Cinnamon heats the body and has many beneficial healing effects!

Cinnamon heats the body and has these effects …

·        Anti-inflammatory … studies have shown that just ½ tsp of cinnamon mixed with honey in the morning before breakfast reduced arthritis pain and has been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

·        Helps to regulate blood sugar … taking cinnamon before meals could be beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes

·        Anti-bacterial action that helps to combat viruses and bacteria

·        Helps with constipation, slow digestion and even weight loss so try taking cinnamon before meals as a tea or mixed with honey.  The heating effect will bring fire to the digestive system and can even work to speed up your metabolism.

Here is my latest favorite granola recipe with cinnamon of course …

DARK CHOCOLATE QUINOA GRANOLA

2 ½ cups rolled oats

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup sliced almonds

½ cup flaxmeal

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

4 tbsp unsalted butter

½ cup honey (I use raw honey … tastes a little different and doesn’t crystalize)

2 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup dark chocolate chips (I found grain sweetened chocolate chips at Good Harvest Market http://www.goodharvestmarket.com/)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brown butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  The butter is “browned” when brown bits appear.  Once browned, remove from heat and stir in the honey and vanilla extract.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond, quinoa, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir until evenly combined.  Pout the butter, honey, and vanilla over the oat mixture.  Stir until the mixture is completely and evenly distributed.  Spread the mixture into one even layer on the baking pan you’ve prepared.  Bake in the oven for 10 min.  Toss the mixture and re-spread.  Bake another 10 min.  Toss and re-spread.  Bake another 10 min or until the granola is golden brown.  Remove and let it cool completely.  Add the dark chocolate chips.

What is your favorite cinnamon recipe?  Leave a comment and share...

Make sure to buy Ceylon cinnamon…

There are two kinds of spice commonly called “cinnamon.” One is cassia, and the other is Ceylon cinnamon or “true” cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is stronger in terms of the health benefits. Avoid cassia, as it has a compound called Coumarin that could be unhealthy for the liver and kidneys in doses any larger than are used simply for seasoning.   Need a source for Ceylon cinnamon here is a link …

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysceyloncinnamon.html