Cumin Recipes from Lois Atwood

We had a wonderful meeting yesterday. A great program and yummy food from Lois.
She sent the recipes to share with us.
 When I asked if she found ground ancho pepper, her reply was, "No, I just used what I had. That's my cooking style. A recipe is just a guide. If you don't have something, use something that will probably do. It drives my son and grandchildren crazy."
If you read my post on craziness in the kitchen after our last meeting you will understand that is what I do,too.  It usually turns out well and we don't talk about when it doesn't.
For Lois this all turned out well and we all enjoyed sharing the food. Now we can share her recipes.

Chocolate-Red Chile Zucchini Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup sifted flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp new Mexican red chili powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cup zucchini, grated
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13- by 2-inch pan. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter, vegetable oil and sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Next, add the vanilla and chile powder. Mix in the dry ingredients that have been set aside, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the zucchini.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Bake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack.

North African Spiced Carrots
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups sliced carrots
1 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cooking Directions
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, paprika, cumin and coriander; cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 20 seconds. Add carrots, water, lemon juice and salt; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and simmer, stirring often, until the carrots are just tender and the liquid is syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Yield: 6 servings

3. Still Hungry?
The trinity of North African seasonings, cumin, coriander and paprika, lends exotic appeal to this simple carrot preparation

Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus with Cumin
Ingredients
2pounds butternut squash, cut into quarters with seeds and skin removed.
2Tablespoons tahini
1garlic clove, minced
½teaspoon salt
1tablespoon olive oil
1teaspoon ground cumin
1tablespoon lemon juice
Serves 6 -8
Cook Time 1 hour
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add butternut squash and let roast for about an hour, until pumpkin is soft.
In a food processor combine, butternut squash, tahini, salt, garlic, olive oil, cumin and lemon juice. Blend to a smooth consistency.
Taste for seasoning. You may need a bit more salt. If the hummus is too thick either add olive oil or water. Blend again
Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) Recipe
Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds which is used in many Near and Far East recipes. This is a traditional recipe that is very simple to make with a blender or food processor.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup tepid water
Preparation:
Place sesame seeds in a blender or food processor and grind until smooth. Add sesame oil and salt. Process until combined. With the motor running, add the water in a very slow, steady stream and blend until smooth.
Yield: about 1/2 cup

Spinach, Red Lentil, and Bean Curry
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 MinutesReady In: 35 Minutes
Servings: 4
"This very tasty vegetarian curry combines lentils and mixed beans with sautéed onions, fresh spinach, curry seasonings, yogurt, and tomatoes. Serve with rice or on naan."
Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
1/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated
4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach,
coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can mixed beans, rinsed and drained
Directions:
1.Rinse lentils and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Drain.
2.In a bowl, stir together tomato puree and yogurt. Season with garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and chile powder. Stir until creamy.
3.Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, and ginger; cook until onion begins to brown. Stir in spinach; cook until dark green and wilted. Gradually stir in yogurt mixture. Then mix in tomatoes and cilantro.
4.Stir lentils and mixed beans into mixture until well combined. Heat through, about 5 minutes.

Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) Recipe
Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds1 which is used in many Near and Far East recipes. This is a traditional recipe that is very simple to make with a blender or food processor2.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup tepid water
Preparation:
Place sesame seeds3 in a blender or food processor and grind until smooth. Add sesame oil and salt. Process until combined. With the motor running, add the water in a very slow, steady stream and blend until smooth.
Yield: about 1/2 cup

I was going through some websites and came across the following one.

cumin = comino = cummin = jeera
Pronunciation: KUH-min or KYOO-min or KOO-min
Equivalents: 1 oz. = 4 tablespoons ground = 4 1/2 tablespoons whole seed.
Notes: Cumin is a key ingredient in Southwestern chili recipes, but it's also widely used in Latin America, North Africa, and India. Freshly roasted and ground cumin seeds are far superior to packaged ground cumin.
Substitutes: caraway seeds (use half as much OR black cumin seeds(smaller and sweeter) OR caraway seeds + anise seeds OR chili powder.