RawSpiceBar

Happy Saturday! We're rapidly approaching Thanksgiving which means pumpkin pie - lots of it! Pumpkin pie uses spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, all of which are featured in RawSpiceBar's November Flavor Kit! This month's theme was Tamil (Pondicherry) and I can't wait to tell you all about these yummy and bold spices.

November Flavor Kit

Spices

Chai Tea, anyone?

Pumpkin Muffins

Indo-French Vadouvan

Ingredients - Toasted Cumin, Toasted Coriander Turmeric, Fenugreek, Yellow Mustard Seeds, Brown Mustard Seeds, Green Cardamom, Aleppo Pepper, Cayenne, Nutmeg, Cloves & Spices.

Indo-French Vadouvan is the more unique choice of this month's spices. Its distinctive flavors make it nice for adding to scrambled eggs or squash soup! Vadouvan has been a big influence on the French - as they like to use it in their cooking. I'll include some recipes using all of the spices from this month's packet (including Vadouvan) below.

Peppercorn Chai

Ingredients - Toasted Black Peppercorns, Ginger, Cinnamon, Green Cardamom, Cloves, Nutmeg, Star Anise & Spices

Peppercorn Chai definitely has a tiny bit of a kick to it. I'm a HUGE tea drinker so I used this spice to make Peppercorn Masala Chai tea. I used skim milk so I think that's why it didn't foam as much as I expected it to, but it was still delicious none-the-less. The Chai tea was very creamy - there was a mild tea flavor but I could taste the spice more than anything. It tasted how I expected, considering some of the ingredients are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc. I noticed as I swallowed the tea I got a little bit of a heat kick at the back of my throat and I think that might of been from the roasted black peppercorns. It was still super tasty - the heat was pleasant and soothing.

Unpumpkin Pie Spice

Ingredients - Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice berries, Star Anise & Nutmeg

Even though the name is "Unpumpkin", you'll still find similar ingredients with pumpkin pie and this spice packet. I was so excited to make those yummy pumpkin muffins that you can find in the slideshow! The recipe was for pumpkin donuts, but I didn't have a donut tray so I substituted for muffins instead. The muffins were delicious - they have a mild pumpkin flavor and you can slightly taste the Unpumpkin Pie Spice which compliments the muffins so well!

RECIPES

Vadouvan Scrambled Eggs

• 6 eggs

• 4 tablespoons milk

• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

• 6 spring onions

• 2 fresh red chiles (optional)

• 1 tomato, diced

• RawSpiceBar's Indo-French Vadouvan

1. Beat eggs until well mixed. Add milk and beat together.

2. Heat butter or oil in a large heavy pan, add onions and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add chiles (optional) and RawSpiceBar's Indo-French Vadoucan. Add ginger and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

3. Add chopped coriander and tomato and saute. Stir in egg and cook over low-heat, until creamy. Serve and enjoy.

Peppercorn Masala Chai Tea

• RawSpiceBar's Peppercorn Chai

• 3 cups whole or low-fat milk

• 3 cups water

• 6 tsp. sugar

• 6 tsp. loose black tea leaves

1. Pour all ingredients including RawSpiceBar's Peppercorn Chai into saucepan, over medium heat.

2. Allow to heat until small bubbles appear around the perimeter of the milk. Stir, scraping the bottom to avoid scalding the milk. When the milk comes to a boil, turn off the heat and stir well.

3. Bring to a boil once again, turn off the heat and stir well. Allow to steep for a few minutes. Strain carefully into teacups, and serve.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

• RawSpiceBar's Unpumpkin Pie Spice

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 3/4 cups flour

• 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. Beat together oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, RawSpiceBar's Unpumpkin Pie Spice, salt and baking powder until smooth. Add flour to mixture and combine.

3. Pour batter into greased doughnut or muffin pans and bake, 15-18 minutes, longer if muffins. Remove and let cool.

4. While doughnuts are still warm but not fragile, shake gently in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar.

5. Serve and enjoy!

Final Thoughts? I loved this Flavor Kit. I think any type of spices that combine the flavors of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, & cloves are an A+. The Pondicherry themed kit was absolutely perfect and arrived just in time for Thanksgiving! I'm thinking about using some of the "Unpumpkin Pie Spice" to make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert! Yum! Be sure to head on over to RawSpiceBar & subscribe! You get to make all sorts of unique treats each and every month.