Harissa is a spicy North African mix of spices that is used to liven up kebabs, vegetables, soups and marinades; when combined with water and oil you can even make a spicy harissa paste.  I recently bought a harissa spice blend at my local spice shop, Savory Spic Shop. Their blend is tasty combination of roasted red japone peppers, cumin, coriander, Hungarian and California paprika, garlic, salt and caraway.  I tried one of their suggested harissa recipes from their website and was very pleased with the results.  (Their recipe suggests blanching the veggies, but I roasted them for added flavor!)  A combination of green beans, cucumbers, carrots and chickpeas mixed with the harissa, olive oil, a touch of vinegar and lemon juice.  A spicy and healthy side dish that will make your mind race with more ideas for your jar of harissa!

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/recipes/harissa-spiced-green-beans.html)

Tagged: carrots, chickpeas, cucumbers, green beans, haricots verts, harissa, lemon, Savory Spice, side dish, vegetarian, vinegar