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The Olive Oil Hunter News #16

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Grilled Salmon with Canary Islands Mojo Sauce Recipe, Spotlight on Dried Chiles, Avoiding Mislabeled Seafood, Protein Power and Strength Training for Women

If you’re a year-round griller like me, you’ve probably lit up the hardwoods even on days your porch or yard was buried under snow. But if you’re not that daring, you can still enjoy a subtle char from your oven broiler. I also find that the dead of winter is the perfect time to experiment with some added heat…from dried chiles. Peppers—fresh, dried, and ground—are the stars of this week’s Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter.

Grilled Salmon with Canary Islands Mojo Sauce

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #16 Grilled Salmon with Canary Islands Mojo Sauce

    This piquant sauce comes from the famed islands off the coast of Spain. It’s so popular that it’s often served at tapas bars as a dip for bread. I also love it with other toothsome fish like tuna, sea bass, and monkfish.

    Ingredients

    For the mojo:

    • 2 red bell peppers
    • 1 dried chile pepper, such as ancho
    • 8 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves plus a few stems
    • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons honey, or more to taste
    • 2 teaspoons pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
    • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

    For the fish:

    • 2-pound fillet of salmon, skin on
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Coarse salt
    • Fresh coarsely ground black pepper

    Directions

    Step 1

    To make the mojo sauce, start by charring the red peppers. You can do this on a grill, under the broiler in your oven, or by holding one pepper at a time over a gas range burner. Turn as needed to blacken the skin on all sides, and then let them cool for several minutes before peeling off and discarding the skins and removing the stems, ribs, and seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers and put them in the jar of a blender.

    Step 2

    On the grill or in a dry sauté pan, toast the dried chile pepper for 30 seconds to 1 minute, turning once. Let cool, and then break into pieces, discarding the stem, ribs, and seeds. Add half to the blender jar, reserving the rest. Add in the cilantro, garlic, vinegar, honey, pimentón, cumin, and salt. Blend until fairly smooth. Then slowly add the oil through the blender lid with the machine running and process until the oil is incorporated. You want a thick but pourable sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, adding more of the reserved chile, vinegar, honey, cumin, and/or salt as needed. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.

    Step 3

    Run your fingers over the salmon fillet to check for bones. Pull out any that you find with kitchen tweezers or sanitized needle-nose pliers. Lightly oil the salmon on both sides and season with the salt and pepper.

    If you’re using your oven broiler (typically at a temp of 450-500ºF), place the salmon on a baking sheet and broil for 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can bake it at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through.)

    Step 4

    If you’re grilling the salmon on a charcoal grill, rake the coals to one side of the grill pan; for a gas grill, light the outer burners but leave the middle burner(s) unlit. Brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the salmon with its skin side down on the grill grate, but not directly over the coals. Put the lid on. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily when pressed with a fork. Use a large spatula to transfer the fillet to a platter. Drizzle some mojo sauce over the fish and serve the rest of the sauce on the side.

    Note: A wire grill basket is a great tool for grilling fish—oil the basket, place the fish in it, and place it on your grill. When the fish is done, use tongs to lift the basket off the grill without the worry of the fillet coming apart.

    Yields 4 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Dried Chiles

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Dried Chiles

A bag of dried chiles can look intimidating, but they’re so easy to use that you should make room for them in your pantry. Just as I have various fresh chiles on hand when available, I keep a selection of dried varieties in my kitchen—cascabel for mild heat, ancho for rich smokiness, guajillo for smokiness and a bit more heat, and arbol for a lot of heat! I love them for adding depth to sauces like mojo, to stews and casseroles, and of course, to all manner of Mexican dishes.

Toasting them—for less than a minute—brings out their flavor before grinding or chopping them, but depending on the recipe, you might instead rehydrate them with a 20-minute soak in warm water. With either method, before using the peppers, discard the stems, ribs, and seeds, which can add unwanted bitterness to your dish. Also, kitchen scissors are great for snipping off the stems and cutting the peppers into pieces whether they’re dry or rehydrated.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Avoid Mislabeled Seafood

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Avoid Mislabeled Seafood

Renewed reports about mislabeled seafood might have you questioning whether that wild salmon you’re eyeing at the store could actually be farm-raised. After shrimp, salmon is the second-most mislabeled seafood, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, which assesses most of the seafood consumed in the U.S. and offers recommendations for making sustainable choices. According to the watchdog group, virtually all Atlantic salmon is now farmed rather than wild-caught. But not all farm-raised Atlantic salmon (think of it as the variety, not its geography) is bad. Because of better farming techniques, Atlantic salmon farmed in Norway’s Skjerstad Fjord in marine net pens and worldwide in indoor recirculating tanks with wastewater treatment is a “best choice.” Farmed Atlantic salmon from Maine, Canada’s British Columbia, Scotland’s Orkney Islands, the Faroe Islands, and elsewhere when produced in indoor recirculating tanks without wastewater treatment is a “good alternative.” You want to avoid Atlantic salmon farmed in Canada’s Atlantic, in Chile, and in other areas of Norway and Scotland, mostly because of the overuse of chemicals.

According to a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it’s not just consumers who pay the price of mislabeled seafood—the consequences extend to marine life, fisheries management, and the environment. “In the United States, we’re actually very good at managing our fisheries,” said the study’s lead author Kailin Kroetz, assistant professor at the Arizona State University School of Sustainability. “We assess the stock so we know what’s out there. We set a catch limit. We have strong monitoring and enforcement capabilities to support fishers adhering to the limit. But many countries we import from do not have the same management capacity.”

To make the best choices, know the buying recommendations and make friends with your local fishmonger so that you’ll feel comfortable asking about the origin of any seafood you’re considering. Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch search tool to learn which types of seafood are fished or farmed in environmentally sustainable ways.

For Your Best Health: Protein Power

For Your Best Health

Protein Power

Have you ever noticed that you feel more satisfied after eating protein? It’s not your imagination. Protein does a better job of quelling hunger than carbs and fat do. That can make a difference when you’re cutting calories to lose weight and want to stay on track. A small study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at how healthy participants metabolized a high-protein liquid diet of 40% protein, 35% carbohydrate, and 25% fat compared to one with 15% protein, 55% carbohydrate, and 30% fat (the breakdown of the typical U.S. diet). Researchers found that people on the higher protein diet burned more fat and calories—more evidence of the power of protein.

According to NASM, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, while many different diets can result in weight loss, a diet’s protein content is a key factor for a number of reasons. Eating enough protein helps you hold on to lean muscle as you lose fat. Your body also burns a few more calories when metabolizing protein than carbs or fat—up to 75 calories a day or the equivalent of an extra 10-minute walk. While all excess calories tend to be stored as fat, it’s harder for the body to do this with protein.

How much do you need? NASM’s guidelines are to eat 0.73 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, or 1 to 1.5 grams per pound if you’re a heavy exerciser, when trying to lose weight. One gram of protein has 4 calories, so once you total how many daily calories go to protein, subtract that number from your overall calories to know how much you have left to allocate to healthy carbs (veggies, fruits, and whole grains) and fats like extra virgin olive oil. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, NASM has terrific tips to help you meet your protein needs.

Fitness Flash: Strength Training for Women

Fitness Flash

Women and Strength Training

Strength training is an important part of building health and fitness, yet many women shy away from it. A study done at Penn State University and published in the Journal of American College Health has shed some light on why. Researchers found a reluctance on the part of female students to use weights at the campus’s gym facilities, describing them as “highly gendered spaces.” A lack of knowledge about how to use the equipment, a lack of confidence and feeling self-conscious in the presence of men, and getting unsolicited advice from male peers were the main reasons—all of which can prevent women from strength training at the very time it should be becoming part of a regular fitness routine. Since developing and maintaining muscle strength is essential, especially in later years, if you’re not yet lifting weights, it’s time to get started. And you can do it at home or by joining a gym that caters to women or has women-only sections or hours.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #15

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The Ultimate Tex-Mex Chili Recipe, Spotlight on Urfa Peppers and Capsaicin, Plus How to Combat the Harmful Effects of Sedentary Behavior

Cold days almost demand comfort foods, and one of my favorites is a hearty bowl of chili. I love the depth of flavor you can build with spices along with the convenience of cooking it in one pot. This issue of The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter also features one of the most exotic spices in my pantry—black Urfa chili. A mainstay in the Middle East for centuries, it has recently become better known in the West because current events in Syria have made it very hard to find its kitchen cousin, Aleppo pepper. Now let’s get cooking…

The Ultimate Tex-Mex Chili

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #15 The Ultimate Tex-Mex Chili with Urfa Pepper Rich and Hearty Chili

    A mix of rich spices takes run-of-the-mill chili to a whole new level. You’ll need a few hours for the flavors to develop, but not a lot of active effort. And the results are more than worth it! If you prefer to start with dried beans, soak a total of two cups of your favorite variety or varieties and add them to the pot when you add back the cooked beef. Made with beans, this chili is a good source of important fiber as well as other nutrients.

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 large onions, diced
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 16 ounces baby portobello or white button mushrooms, sliced thin
    • 2 pounds ground beef, chicken, or turkey
    • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
    • 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid
    • 2 15-ounce cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
    • 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon each cayenne, allspice, and coarse salt
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider or sherry vinegar
    • Optional toppings for serving: diced raw onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and crushed corn or tortilla chips as desired

    Directions

    Step 1

    Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the oil and then the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat until soft. Add the mushrooms and sauté until soft. Add the ground meat in batches and cook until browned. 

    Step 2

    Push everything to the sides of the pot and add the tomato paste. Cook it until it turns a deep, brownish red and then fold it into the vegetables and meat. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. 

    Step 3

    Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for three hours, stirring every half hour. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly, place the lid ajar. Remove the bay leaves and serve with your choice of toppings. 

    Yields 8 hearty servings. 

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Urfa Peppers

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Urfa Peppers

Turkey occupies a unique place on the globe, at the intersection of Europe and Asia. Straddling the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south, it’s a hotbed of amazing herbs and spices. Black Urfa chili (Capsicum annuum) takes its name from the ancient southeast town of Urfa—local farmers grow it in the surrounding hills.

In many areas of Turkey, Urfa chili, also known as Urfa biber or Urfa pepper, is as common on the dinner table as cracked black peppercorns are here. I’m still amazed when I see it growing:

These peppers are red and shaped like bell peppers, but pack a taste that a bell pepper can only dream of! Urfa peppers magically turn maroon as they ripen. Then, unlike most peppers that are simply dried after harvest, they go through a double process—sun-dried by day and tightly wrapped at night, a technique that preserves their oil content, enriches their flavor, and deepens their color to a purple-black. They’re then stone-ground into small flakes and mixed with some sea salt and sunflower seed oil to further enhance flavor and texture.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Black Urfa Peppers

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Cooking with Black Urfa Peppers

Black Urfa chili adds rich smokiness to Middle Eastern dishes, and it’s especially delicious on lamb boreks, koftis, kebabs, and other grilled meats, as well as on veggies. It’s also wonderful in many other cuisines—think French stews and South American pork roasts. It will enliven your favorite salad dressings and wet and dry rubs, jazz up simple scrambled or fried eggs, and bring extra depth and a hint of heat to brownies, blondies, hot chocolate, and even a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

For Your Best Health: Capsaicin

For Your Best Health

Capsaicin and Urfa Peppers

As with all peppers, at the heart of black Urfa chili’s heat is capsaicin, the naturally occurring compound that determines how sweet or hot a pepper is. Capsaicin has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, so it may help protect against infection, improve digestion, and possibly one day have a role in anti-cancer therapies. According to a report published in Molecules, there’s some evidence that eating hot pepper every day helps curb hunger and may even lead to a higher calorie burn rate. Research is underway to figure out the best daily amount, but in the meantime you can test out the theory yourself.

Fitness Flash: Combatting Sedentary Behavior

Fitness Flash

Combat the Harmful Effects of Sedentary Behavior

Between the weather and the pandemic, you might be hunkered down at home, but it’s never been more important to be active. According to new global guidelines from the World Health Organization regarding physical activity and sedentary behavior, published in a special issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, it takes more daily exercise than currently prescribed to counter the harmful effects of sitting for long periods of time, defined as 10 or more hours a day, often a combination of a desk job and evenings spent watching TV. Logging more exercise minutes can lower the risk of early death, which has been linked to being sedentary, to the level of someone whose lifestyle is quite active.

While any amount of physical activity is better than none when it comes to good health, the guidelines emphasize aiming for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, or the equivalent combination of the two, every week, and the more, the better. A good daily goal is 30 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise. It’s fine to start slow and gradually build frequency, intensity, and duration over time.
Here’s how the report describes moderate and vigorous exercise:

  • Moderate-intensity activity increases heart rate and induces a degree of breathlessness that still allows a person to talk. Examples include brisk walking, dancing, and raking leaves. 
  • Vigorous-intensity activity substantially increases heart rate and breathing rate. Examples include cycling, running/jogging, swimming, carrying heavy objects, walking up the stairs, digging in the garden, and playing tennis.

The report states that it’s also important to strength train on two or more days of the week, or three times (roughly every other day) if you’re over 65 to enhance physical functioning. And, of course, do whatever you can to reduce sitting time.

Stuck inside? “There are plenty of indoor options that don’t need a lot of space or equipment, such as climbing the stairs, active play with children or pets, dancing, or online yoga or Pilates classes,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, professor at the University of Sydney and co-editor of the special issue.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #14

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Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary Recipe, Spotlight on Lamb, Healthy Eating Debunked and The Stairs Count

Having traveled around the world and sampled some of the most amazing grass-fed lamb dishes, from grilled chops to tandoori roasts to casseroles, I’m always shocked by the statistic that Americans barely eat one pound of lamb a year. It could be that a massive leg of lamb seems intimidating at first or that, as a pricey cut of meat, it isn’t a food many of us grew up with. If you’re new to this “other” red meat, there’s no simpler or more delicious introduction than a rack of lamb. My recipe will serve two for an elegant New Year’s Eve dinner or any other special occasion. For an even more festive presentation perfect for four people, ask the butcher to tie two racks together to form a crown roast, and just double the ingredients in the marinade (it should cook in about the same time).

Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #14 Roasted Lamb Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

    There’s no better way to enhance any cut of lamb than with a coating of garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and lemon juice, but feel free to adjust the garlic and rosemary up or down depending on your taste preference. Creamy polenta or whipped mashed potatoes are a perfect accompaniment along with roasted Brussels sprouts or glazed carrots.

    Ingredients

    • 1 rack of lamb with 8 ribs, frenched (see “Healthy Ingredient Spotlight” below)
    • 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
    • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles, plus extra sprigs for garnish 
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
    • Coarse sea salt 
    • Freshly ground black pepper 

    Directions

    Step 1

    Place the rack of lamb bone side down on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Add the garlic, olive oil, rosemary, and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar to the bowl of a small food processor and pulse until the garlic is finely chopped. Coat the lamb on all sides with the mixture, and season generously with salt and pepper. Allow the lamb to stand at room temperature for one hour. 

    Step 2

    Put an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Roast the lamb for 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare or until the internal temperature on an instant-read meat thermometer registers 125°F. (Roast the lamb 5-10 minutes longer if you prefer it less pink.) After removing it from the oven, loosely tent the lamb with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. To serve, slice the rack into individual chops and divide them between two dinner plates, fanning them in a semicircle. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired. 

    Yields 2 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Lamb

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

The Other Red Meat: Lamb

It’s time to sing the praises of lamb, a red meat that, depending on the cut, can have less fat than beef. Also, grass-fed lamb in particular tends to have less fat than grain-fed lamb, as well as fewer calories. Read labels to know for sure how the lamb was raised—New Zealand lamb, as well as most lamb raised in Colorado and some parts of the Midwest, is primarily if not completely grass-fed. (Surprisingly, imported lamb is often less expensive than US-grown.)

In addition to being a great protein source, with about 20 grams in three ounces, lamb has important vitamins and minerals—B12, iron, potassium, and zinc. As with most red meats, you want to remove as much of the visible white fat as possible before cooking to limit your saturated fat intake. “Frenching” a rack of lamb—prepping it in the French way—involves removing the meat, fat, and membranes from between each of the ribs. This not only creates a sophisticated presentation, but also pares down a lot of the fat that can be tempting to eat but just isn’t good for you. Many racks of lamb are often sold frenched or can be prepped by the butcher in the meat department of your favorite food store (you may need to request this cut in advance). One reason rack of lamb is more expensive is the work involved, but you’re also getting almost pure meat. If you want to exercise your knife skills, you can try the frenching technique at home. For a great step-by-step, check out the directions from Work Sharp Sharpeners.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Oven-Roasting Meat Right

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Oven-Roasting Meat Right

Oven-roasting is a great way to bring out the flavor of meat, and roasting whole cuts of meat (as well as whole chicken, turkey, and duck) on a well-oiled rack in a roasting pan allows any hidden fat to drip away as the meat cooks.

If you want to create a bit of a crust on the edges of a roast, press chopped herbs, ground seeds, or even chopped nuts mixed with a little extra virgin olive oil rather than breadcrumbs on all the exposed sides. Just as garlic and rosemary are ideal for any cut of lamb, crushed black peppercorns are great for beef. Using a dry rub of herbs and spices is another delicious way to prep the surface of a roast, especially a pork roast, for the oven.

For Your Best Health: Healthy Eating Debunked

For Your Best Health

Healthy Eating Debunked

Ever wonder if healthy eating is really all it’s cracked up to be? If these moments of questioning tend to happen as you pass your favorite bakery or get a hankering for a gooey meatball parm, strengthen your resolve with the latest report on the benefits of high-quality diets from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Researchers reviewed numerous studies based on the health outcomes of three diets—DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), the Healthy Eating Index, and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index or AHEI, all of which call for eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy plant-based fats and a low intake of solid fats, added sugar, and sodium. Findings show that the better the diet quality, the lower the risk of all-cause mortality; coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure; cancer, including prostate and colon cancer; type 2 diabetes; neurodegenerative diseases; and among cancer survivors, all-cause mortality and cancer mortality—mega rewards indeed for healthy-eating efforts. Note that separate studies have found that the AHEI approach, while not as well known as some other healthy eating plans, may convey the most benefits of the three.

Fitness Flash: Take the Stairs

Fitness Flash

The Stairs Count

Want a snapshot of your heart health? Being able to climb four flights of stairs in less than a minute—at a fast pace without stopping, but also without running—is a simple and inexpensive cardio wellness indicator, according to research presented at a recent scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology. “The stairs test is an easy way to check your heart health,” said study author Dr. Jesús Peteiro, a cardiologist at University Hospital A Coruña in Spain. “If it takes you more than one and a half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.” Telling your doctor how you did on this test will help him or her decide whether more formal tests would be appropriate for you.

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The Olive Oil Hunter News #13

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Apple Sauté Recipe, Spotlight on Cinnamon, Lowering Blood Pressure and The Positive Impact of Cardio

There’s nothing quite like the enticing aromas of the holidays. Whether your passion is baking and building a gingerbread house from scratch or crafting the perfect eggnog to sip by a roaring fire, there’s one pantry essential that you just can’t do without—cinnamon. What I love most about this tasty tree bark—yes, that’s where it comes from!—is that it adds so much richness to all kinds of dishes. In fact, when you use cinnamon in a recipe that calls for sugar, you can often cut back on the amount of sweetener, especially in fruit-based desserts. Enjoy!

Apple Sauté

  • The Olive Oil Hunter News #13 Cinnamon Saute Apple Sauté

    More elegant than a baked apple yet healthier (and faster to make) than apple pie, this sautéed dish is a great way to satisfy a sophisticated sweet tooth. If you want to indulge even further, it’s amazing over a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.

    Ingredients

    For the apple sauté

    • 8 -10 shelled almonds
    • 1/2 lemon
    • 2 Macoun, Granny Smith, or Gala apples, cored
    • 1 tablespoon walnut or grapeseed oil
    • 1/2 cup apple cider, a liqueur like Poire Williams, or a sweet wine like Sauternes 
    • 1/2 teaspoon All-American Gingerbread Spice (recipe below)
    • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
    • Cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese, to taste

    For the All-American Gingerbread Spice

    • 1 tablespoon whole cloves 
    • 2 tablespoons cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese
    • 2 tablespoons allspice 
    • 2 tablespoons ground ginger
    • 1 tablespoon grated nutmeg 
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    Directions

    Step 1

    Toast the almonds in a small sauté pan for 3-5 minutes. When they’re cool enough to handle, chop coarsely and set aside. Using a microplane grater, zest the lemon half, setting aside the zest. On a cutting board, slice the apples horizontally into circles about one-half-inch thick, and then squeeze the juice from the lemon half over them. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the apples in one layer (do this in batches if needed to avoid crowding). Sauté for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the slices have released all their juices and feel tender when pricked with a knife tip, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, lift the apples from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Add the lemon zest, cider/liqueur/wine, gingerbread spice, and vanilla to the pan and rapidly boil down to a syrup, whisking constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the apples, and top with the chopped almonds and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

    Step 2

    Pulverize the cloves in a coffee bean grinder and transfer to a small bowl along with the other spices. Whisk to combine and funnel into an airtight glass jar. Note: Wipe out the grinder very well to remove all traces of cloves.

    Yields 2 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight: Cinnamon

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Ancient Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been valued the world over for centuries for medicinal purposes, for religious ceremonies, to make fragrances, and as a sweet and spicy recipe ingredient. Cinnamon was once such a coveted commodity that wars raged between countries over its trade. The only “fight” today is over which cinnamon to use. There are a handful of different types, all species in the Lauraceae family: Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka (known by the country’s former name), Indonesian cinnamon, cassia cinnamon from China, and what I love most for its intensity, Vietnamese cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi), world renowned for its spicy sweetness.

The harvesting of cinnamon is unique compared with that of other spices. The traditional technique involves chopping young trees down to stumps, waiting for new shoots to rise, and then culling curls of new bark to dry. Artisanal farmers in Vietnam do it differently—they make a strategic cut around the base of each tree and let the bark dry in place to concentrate its natural oils before the quills are harvested.

Healthy Kitchen Tip: Cinnamon

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Savory Cinnamon

If you reach for cinnamon only to top your lattes or add sweet spice to smoothies and oatmeal, it’s time to discover some of the many cuisines that use it for savory dishes like dried-fruit-and-nut-laden Persian rice, Moroccan tagines, Mexican moles, Vietnamese pho, and Greek moussaka. Cinnamon is also an important ingredient in many global spice blends that you can mix up and have ready to go for a dry rub or a flavor boost: 

  • Baharat is a mainstay in Middle Eastern cuisines around the Arabian Gulf as well as in Greece, Turkey, and Northern Africa—it gives rich flavor to roasted lamb for shawarma, chickpea stews, curries, rice dishes, and roasted vegetables. 
     
  • Five-spice powder is a must for Chinese dishes such as stir-fries and roasted pork.
     
  • Garam masala is an essential ingredient for many Indian curries and the classic chicken tikka masala. Chai masala is a spicy blend that takes your favorite cup of tea to the next level (it also tastes great in your morning coffee or when added to hot milk). 
For Your Best Health: Cinnamon and Lower Blood Pressure

For Your Best Health

Cinnamon and Lower Blood Pressure

In ancient times, cinnamon was the go-to remedy for respiratory and digestive ills. We’re still learning about its benefits today. According to a review paper in Pharmacognosy Research, the phytochemicals in cinnamon could be good for brain health, boosting the brain’s ability to use glucose, the energy source that supplies every part of the body. These phytochemicals also are being studied as a way to help lower blood pressure, manage diabetes, and boost heart health, along with fighting off cell damage caused by toxins in our environment.

Fitness Flash: Setting Achievable Exercise Goals

Fitness Flash

Heart-Pumping Cardio

Trying to reach the national guidelines to exercise for at least 150 minutes every week can seem daunting until you break that number up into manageable chunks—almost magically, exercise becomes an attainable goal. Now a new study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital not only confirms that this approach works but has also uncovered just how exercise might deliver various health benefits in such short order.

According to the study, published in Circulation, about 12 minutes of heart-pumping cardio exercise leads to impactful changes in the circulating levels of metabolites, substances that are created during metabolism and are in the driver’s seat when it comes to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, longevity, and more. After exercise, glutamate, a metabolite linked to heart disease and diabetes and decreased longevity, fell by 29%, and DMGV, one linked to an increased risk for diabetes and liver disease, fell by 18%. There’s a reason they call exercise free medicine!

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