Chai Banana Smoothie

I was in the "island of the Sun" last week. I had a drink like this. I thought it would be fun to try and make it at home and this is what I came up with. The spices that make up Chai (pronounced rhymes with pie) are some of my favorite. I love the way they smell and taste. I also feel good after I eat them too. The bonus is they have health benefits as well. So drink up and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 C rice milk chilled (or any kind of milk)
1 frozen banana
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp fresh nutmeg or dried
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions: 1 serving
1. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve while nice and cold. :)

Homemade Taco Seasoning Spice Mix

There are a lot of health benefits to making your own spice mixes.

You know we like making our own food from scratch because then we know what's in it. A lot of spices have additives like silica. You know, the stuff in those packets that say "Do Not Eat" on them? Silica occurs naturally in food, but it's also added to spices to make them not clump together. Personally I'd prefer to not eat extra silica. It's basically sand.

That was one of the better taco seasonings I found in my cupboard. The other one said it contained MSG as it's first ingredient. Yup, I'd rather just mix a couple of spices together. It saves me money too!


Ingredients

2 tsp chili powder (read here about the health benefits of chili powder)
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dried chopped onions


Directions

1. Mix spices together in a small bowl
2. Use as you would a taco seasoning packet. Mix 2 Tbsp of water with the spices and pour over taco meat in a large skillet.
3. Stir. Heat to medium heat. Continue stirring as needed until water has evaporated.
4. Serve.

Pretty spices before mixing

Spiced Toasted Nuts

This is a fun way to spice up your almonds or other nuts for a nice snack. You can decide what mix you want to try. I tried one with orange juice and one with out orange juice. It is a fun treat for the holidays. These would be great as a topping for salads as well as a snack.

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 T water, Or 1 T water and 1 T Orange juice
1/2 T orange zest (if you are adding orange juice)
1/2 tsp salt
1 C to 1 1/2 C almonds
1/8 tsp sugar, or other sweetener
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander * optional
1/8 tsp cardamom * optional
1/8 tsp nutmeg * optional (fresh grated is wonderful)
1/8 tsp ginger * optional (fresh grated is wonderful too)

Direction:
1. In a bowl beat with wire whisk, egg whites, water, *(optional) juice and salt. Then add almonds. Stir until they are all coated. (I mixed 1/2 the almonds with the water, and then added some orange juice and orange zest and added the rest of the almonds and stirred them in to the mixture the same way. Drain separately if you do this process.)

2. Then put in a strainer and let them drain off the excess mixture about 5 min.

3. In a separate bowl, mix sweetener and spices of your choice. Stir together. Then stir in the nuts.

4. Heat oven to 300. Then on a greased cookie sheet, or put parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

5. Cook the nuts until they are nice and toasty about 30-40 min. They harden as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

Healthy Spices--Star of Anise or Anise Seeds

*Image nutmegspiceco.com


Here is some more spice information I have gathered and some ways they could help your health. Of course, there are no guarantees, but spices also enhance your food, so they are always good to use. Today I will share information on anise. I love when the foods we eat can be beneficial in promoting good health.

Note: People with high blood pressure should not use anise. It might exacerbate their conditon. Always check with your doctor if in doubt.



*Image.wikipedia.org


*image foodie-isms

GourmetSleuth.com

Anise

Anise a member of the parsley or carrot family.Here are some of nutrients it contains, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and, manganese. The seeds add a licorice flavor to foods and beverages. Using anise dates back to around 1500 BC. You can either use the star of anise and crush it or crush the seeds. It is used in flavoring licorice candy.

Ways it may help you:

1. Can help with bad breath. You can chew the seeds. (Is used as ingredient in toothpaste sometimes.)

2. Can be helpful in digestion. Can be used indigestion. It can also help reduce nausea, gas and bloating.

3. Can aide in lactation for nursing women.

4. Seeds can be chewed after a meal to aid in digestion, or you can add 1 tsp. of crushed seeds to boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drink the mixture.

5. Can help reduce mucus and nasal congestion.

6. Has anti-inflammatory properties. Can benefit the lungs, brain, heart and liver.

7. Also can help in keeping estrogen at normal levels.

8. Can help to neuturalize acid to help you avoid heartburn.

Ways to use Anise:

1. Star of Anise is said to intensify the flavor in browned meat by 10 times. The longer it is cooked with the meat the better. Great with poultry, roast pork, braised meats and fish. (I am going to give it a try.)

2. Great in stews and marinades too.

3. Star of Anise works well in potpourris.

4. Can help improve your appetite by chewing the seeds prior to a meal.

5. You can add to pastries, cakes, and cookies. Great combination with cinnamon. The flavors compliment each other when used together.

Make Mulled Cider with anise


Here is some other information on spices:

Tumeric, Garlic, and Parsley
Chili pepper, Thyme
Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom