Archive for the 'Cinnamon' Category
Here is a recipe for roasted figs with cinnamon. Cinnamon is one of the healthiest spices in the world. This is a recipe which is absolutely delicious and I want to share it with the world. Everyone should eat as healthy as possible.
Ingredients:
- 16 figs, stems trimmed and small x’s cut into the bottom
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- one tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice
- one teaspoon ground cinnamon
- one tablespoon fresh, finely chopped thyme
- two tablespoons chopped walnuts
- Zest of one orange
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, In a baking dish, stand 12 figs on their bottoms, (pressing down to keep them from wobbling)
2. Brush each fig with melted butter and roast for about 20 minutes, until figs are tender.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the remaining four figs. In a medium saucepan over low heat. Combine the pureed figs with the honey, orange juice and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, for about five minutes. (Add a little water if the mixture is too thick to stir – aim for a syrup-like consistency).
4. Remove the figs from the oven, pour the sauce over them, and sprinkle with chopped thyme, and return to the oven to roast for another five minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with walnuts and orange zest.
Each serving is 184 calories; 6 grams of fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 2 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 2 milligrams sodium.
Cinnamon is an herb or spice which is derived from the bark of the Cinnamomum Zeylanicum tree. The bark is ground up and dried. It tastes warm, sweet and slightly smoky.
It is so good for you! Renowned for lowering blood glucose and LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, cinnamon’s diabetes-managing prowess was further explored in a 2009 research study that linked it to lower levels of hemoglobin A1c in patients with type II diabetes. Since hemoglobin levels are a good indicator of long-term blood-glucose control, the study suggests that cinnamon may help treat type II diabetes. An effective dose for cardiovascular health is about one-half teaspoon everyday.
To cook with this popular spice, just add a teaspoon or two into pancake batter or into steel-cut oats. Add this spice early in the cooking process to allow the flavor to blend completely. Cinnamon is also an ingredient of Indian garam massala (mixed with cardamom, cloves, coriander and black pepper). You can make your own organic tea by letting the bark soak in a pot of hot, (but not boiling) water. It makes for a soothing tea. Caution: Take a break from eating or drinking it by taking one week off every 5 -6 weeks. Remember, that even too much of a good thing can be potentially dangerous.
Begin your day in a good way with a stir of cinnamon in your morning drink or a sprinkle on your toast. The scent of this sweet spice makes us feel more energetic, alert and motivated to reach our goals. Research studies have proven that cinnamon 
is able to give us a feeling of well being and fills us with energy.
You can tuck a cinnamon stick into a folded napkin when you have company over. You will see your dinner guests become much more lively. Watch and observe – it’s true!
At this time of year, when autumn transitions into winter, it is good to fill your home with the scents and odors of the season. A diffuser makes a stunning accessory while sending the aroma of cinnamon your way.
It also warms you up. Just add a cinnamon stick to your drink for a spicy zing and a “make-you-cozy” bonus. This popular spice contains proanthocyanins, compounds shown to keep hands and feet toasty warm in cold weather.
Use this great spice in apple cider and as an ingredient in pumpkin pie. Pumpkin is packed with cancer-fighting, vision-protecting antioxidants, energy-boosting iron and digestion-friendly fiber. Just the sight of pumpkin and the taste of delicious homemade pumpkin pie makes men feel 40% more aroused and makes women feel more loving too.
Last week, I ate a few handfuls of sweet, yogurt covered raisins. They tasted so good, I ate more than I should have eaten. About 30 minutes later, my energy started to take a dip and I felt a sudden, overwhelming fatigue. My body became extremely sluggish. Then I realized that my body was crashing due to too much sugar. Yogurt covered raisins must have as much sugar in them as candy. I was suffering from the energy-draining effects of blood sugar swings.
Consuming as little as one-half teaspoon of cinnamon each day can cut energy draining blood sugar spikes by 29 per cent within a month, according to USDA research. Cinnamon works by activating insulin receptors on muscles, helping them to rapidly burn blood sugar. Use cinnamon to add flavor to toast, oatmeal, smoothies, sweet potatoes, hot chocolate and more. Or you can toss in a cinnamon
stick when simmering some hot cocoa or brewing a hot pot of tea.
In the cold wintertime, cinnamon is soothng and comforting, as its’ taste is wonderful in hot apple cider and in warm apple pie. Also, using one tbps. of honey each morning and afternoon significantly improves blood sugar control, helping you to feel energized, think more clearly and work more productively for at least two hours after each dose. This news is based on a recent report from University of Memphis scientists. Choose dark, unpastuerized (raw) varieties of honey such as buckwheat or wild flower, which have up to 20 times more antioxidants than the lighter, more pale types of honey.
We can get a hold of the aging process and actually slow it down with the kind of foods we eat. That is so empowering! We can actually take control of the way we age! AGE’s are known as “advanced glycation end products.” These end products are the primary cause of aging. When these AGE’s or waste products build up in our body’s cells, they actually trigger tissue damage which leads to sagging skin, wrinkles and serious health woes such as heart disease and cardiac problems!
The more sugar that we put into our bloodstream, the quicker the AGE’s form. This is the reason that people with really high blood-glucose levels produce up to 50 times more of these AGE’s molecules. Fiber is good because it blocks the absorption of sugars and could cut our risk of AGE’s by 38 per cent. So, eat high fiber cereals and plenty of bran flakes for breakfast everyday.
Stay clear of foods containing high fructose corn syrup. This is a sweetener that causes AGE formation to sky rocket. Cutting back on our intake of high fructose corn syrup, like sodas and candy, can cut our AGE levels by 35 per cent or more!
Adding one-half teaspoonful of cinnamon to our coffee or cereal each day will give us a huge dose of protection from AGE’s. The reason for this is because cinnamon is packed full of phenolics; plant compounds that block the formation of AGE’s, according to the latest research. Nutmeg, Jamaican allspice. apple pie spice and cinnamon 
are all spices which inhibit aging cells from forming and protect all of us from deleterious effects of aging.
Believe it or not - beef stops sugars and proteins from binding to create AGE’s, so research reports. Eat 4 ounces of slow cooked pot roast three times per week to slow down exposure to these harmful compounds of sugar and corn syrup. Beef is loaded with carnosine, the natural compound that prevents AGE’s from doing their cell damage.
I will outsmart the cause of aging as much as possible. I want to stay healthy and strong with as few wrinkles as possible. So, join me in the fight against the deteriorating aging process and claim your access to the positive and healthy aging process. There is nothing to dread. Aging is not the end of the world, so let’s all grow into our golden age gracefully.