Oh how I adore ground cumin.  I practically need a separate section in my recipe folder for recipes involving this lovely spice.  Oftentimes called the ‘taco spice’ this amber-colored spice, hailing from the cumin seed, is very aromatic and has a distinct, warm quality to it.  Wonderful on a variety of meats and even roasted vegetables, ground cumin offers a lovely pop of flavor to a variety of dishes.

This simple weeknight recipe courtesy of Real Simple magazine involves a sprinkling of ground cumin on seared pork medallions which you then place on top of a lovely brown rice-black bean salad.  To round of the southwestern flavors of the dish, you then make a flavorful vinaigrette of lime juice, diced green chilis, radishes, and scallions to drizzle on top of the dish.  I like to serve this dish with a refreshingly creamy dollop of sour cream, a dash of hot sauce and a few pickled jalapeño peppers.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chili-cilantro-pork-00100000120896/index.html)

Tagged: black beans, brown rice, brown rice salad, cilantro, cumin, green chiles, green onions, ground cuming, lime juice, pork medallions, pork tenderloin, radishes, Real Simple magazine, scallions