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I adore spices!  Not only do they spice up your health, but they impart such a wonderful, dynamic depth of flavor to any dish.  This flavor leaves less room for needed fat or salt.  Bonus!  When I saw that Williams Sonoma had a new spice line out, there were a few that I wanted to try, one which included ras el hanout.  The moment I popped open the jar, the intense aromas of the spice mix quickly filled the air and greeted my nose with much delight.  

According to Williams Sonoma:

Ras el Hanout
A prized Moroccan spice blend, Ras el Hanout takes its name from an Arabic phrase that can be loosely translated as “top of the shop”–meaning the very best a spice merchant has to offer. This complex medley of seasonings is notable for its rich aroma and well-balanced curry-like flavor.
Seasons chicken and fish before panfrying, grilling or baking; enhances tagines and couscous dishes.
Use instead of Chinese five spice, garam masala, chili powder or seasoning salt.

This Ras El Hanout mix consists of Paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom, allspice, mace, white pepper, rosebuds, nutmeg, cloves, saffron, bay leaves.

I also picked up Tandoori Spice, but that will be saved for another post 🙂

Spices make me happy.

Another one of my favorites is sumac, which imparts a lovely, bright and lemony flavor.

Utilizing my new found spice mix, I decided to try a turkey kefta recipe (adapted from CookingLight) with a carmelized onion and date relish.  It really turned out tasty and the spice mix imparted a wonderfully bold and warm depth of flavor.

Turkey Kefta Patties with Carmelized Onions & Dates

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter (or smart balance blend)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large  thinly vertically sliced sweet onions
• 4-5 dates, chopped (I used deglet noor)
• 1/2  tsp  salt
• 1/2  tsp  black pepper
• 1/2  tsp  Ras el Hanout
• 1 1/4  pounds  ground turkey breast
• 1/4  cup  parmesan cheese
• 1  tsp  salt
• 1 tsp  Ras el Hanout
• 1 tbsp Sumac
• pinch of cayenne
• 1/2  tsp  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  egg, lightly beaten
• Roasted veggies and tzaziki sauce for dipping

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add butter, oil, onion, dates, and spices to pan.  Turn heat to low and cook  until reduced down for about 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Before . . .

After . . .

While the onions are cooking away combine the next ingredients together (ground turkey through egg) in a large bowl; shape mixture into about 11 small patties or any size you want.

I did mine ahead of time which made dinner a snap.

Once the onions are done, you can use the same pan for the patties.  Cook over medium-high heat until golden on each side and done (internal temp of 165 F).

mmm crusty

To assemble I take one flatbread from TJ’s.

Plop on the pattie and carmelized onion mixture . . .

and some roasted zucchini and sweet potato (baked at 400 F for 40-45 minutes with a little EVOO, salt/pepper/herbs de provence).

For dipping I took some help from Trader Joe and used their Tzaziki sauce which is pretty good.

Yum!

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And the winner of the variety pack of Perfect Foods Bars is . . .

Carissa of Fit To Indulge

Carissa said:

Fave way to enjoy peanut butter: in a whole wheat tortilla sometimes with honey or banana slices.

Yay!  You guys all had some great ideas to enjoy peanut butter and I was drooling over all your comments 🙂  Thanks for entering!

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In other news . . .

Last week I probably had one of my best weeks of riding.  I felt strong, solid, and happy.  It’s an amazing feeling when your legs actually respond to what you want them to do when so many times before you struggled in pain just to keep up.  This week, well, to my dismay I’ve unfortunately contracted bronchitis and haven’t gotten in any rides because I’ve been coughing and hacking and too exhausted to put any kind of stress on my lungs.  Ugh, no bueno. Craziness.  I don’t have any sinus issues or congestion which is good, but I haven’t been able to get any kind of sleep with this painful coughing.  From what I hear, many of my friends and co-workers have had it, or know someone that has it, so be careful!  This crap is going around.  But I am going to keep chugging along, drinking lots of fluids, warm tea, getting rest, good nutrition, and hope that this will pass relatively soon 🙂  positive thoughts.

Have you tried any new spices lately?