Cinnamon Sweetheart Pancakes

One week away from Valentine's Day and I was invited back to Global Calgary to talk cinnamon and showcase a healthy pancake recipe perfect for sharing with your sweetheart!

There are a multitude of reasons why we should be incorporating more cinnamon into our diets but very few people know the differences between different types of cinnamon and which one is actually better for you. True Cinnamon is our bestselling spice and always receives stellar reviews from customers. To find out why you need it, click here to watch the segment and read more here.

 

It's time to share that recipe so that you can plan an extra sweet and healthy Valentine's Day breakfast for your sweetheart!

Cinnamon Sweetheart Pancakes
(gluten free)
(makes 12)

1 cup    Brown rice flour
1/2 cup Urad dal flour (found in most Indian grocery stores or ethnic sections in supermarkets)
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda (aluminium free)
1 Tsp    Spice Sanctuary Coorg Bold Cardamom Ground  (a known aphrodisiac)
10        Strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
400 ml Water
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder (undutched preferably)
1 Tsp   Spice Sanctuary True Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Sweet Delight Spice Blend (optional)
Coconut oil
Maple Syrup

How to Make:

1. Combine the flours, baking soda and cardamom in a bowl and mix well.

2. In a pan, reduce the strawberries down in about 100ml water on a medium heat until the berries soften and it is almost a puree consistency. 

3. Add the reduced strawberries into the dry mixture and add the remaining water and whisk into a smooth fairly thick batter. If you need to add more water, do so.

4. Lightly grease the inside of your heart moulds, if using, and heat a little coconut oil in a non stick frying pan on a medium heat. Ladle enough batter to fill up the mould or one ladle to make a round pancake. 

5. As soon as the outer edges start browning and you see holes perforating through, gently flip pancakes over. If you are using a mold, gently prize the edges away from the mold, lift the mold away before flipping the pancake.

6. Cook the pancake for another minute or so. Repeat until all the batter is used up. The batter will also keep in the fridge for a few days.

How to Enjoy:

When you are ready to serve, mix together the cocoa powder and remaining spices, using a sieve, sift the mixture generously over the pancakes and drizzle with some maple syrup.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Chai Spiced Party Punch

The theme for this past weekend's TV segment on Global Calgary was a Chai Spiced Party Punch. Originating from India, Punch derived its name from the Hindi word "panch" meaning five. Traditionally this drink was made up of sugar, water, lemon, spices and other fruit juices. When it was subsequently transported to England and other western countries, it started taking on many other forms.

To stay true to this versatile and easy to make party drink, I wanted to create a recipe using five healthy and delicious ingredients, one of them obviously being spices!

Watch the video here to catch more of my personal tips on when to use whole versus ground spices and how to get more out of using your spices with one simple storing tip!

Chai is also traditionally Indian and means "tea" but in modern times we relate it to more of a spiced tea made up of warming and digestion enhancing spices. The below versions allow for both a caffeine free version and not.

Chai Spiced Party Punch

Serves 2-4

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of no added sugar Apple Juice

1 cup of no added sugar Pineapple Juice

5 Spice Sanctuary Coorg Cardamom Pods, slightly cracked open

6 Spice Sanctuary Cloves

1 Tbsp  Unrefined organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Ginger Powder

1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Nutmeg Ground

1/2 Tsp Spice Sanctuary True Cinnamon 

1/4 Tsp Spice Sanctuary Coorg Cardamom Ground Seeds

1 cup  Coconut Water or brewed black tea

1-2 measures of Rum or Brandy (optional)

Lemon and Orange Wedges to garnish

How to Make:

1. Pour the apple and pineapple juices into a pan and add in the whole spices and a few twists of a good black pepper. Bring to a boil.

2. Next, add in the apple cider vinegar and remaining spices and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes to fully allow the spices to both infuse and impart into the juices.

How to Enjoy:

1. If serving cold, let the spiced juice cool completely before, straining into a punch bowl and then adding in some cold and naturally sweetened coconut water and (alcohol) adding the citrus slices to garnish. The longer you leave the spices in the juice, the better!

2. If serving hot, turn off the heat and add in a cup of brewed black tea, before straining, adding in the alcohol and transferring into a crock pot, adding the citrus slices and keeping it warm.

The name says party but really you can enjoy this anytime!

8 Hidden Truths About Additives in (Organic) Spices

When you go to buy eggs in the grocery store, you do not expect to read the ingredients label to find anything other than eggs listed in it so why should it be any different for spices and seasonings?

If there is one thing in the spice industry that both frustrates and saddens me the most, it has to be the amount of non-spice ingredients companies feel they have to add into spices and blends in the name of "preservatives" when it is probably just another profit enhancing move.

I was perhaps quite naive when I started my company, Spice Sanctuary, as it did not even occur to me to include any non spice ingredients into the blends that I created. Yet this is common practice across North America and something many consumers may not even be aware of.

Before I go into the nasties present in so many spices, it is worth noting that for organic spices and even non-GMO spices, only 95% of the ingredients need to be certified organic or non-GMO and so the other 5% can be non organic or GMO leaving room for the nasties to creep in yet the product is still considered an organic product or non-GMO as the case may be.

I have taken a sample of Canadian and US companies offering both conventional and organic spices and blends within Canada to seek out the hidden truths everyone should know.

1. Silicon Dioxide

Silicon Dioxide is usually synthetically produced and is an additive in spices to act as an anti-caking agent to absorb moisture and prevent clumping. There should be no need to add this in at all because if the quality of spices is high and they are fresh and meet all Health Canada requirements, there will be no clumping. 

2. Citric Acid

When you think of citric acid you might think of lemon or lime acting as a preservative but no, this is far from a derivative of something so natural. Citric acid is in fact produced synthetically using ingredients such as sugar, beets, corn - in other words the most common offenders of genetically modified foods. The rationale for adding it to spices is to act as a preservative but again I bring the Devil's Advocate out of the closet and ask why is this needed if you are getting the freshest best spices? Even the Globe & Mail had something to say about its unsavoury production!

3. Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil

Essentially an oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant (a common GMO), it is yet another additive found in spices such as cinnamon to extend shelf life. Cinnamon is one of the most used spices in North America yet companies feel the need to extend its shelf life? 

4. Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is yet another synthetically produced additive, this time to act as a thickening agent or some sort of sugar substitute. Ironically, it is made from starches and contains glucose in its composition and results in a high glycemic index of 85-105. The starches used to make it are usually corn based (a common GMO).  Healthwise, it is said to deplete the body of vitamins and cause other issues too.

5. Sugar

Spices and herbs are so often marketed as healthy alternatives to flavouring food with sugar and salt yet there are many seasonings (organic and not) that go on to contain sugar. The convenience that blends and seasonings bring may mean that consumers then don't have to think about adding sugar and salt when using it but in reality I wonder if they still go on to season it further?

6. Salt

Admittedly sea salt is better than table salt but again the contradictions in marketing spices and herbs as healthier alternatives to high sodium intake sends confusing messages to the consumer. If the blends and seasonings are well balanced and developed, there should be no need to add in salt and probably better to leave it to the consumer to manage their own intake.

7. Natural Smoke Flavour & Spice Extractive

I have to admit, as resourceful as I may be, even I don't know what exactly this means, how these are produced, whether they have any adverse effects and what they really add to any spice seasoning. Again, I go back to my fundamental belief that spices and herbs are natural food ingredients and if they are the best quality then their flavour should not require any further modifications or additions.

8. Ethoxyquin

I think this extract from Wikipedia says it all about this E324 additive/preservative:

"Ethoxyquin has been shown to be slightly toxic to fish.

Ethoxyquin is not permitted for use in Australian foods nor is it approved for use within in the European Union. It is an approved food additive in the United States."

As sad as it is, I encourage you to read the labels and ingredient lists of the spices you buy as it is clear not all spices are created equal and organic is definitely not enough when it comes to flavouring your food with the beautiful spices and herbs our planet has been blessed with.

Spicy Christmas Beverages

When we think of the Holiday Season, food always comes to mind but it's always a good idea to have a couple of drink recipes to hand to toast the festivities. I have created the following two recipes which can be served hot after dinner or late evening in front of the fireplace or made in advance and chilled to be sipped as an aperitif or as part of an alcoholic cocktail.

Click on the recipe sheet below to view in larger format. Try them out and let us know what other ways you served them!

The Art of Balancing Spices

Have you ever wondered what to do when you put too much of a certain spice into a dish or how to flavour a dish such that you can distinguish between the different spices you have used?

Just as one would pair wine with cheese or food with wine to optimize our eating experience, the same is true of spices. Knowing which spices go well with each other can be crucial to getting an overall balance in flavour in any dish. You wouldn't eat a dish that is too salty or too bitter and nor should you eat a dish where one spice overpowers everything.

The lawyer in me likes to compartmentalize things and so with spices, this is exactly what I do. The taste buds can easily identify the sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness and savouriness in a dish. In similar fashion, I like to split my spices into five easily identifiable tastes:  Hot, Pungent, Tangy, Sweet and Mild. They are also in top-down order of the proportions (little-more) in which, in most but not all cases, they should be used when combined with other spices.

Hot - Often but Little

As the name suggests, these spices are the ones with the most piquancy and heat. They are also most prone to overpowering a dish. Hot spices such as chilis and black pepper are known for their health benefits and antioxidant properties so wherever possible, these should be used often but in small doses. The Mild spices and a natural sweetener would be good ways to counter a dish with too much heat.

Pungent - Always and in Equal parts

Pungency is most associated with aroma and the sense of smell but it is also an apt description for the next level of spices in our chart. Spices such as cardamom, cloves, saffron, cumin would fall under this category. There really should be sub-categories as each spice in this category has a different flavour and level of pungency. Cloves would be more at the stronger and more menthol end while saffron and cardamom at a more sweeter and lighter end. However, none of these spices have any heat but they are still strong in flavour and so it is really important to keep proportions equal or as close to equal when using more than a few of the pungent spices in a dish. The key is to get a beautiful balance of flavours and if a dish has twice as much cloves or cumin as cardamom, the dish would be menthol and earthy but lack the aromatic sweetness of cardamom.

Tangy -Occasional and Enough

If you have already used hot and pungent spices, a dish may call for some sourness to take the edge off the spices a little. The spice equivalent to lemon or lime would be curry leaves, tamarind, sumac or amchur powder. Again, as with the pungent spices, the tangy spices are individual in the strength of sourness they would bring to a dish. Sumac and amchur powder are at the lighter citrusy end of the spectrum with tamarind being at the opposite end. Use these when the occasion calls for it in a dish or spice blend and just enough to add tanginess into the flavour pot.

Sweet - Alone and More

Spices such as cinnamon, rose, nutmeg and vanilla are typically associated with baking or desserts and so no wonder these are appropriately allocated to the 'Sweet' category. That said, these spices are also just as effective and flavourful in savoury dishes when used in the right proportions and context. The other beauty of these spices is that they can easily be used on their own in so many ways without needing any other spice to accompany it. The Sweet spices also marry very well with the 'lighter' Pungent ones too such as cardamom and saffron.

Mild - Necessary and Most

The likes of turmeric, coriander and fennel  form part of this group of spices. These spices maintain their individual taste and tones but when combined with other spices, they tend to take a back seat in a dish - either not seen, not tasted or not overpowering. This, of course, means one can use more of these in proportion to other spices and coriander, especially, is a great countering spice with too much cumin or hot spices.

Not every dish requires a spice from each category but a good balance can be just as effectively achieved by some of the following combinations:

Hot + Pungent + Mild  

E.g. Chili + Cumin + Coriander

Pungent + Sweet + Mild 

E.g. Cardamom + Cinnamon + Fennel

Pungent + Sweet

E.g. Saffron + Rose

Hot + Sweet + Tangy + Mild 

E.g. Chili + Cinnamon + Amchur + Turmeric

Pungent + Tangy + Mild

E.g. Nigella + Curry Leaves + Turmeric

What pairing combinations do you use?