Tuesday Tidbit: Penzey's Spices

If you’re anything like me (God help you) you probably never got really involved in using spices in your cooking. Oh, sure, you probably have all the essentials, such as garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, several varieties of Mrs. Dash and five old cans of sage (yes, five – I have an irrational fear of being without it for Thanksgiving).

Enter Penzey’s Spices. There are so many things I love about this store, I don’t know where to begin – so maybe I should begin with their free catalog. You can order this fantastic catalog on their website and you will receive an updated version, full of mostly healthy recipes, every three months.

The catalog was a godsend for someone like me who knew pretty much zilch about spices. Each spice is listed alphabetically and comes complete with a description of how to best use it – usually with more than one suggestion. The spices come in small plastic containers or the economical refill bag.

They have all of the regular spices as well as a large number of spice blends – my usual choice because I don’t have to try to figure out what spices go together – including Chicago Steak Seasoning, Northwoods Seasoning, Chicken and Fish Jerk, and my favorite for vegetables and topping the fat-free sour cream on my baked potatoes, Fox Point Seasoning.

Using different spices has improved the flavor of my baked, broiled, and grilled diet in a way that was simple to do. And I love simple. When your foods are enhanced with the right spices, you don’t even miss the old breaded and fried junk you used to love. Well, not too much anyway.

If you are lucky enough to have a Penzey’s store nearby, go check it out. If you don’t, you can order from their website with confidence. They have fantastic customer service and quick shipping.

Although it’s probably best to make a list first. Your credit card will thank you.

The stinking rose

Stinking Rose. Hee. A cute name for garlic. It’s called that because a) it stinks; and, b) it has many reported therapeutic benefits.

I don’t care if it stinks; garlic is just GOOD STUFF. You can perk up the flavor of just about any dull old food simply by throwing in some garlic. Besides, it’s an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium and, when hung in a cluster around your neck, also helps in warding off vampires.

In addition, studies have shown garlic has significant cardiovascular benefits and may promote weight control. If I started listing the myriad of health benefits that have been laid at the door of garlic, my vow of shorter posts would be broken in the very first week. If you need more details, go here.

I have always been afraid of fresh garlic. No, I don’t mean to imply that I might be a vampire - I love everything about garlic, but the whole fresh bulb thing kind of freaks me out. I have never learned how to use it. So I buy it pre-chopped in glass jars at the grocery store. Or just use garlic powder.

If I had cool kitchen gadgets like this garlic peeler or this garlic press, I would be a garlic chopping fool. And this ceramic garlic keeper is so cute I think I would buy lots of fresh garlic just to have an excuse to put this on my kitchen counter.

But I don’t have any of those things (yet) so I must do this the old-fashioned way. I will now share with you garlic preparation tips for the novice.

Tips for Preparing Garlic:

Not to scare you or anything, but the first thing you have to know is that there are TWO LAYERS of skin that you have to get rid of before you get to the actual garlic. (Those pre-chopped jars of garlic don’t sound so silly now, do they?) The first step is to separate the individual cloves. Place the bulb on a cutting board or hard surface and gently, but firmly, apply pressure with the palm of your hand at an angle. This will cause the layers of skin that hold the bulb together to separate.

So now you’ve got the first layer off, but you still have to get the skin off the individual cloves. Oy. To do that, place a clove with the smooth side down on a cutting board and gently tap it with the flat side of a wide knife. You can then remove the skin either with your fingers or with a small knife. That’s it. Now start chopping.

I am still practicing with these instructions – it’s not as easy for me as that made it sound – but I will persevere until I can peel garlic in two seconds like this guy:

P.S. For heaven’s sake – don’t MICROWAVE your garlic. Doing so strips it of its beneficial blood-thinning effects.

Turmeric Tutorial

The Vegan Breakfast Burrito recipe that I posted yesterday included the spice turmeric among its ingredients. This is a spice I only vaguely recall hearing about, but have never used. So I decided to look it up.

Turmeric (also known as Indian Saffron) is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, but it has long been considered a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Turmeric has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and textile dye.

[Textile dye? Okay, now I’m getting scared again…]

The description of turmeric that I read indicated that it has a “peppery, warm and bitter flavor” but, at the same time, has a fragrance “slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger.” Hmmm. An intriguing paradox, no?

Turmeric is an excellent source of both iron and manganese and a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fiber and potassium. It is also what is used to give your standard everyday French’s mustard its bright yellow color. Bet you didn’t know THAT, did you? See if you can impress people with that knowledge at your next barbecue.

(It is also suggested that you consider wearing kitchen gloves when handling this spice as its deep color can easily stain. Although if you get to it fast enough, soap and water ought to get it off of your hands.)

And this helpful suggestion I found: If you are able to find turmeric rhizomes in the grocery store, you can make your own fresh turmeric powder by boiling, drying and then grinding it into a fine consistency. Why, yes. I can certainly see us all doing THAT. Just point me in the direction of the McCormick’s, please.

Now, all of that background information aside, here are the claims being made for its medicinal properties. You can read all the scientific stuff (yawn) about these claims here.

Anti-inflammatory
An Effective Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Help for Cystic Fibrosis Sufferers
Cancer Prevention
Turmeric and Onions May Help Prevent Colon Cancer
Turmeric Teams Up with Cauliflower to Halt Prostate Cancer
Reduce Risk of Childhood Leukemia
Improved Liver Function
Cardiovascular Protection
Lowers Cholesterol
Protection against Alzheimer's Disease

Holy crap. Who knew a horribly-named spice like turmeric had so much going for it? I mean, really. I’m starting to think that a couple of teaspoons of turmeric every day will ensure my immortality. But I’m for sure adding this to my grocery list because I’m always looking for a way to perk up my vegetables. And I still want to make that Breakfast Burrito.

So assuming you have some turmeric jammed into a kitchen cupboard somewhere, but have no idea why you bought it or what you should use it for, here are some ideas – but don’t go crazy with it; apparently it can get bitter if overused:

- Spice up sautéeed onions, potatoes and/or cauliflower;

- Make a creamy vegetable dip: Just mix plain yogurt with a little omega-3-rich mayonnaise and turmeric, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with raw cauliflower, celery, sweet pepper, jicama and broccoli florets.

- Add turmeric to egg salad to give it an even bolder yellow color.

- Add to sautéed apples

- Mix brown rice with raisins and cashews and season with turmeric, cumin and coriander.

- Turmeric is a great spice to complement recipes that feature lentils.

- Give salad dressings an orange-yellow hue by adding some turmeric powder to them.

So there you go. Everything you always wanted to know about turmeric. And then some…

Cinnamon: The wonder spice

I had heard long ago that cinnamon was effective in maintaining blood sugar levels, so I started putting a heap of it on my oatmeal every morning. Because it can’t hurt, right?

But it turns out that cinnamon has been used since ancient times for medicinal purposes. This I did not know. There are claims that it can help everything from taking the sting out of insect bites to curing a yeast infection.

Here are some of the health benefits that have been attributed to cinnamon:

Lowering cholesterol: Just a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol

Reducing blood sugar levels: Again, just a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon added to your diet per day can lower blood sugar levels.

Protecting against heart disease: Cinnamon is a source of calcium and fiber (who knew?) and, as such provides some protection against heart disease.

Curing respiratory problems: A person suffering from a severe cold should take one tablespoon of honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This home remedy is said to cure most chronic coughs and colds and clear the sinuses.

Boosting brain power: Cinnamon boosts the activity of the brain, removing nervous tension and improving memory. Studies have shown that just SMELLING cinnamon can be beneficial for cognitive function and memory, as well as increasing one’s alertness and concentration.

Fighting infections: Cinnamon has antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic properties that have been shown to be helpful in fighting both internal and external infections, including yeast infections, stomach ulcers and head lice. (Don’t ask me how; I couldn’t find specifics on how this is done.)

Reducing arthritis pain: The anti-inflammatory compounds in cinnamon have been found to be useful in reducing the pain of arthritis. A recent study showed patients given a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning had significant relief of arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

Assisting digestion: Adding cinnamon to most recipes can aid digestion. It has been shown to help with indigestion and in removing gas from the stomach and intestines.

Bolstering the immune system: A paste of honey and cinnamon gives a boost to the immune system and removes fatigue. It is also said to have anti-aging properties.

Stopping the itch: The sting can be taken out of an insect bite by applying a paste of cinnamon and honey. But I would imagine you would want to make sure you are far away from the bee or mosquito that bit you before you apply the honey.

So there you go. A few things you probably knew and a few things that maybe you didn’t. It sure sounds like the cinnamon-honey combination is good for just about anything that ails you. I always have cinnamon around, but I guess I’ll have to pick up some honey. Sounds worth trying to me.

But please don’t overdo it – too much cinnamon can be toxic.