Yep, out of cumin

I wouldn't say cumin is my favorite spice, but it's definitely up there. I use it in a wide variety of dishes from equally wide areas of the world. It features heavily in my chili, in curries, it's wonderful in fajitas or black bean soup, or gyros. 

I had a half-pound pork loin, leftover rice (we almost always have leftover rice) and a can of black beans. To turn this into a meal:

After preheating the oven to 375 F, into a medium-sized bowl went:

• juice of one lime
• 2 T olive oil
• almost 1T of cumin
• one shake of chili powder
• one shake of cayenne
• 2 cloves of garlic
• dash of sea salt

Stir well until all ingredients are combined. Add pork loin to bowl and coat thoroughly. I mushed it around for about two minutes. Move pork to a foil-lined roasting pan and cover with remaining liquid. Roast for about 45 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in the center.

While the pork was roasting, I emptied the black beans into a small saucepan and added:

• a dash of white wine vinegar
• half a small onion, chopped
• two jalapenos, chopped
• a tablespoon of salsa

I let that simmer until the pork was done, then spooned the beans over the rice. Optional toppings include sour cream or some shredded cheddar.

No pictures this time, we were a little too hungry for that and it went very quickly.

What do you like to do with cumin? Other questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you.