it allows you to try out new recipes once without the commitment of buying several large packets of spices before you know you like the recipe. I plan to try out many more of her products in the future.

Creamy sun dried tomato and basil penne mix

I've been on a big sun dried tomato kick lately. I used to think I hated them, but I think it was just some gross chemical they cure them with. Because I bought a big flat of gorgeous tomatoes at Costco recently and made my own sun dried tomatoes with them in the oven. They are amazing!

This pasta is another Sidekicks copycat...

Sun dried tomato and basil penne mix

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons powdered milk
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder



What else you'll need

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked penne or other pasta
2 tablespoons butter

In a small saucepan combine mix with cold water and stir well then add pasta and butter.



Simmer on medium heat until pasta is tender and sauce thickens.



It's supposed to be a side dish but I ate the whole batch as a main course instead, it was that good!

Sun dried tomato and basil rice mix

I didn't like the smell of whatever chemical they use on commercial sun dried tomatoes, so recently I learned how to make my own instead. They are absolutely amazing! I've made them twice in the past couple weeks now. Sun dried tomatoes add great flavor to mixes and other cooking. Here is one I came up with that I love.

Sun dried tomato and basil rice mix

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder



What else you'll need

1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups cold water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine mix with water in a small sauce pan and stir well. Stir in rice and oil and simmer on medium heat until rice is cooked.



I served it as a side dish with chicken and asparagus. It was delicious!

Sweet Potato Fries Seasoning Mix

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I'm going to try and post this quickly so I can go watch a movie and eat chocolate croissants with that handsome husband of mine.

I love sweet potato fries, but I was never able to make them from scratch in the oven and have them turn out crispy like regular potato ones. That is until I read the package of the sweet potato fries I sometimes buy from costco... and then a lightbulb went off in my head for...

Sweet Potato Fries Seasoning Mix (single use)

2 tablespoons corn starch
1.5 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Big Batch (makes 4 uses)

1/2 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne



What else you'll need

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries
2 tablespoons oil

Toss the sweet potato pieces in oil and seasoning mix (I use a bowl with a lid and shake it) and then spread them out on a baking sheet.



Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until fries begin to brown (about 20-30 minutes).



These fries were so good! Sweet and salty, crispy and chewy! They are a new favorite here in this house!