Exotic, Healthy Spices

I have diabetes, I don't think I told you yet.  

In spite of this fact, and all the medical concerns aside, I really like to cook, bake, eat and I even get a bit too excited to food shop. 

Food is an expression of love and joy to me..of nurturing, comfort, celebration, all that good stuff that makes a house a home and brings family and friends together. (And sometimes that requires more than just placing a pretty platter of crudite' on the table)

I would say I have good control of my blood sugar, after wrestling with this beast for some 13 years. And I am not one to dwell on the negative nor extrapolate all the scary "what'-ifs" of this disease. I just do my day.

I do, however want to tell you, that even within certain restrictions,  by using a bit of creativity, food can still be delicious and fun.

Spices are exotic, intoxicating seeds/powders from foreign lands that carry inside them warm tastes, colours and flavours and often, surprising healing properties. Here are several spices which you can enjoy. 

Add spices to your meals to enhance your food with better taste and medicinal and healing properties without adding a single calorie! 

• Spices and herbs maximize nutrient density. Herbs and spices contain antioxidants, minerals and multivitamins.

• Spices naturally increase your metabolism. Because spices are nutrient dense, they are thermogenic, which means they naturally increase your metabolism.

• Spices have real medicinal properties. Centuries old eastern medicine and now recent studies and scientific research both boast the healing benefits of spices.

#1 spice: Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is native to southern India and indonesia, where it has been harvested for more than 5,000 years. It has served an important role in many traditional cultures throughout the East, including being a revered member of the Ayurvedic thought.. Much of its recent popularity in the west is owed to new research that has highlighted its therapeutic and healing properties.

Heath benefits: Turmeric is the wonder of all wonders - a heating spice for the body, turmeric contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties and is a strong antioxidant. Every teaspoon of it has medicinal value.

#2 spice: Coriander Powder

The use of coriander can be traced back to 5,000 BC, making it one of the world's oldest spices. It is native to the Mediterranean and has been known in Asian countries for thousands of years. Coriander was even cultivated in ancient Egypt and was used as a spice in both Greek and Roman cultures. The early physicians, including Hippocrates, used coriander for its medicinal properties, including as an aromatic stimulant.
Coriander seeds have a health-supporting reputation that is high on the list of the healing spices. In parts of Europe, coriander has traditionally been referred to as an "anti-diabetic" plant. In parts of India, it has traditionally been used for its anti-inflammatory properties. In the United States, coriander has recently been studied for its cholesterol-lowering effects.

Heath benefits: Coriander is known to be a powerful aid to digestion, has anti-bacterial properties and helps to prevent infection in wounds as well as aids in combating allergies.

#3 Spice: Red Chili Powder

Chili peppers are members of the capsicum family and they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. There are over two hundred different types of chilies grown in all parts of the tropics. Indigenous to central and South America and the West Indies, they are cultivated in India, Mexico, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. Chilies have little aroma but vary in taste from mild to fiery hot. Chili peppers are usually red or green in color. Red chili, Cayenne, habañero, chipotle, jalapeño, anaheim and ancho are just some of the popular varieties available.  (*Do not touch the eyes or any cuts when handling red chilies.)
 Red chili peppers contain beta-carotene, are a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and dietary fiber. They are also a good source of iron and potassium.

Heath benefits: Red chili aids is weight loss, fights inflammation in the body and boosts the body’s immunity to fight diseases


#4 spice: Cumin Seeds

 Originally from the Nile Valley, cumin was commonly used as a culinary spice in ancient Egypt. These seeds were highly honored as a culinary seasoning in both ancient Greek and Roman kitchens. Cumin's popularity was partly due to the fact that its peppery flavor and both its medicinal and cosmetic properties were renown. While it still maintained an important role in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, the popularity of cumin in Europe declined after the Middle Ages. Cumin is now widely grown in India, Middle-East, and Mediterranean .

. ** Roasted Cumin Powder: Add cumin seeds to a pan and dry roast on low flame until they turn dark brown. Usually it takes less than 5 minutes. Cool the seeds and use a mortar and pestle to grind to a powder (not too fine). Roasted cumin powder is rich brown in color, and the smell is quite pronounced—strong and heavy, with acrid or warm depths. The aroma and flavor persists for quite some time. Store in glass jar in a cool place. This powder stays fresh for over 6 months. 

Heath benefits: Cumin is a cooling spice. It carries a reputation as the “seeds of good digestion”. They are known to help flush toxins out of the body and provide iron for energy and immune function.

#5 spice: Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds can be traced to different areas of Europe and Asia with the white variety originating in the eastern Mediterranean regions, the brown from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, and the black from the Middle East. Mustard seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back about 5,000 years ago. The physicians of both civilizations, including the father of medicine Hippocrates, used mustard seed medicinally. Mustard continues to be one of the most popular spices in the world today.  Mustard seeds are a very good source of selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, protein, niacin and zinc.

Heath benefits: Mustard not only stimulates the appetite but also has digestive, laxative, antiseptic, and circulative stimulant properties. It is also known for its anti-inflammation properties

#6 spice: Fennel Seeds 

Ever since ancient times, fennel has enjoyed a rich history. The ancient Greeks knew fennel by the name "marathron"; it grew in the field in which one of the great ancient battles was fought and which was subsequently named the Battle of Marathon after this revered plant. Fennel was revered by the Greeks and the Romans for its medicinal and culinary properties. Fennel has been grown throughout Europe, especially areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and the Near East since ancient times. Today, the United States, France, India and Russia are among the leading cultivators of fennel.  

 Fennel is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is also a very good of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, folate, and molybdenum. In addition, fennel is a good source of niacin as well as the minerals phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper. 

Heath benefits: Fennel seeds are a cooling spice (cools the body) and have a unique combination of nutrients that make it a powerful antioxidant. It is also believed to help cure stomach complaints and is extremely good for digestion. In India, eating a few fennel seeds after a meal is a common practice.

#7 Cinnamon Bark

is well known as the world's oldest spice. It has a beautiful warm aroma that makes it an inviting ingredient to add to food. In the past Cinnamon was seen as an expensive luxury that was used as an aphrodisiac, and as it was more expensive to buy than silver, many people simply used it as currency. It is a wonder spice for health and well being.

Apart from its amazing taste and aroma that made it so popular for cooking cinnamon was also used by many physicians to treat colds, coughing and sore throats.

Cinnamon And Diabetes

Studies in to the effects of cinnamon on people with diabetes are at this stage very minimal. But the extremely positive results have the medical community screaming for larger trials. In one study conducted in the Malmo University Hospital in Sweden, results showed that eating a meal laced with cinnamon actually lowered the food's effects on the 

blood's sugar levels. The test only included 14 people half of whom were given normal rice pudding while the other half had rice pudding with cinnamon. They repeated the test again at a later date and came up with the same results. The researchers led by Joanna Hlebowicz believe that cinnamon may slow down part of the digestion process giving the body more time to break up the carbohydrates, therefore lessening the post-meal blood-glucose concentration.

Two other yummy spices are fenugreek and saffron, although I am not aware of their, if any, medicinal properties.

Next, a few recipes that are delicious. If you are also diabetic, you know how to count your carbs and monitor your portions and food combinations with your meds. Explore, experiment, jump in with both feet and enjoy beautiful SPICE in your food...and Life!

Exotic Spice Cookies with Ginger, Cardamom and Rose Water


Add Timer

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon rosewater
3/4 cup turbinado /or Splenda for baking

Directions

Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, pepper
and salt in a medium bowl until blended.
Mix in the crystallized ginger.
Set aside momentarily.
In a large bowl beat the brown sugar, butter and shortening with an electric mixer until fluffy
(do not overbeat-it will add too much air).
Add the egg, honey and rosewater and beat until blended.
Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, mixing until just until blended.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
Spoon the turbinado sugar in thick layer onto small plate.
Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely.
Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 to 3 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 11 to 13 minutes
Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer cookies to wire racks; cool completely.

Naturals Ginger Spiced Chai

Intoxicating spices from the Middle East, this Ginger Spiced Chai explodes with genuine ginger.

Saffron Mussel Bisque

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels, cleaned 
• 1 1/4 cups white wine
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 leek, bulb only, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, finely crushed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 saffron threads
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions

1. Place saffron threads in a small bowl, and cover with 1 tablespoon boiling water. Set aside.
2. Scrub mussels clean in several changes of fresh water and pull off beards. Discard any mussels that are cracked or do not close tightly when tapped. Put mussels into a saucepan with wine and water. Cover and cook over high heat, shaking pan frequently, 6-7 minutes or until shells open. Remove mussels, discarding any which remain closed. Strain liquid through a fine sieve and reserve.
3. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan. Add onion, garlic, leek and fenugreek and cook gently 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add saffron mixture, 2-1/2 cups of reserved cooking liquid and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, keep 8 mussels in shells and remove remaining mussels from shells. Add all mussels to soup and stir in chopped parsley, salt, pepper and cream. Heat through 2-3 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired, and serve hot.

Love, Marianne