Harissa

Let's talk harissa (pronounce hah-ree-sa) for a minute.  This roasted red pepper paste is used primarily in North African and Middle Eastern cooking and is a delicious combination of cumin seed, coriander seed, caraway seed, paprika and roasted red pepper (along with a few other ingredients.)  The thing I love about it is, it's fairly simple to make, the flavor packs a punch and it would be great on almost anything you wanted to use it on.  Grilling veggies?  Top with some harissa!  Don't know what to do with those chicken breasts you have thawed for dinner?  Cook those babies up and top with harissa!  Frying an egg for breakfast?  Top it with harissa!  The possibilities are endless!  In fact, late this week I'm going to show you a new way to use it and (spoiler alert!) it does include a fried egg fixed in a way you probably feel nostalgic about from your childhood.  Don't feel like you HAVE to roast your own red pepper.  You can totally use one from a jar.  However, it is very simple to do and it is just so satisfying.  Enjoy!

Harissa (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

2 t. coriander seeds
1 t. cumin seeds
1 t. caraway seeds
2 T. paprika 
1 t. crushed red pepper (less if you like things less spicy)
3 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper, roasted (Place the pepper under the broiler on the top rack of your oven and turn with tongs every few minutes until the pepper is black on all sides.  Put the pepper in a bowl, cover with a lid and let it steam until the skin can be easily removed.  Remove the skin, stem, and deseed the pepper and you're done!  Alternatively, use a jarred roasted red pepper.)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. salt

In a small skillet combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and caraway seeds.  Turn the burner on high and toast the seeds for about one minute, shaking the pan occasionally so they toast evenly until you can smell the spices.  

Place the toasted seeds, paprika, crushed red pepper and garlic in a food processor and pulse several times to combine and break up the garlic and seeds.  Add the red pepper, olive oil and salt and pulse to make a paste, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed to make the mixture smooth.

8 servings (45 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com