Tag: cinnamon

A Wheat free Carrot Cake recipe

Today I am sharing a Wheat free Carrot cake recipe.

We are currently growing carrots in our vegetable garden with great success. This has resulted in an abundance of carrots.

So I decided to use some in a carrot cake and put together this recipe. Combining different elements from a couple of recipes I have in books.

I prefer to bake without refined wheat flour or sugars to try to create healthier treats. This particular recipe includes some buckwheat flour, the health benefits of which I have written about recently.

It does not have raisins, walnuts or pecans as Scott is not a big fan of these, however you can add them if you like.

Wheat free Carrot Cake

 Cake Ingredients

1 cup Almond flour

½ cup Buckwheat flour

½ cup desiccated coconut

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. salt

4 large eggs

¼ cup maple syrup

1 ½ tbsp. tahini

1 ½ tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ tbsp. coconut oil

1 ¼ cup grated carrot

*optional – ¼ cup raisins &/or ¼ cup chopped nuts

Frosting Ingredients

1 tbsp. soft butter

4 tbsp. spreadable cream cheese

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

*Preheat oven to 190’c and line your cake tin with baking paper (I used a loaf tin).

– In a large bowl combine the almond and buckwheat flours, coconut, baking powder, salt and spices.

– Using another large bowl, put the eggs, tahini, coconut oil, maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, mix until smooth.

– Using the lowest speed on your mixer, continue to mix while adding the flour mixture and the grated carrot until well combined.

*Add in any nuts & raisins here if desired*

– Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool before adding frosting.

To make the frosting – using an electric mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese and mix on high till light and fluffy. Add the maple syrup and vanilla mixing until well combined.

Spread the frosting onto the cake and decorate if desired. I decorated mine with some edible flowers from the garden

Enjoy. (If you like this recipe, you may also like Carrot Cake Bliss Balls)

Till the next post,

Live clean n Prosper

Herbs, Spices and Weight loss

Todays post is about herbs, spices and weight loss, a topic suggested by one of my readers. There are several herbs and spices that are used in commercial weight loss formulas. The most popular or well known are green tea and cayenne pepper. However, there are many other herbs and spices that have been used for thousands of years.

History

The Ancient Chinese used remedies for weight loss. Traditionally, this was in the form of raw herbs that were boiled and then consumed. This method is still followed in most hospitals in China today. Ayurvedic medicine uses certain herbs alone or in synergistic combinations to increase the possibility of treating obesity. Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. Modern scientists have put some of these ancient herbs and spices to the test. In a study completed by the South China Agricultural University, the anti-obesity effect of eight common spices were reviewed and evaluated. They found a variety of naturally occurring bioactive ingredients in these spices have weight-loss effects. The spices put to the test were cinnamon, rosemary, ginger, pepper, saffron, garlic, onion and turmeric.

Cinnamon

This classic aromatic spice is rich in antioxidants and offers several health benefits. In regards to weight control, cinnamon is effective in stabilizing blood sugar, which may help reduce appetite and hunger. It also has an affect on the levels of certain digestive enzymes to slow the breakdown of carbohydrates.

Rosemary

A fragrant evergreen plant, which has been used for hundreds of years for its medicinal benefits. Rosemary is naturally rich in carnosic acid, a substance that inhibits the formation of fat cells. Scientific studies have concluded that rosemary extracts can be used as a preventive treatment against metabolic disorders.

Ginger

The results of several studies indicate that supplementing the diet with ginger significantly decreases body weight. It does this by increasing thermogenesis and increasing the breakdown of fats. It also suppresses the formation of fat, inhibits fat absorption, and controls appetite.

Pepper – Cayenne and Black

Cayenne contains capsaicin, which has multiple benefits for metabolic health, especially for weight loss in obese individuals. Capsaicin plays a critical role in the regulation of metabolic health for the whole body, including body weight and glucose metabolism. Cayenne also raises body temp, increasing thermogenesis and helping to boost metabolism. Adding red peppers to your diet can suppress energy intake and reduce appetite. Cousin to cayenne pepper, black pepper is rich in piperine, which gives black pepper its unique flavour. Piperine creates anti-obesity activity without any change in appetite. The spice has also been shown to block the formation of new fat cells.

Saffron

Saffron is the stigma (the female organ) of an autumn flowering crocus (Crocus sativus). It has been used in both in Iranian medicine and modern medicine to reduce appetite. In a study using rats on a high fat diet, saffron extract significantly decreased food consumption. It also significantly reduced the rate of body weight gain.

Garlic

Garlic is traditionally used to treat infection, colds, diabetes and heart disease. Clinically, it has been evaluated for lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose concentration. Recently is has been linked with weight loss in a study that fed garlic to mice. After 7 weeks the mice had reduced body weights and fat stores. The garlic had also reduced the effects of an unhealthy diet on their blood and protected the liver from damage.

Onion

Onion stimulates bile acid production by the liver. Bile and bile acids play a major role in fat digestion and absorption. A study by the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine concluded that Welsh onion extracts have potential for weight control in obesity.

Turmeric

This spice is already known for fighting inflammation but it may also help the body burn fat. Turmeric contains a highly beneficial compound called ‘curcumin’. This increases body heat, which, in turn, can boost metabolism. Over 20 scientific studies have been conducted to assess the influence of curcumin intake on weight among patients with metabolic syndrome and related disorders. The results showed that Curcumin intake significantly reduced body mass index. 

(Sources – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, https://www.sciencedirect.com, https://www.hindawi.com, https://www.researchgate.net )
I hope that this information has given you some ideas on how you can spice up your diet for weight loss.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffin recipe

Today I’m going to share a muffin recipe.

This morning I was looking through my recipe collection and writing the week’s menu list when I came across this Spiced Pumpkin Muffin recipe.

Every so often, when I am researching something on line, I come across some interesting recipes. There are many gluten free recipes on the Internet and we have found many are lacking in taste or texture.

I had printed this one out ages ago and forgotten about it. The recipe is easy and I had all the ingredients, so I made a batch.

This recipe made 12 small muffins. They are very light in texture, quite yummy and are gluten free. I think you could make a few variations by swapping out the pumpkin for cooked apple or maybe even mashed banana.

 Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

(makes 12 small muffins)

Ingredients

5 eggs

4 tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil

½ cup mashed butternut pumpkin

½ cup Maple syrup or honey

½ cup dextrose or coconut sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground allspice

Pinch sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste

½ cup sifted coconut flour

½ tsp. baking powder

 

Method

Preheat your oven to 200’ C and lightly grease a muffin tin.

– Mix the eggs, butter (or oil), pumpkin, maple syrup, dextrose, cinnamon, allspice, salt and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. I used a stick blender.

– In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder and coconut flour together then add to the batter. Mix well ensuring there are no lumps and the batter is smooth.

– Ladle the batter into the muffin cups.

– Bake for approximately 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

We ate a couple while they were still a bit warm with a little bit of butter, delicious.

I will definitely be making these again. I hope you enjoy them also.

 

Till the next post,

 

Live Clean n Prosper.