Miracle Spices with Huge Health Benefits and Big Flavor

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'Spice up your life with these herbs, roots, and plants that benefit your health as much as they do your taste buds: From keeping your heart healthy and your arteries clear to reducing pain and warding off cancer, these everyday flavors will add a healthy punch to all your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.'


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Cinnamon beats Alzheimers

'The miracle spice cinnamon is the scented bark of a tropical evergreen tree, native to India and Sri Lanka. Cinnamon comes from an evergreen tree in Southeast Asia and is cultivated widely in Vietnam, China, Burma, and Laos for its bark and the oil processed from the bark. Once upon a time in ancient Rome, cinnamon was worth more than silver.

Cinnamon is harvested from the inner bark of the tree branches after scraping off the corky outer layer and then drying the bark. As it dries, the bark curls up into quills which are then cut into sticks to be ground into the spice form. Full of calcium and fiber, cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices, it is mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Egypt as medicine, beverage flavoring and an embalming agent.'




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Sorta Healthy Holiday Treat -- Spiced Gingerbread with Coffee and Molasses

Whole Foods Recipe Slightly Tweaked by Health Maven

Serves 12

This rich, dark holiday bread is perfect as is. But if you’re in the mood to dress it up, serve warm slices with a scoop of raspberry sorbet, dollop of lemon curd or smear of organic, cream cheese.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon baking powder (preferably non-aluminum)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups organic,white, whole wheat flour (available at King Arthur Flour)
1 1/2 cups organic, whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
2 eggs
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup homemade, organic, unsweetened applesauce
1 cup organic, brewed coffee (dark roast), at room temperature
1 cup unsulphered molasses

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or oil a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, flours, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and mace. In a second large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce, coffee and molasses. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir just until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.

Original Recipe HERE

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