Day 85: Beans with 'Garden Salad' Spice Mix

Yesterday I stopped by the local Penzey's store to see whether there is a 'cake spice' for vegetables.

Cake spice is a long-, long-time favorite spice blend. It makes anything that calls for cinnamon or nutmeg - muffins, coffee cakes, cookies - taste a notch or two or even three better. (At the shop today, I also discovered baking spice - if a nose test is any indication, it may add several notches still!)

I was looking for the same magic for vegetables - something to easily add to vegetables with reliably delicious results. The ladies there sent me home with two blends, Garden Salad and Salad Elegant. (Neither seem available at the Penzey website though may be by phone.)

'Garden Salad' is a blend of Romano cheese, poppy and sesame seed, garlic, chives and white pepper. And yes - it was quite delicious on these farmers-market fresh, lightly steamed green beans. I'll add others to the list as I try them!

Wanna skip the Penzey stop? Check out the spice section of your supermarket where you just might discover your very own 'cake spice' right there at eye level.

BEANS with 'GARDEN SALAD'
Active time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes
Serves 4

1 pound fresh green beans
Sprinkle of Penzey's 'Garden Salad' spice mix

Prepare a kettle to steam the beans. While the water comes to a boil, wash the beans and snap off the stem ends. When the water boils, add the beans and steam until cooked but still bright green, about 8 - 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Garden Salad and serve.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 35 Cal (3% from Fat, 20% from Protein, 77% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 8 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; 42 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 7 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 0 points