MY 5 FAVORITE SPICES

In this post I want to talk to you about my favorite spices, turmeric, ginger, chili peppers, cinnamon and vanilla are my top 5, they enrich my recipes and give aroma to my kitchen.

There are many more, I love cardamom or different types of peppers, but here I will focus on my 5 chosen ones.

And cooking with spices is very special, I love to give my dishes different touches of flavor, give them something extra, go a step further.

With the use of spices it is possible to do it, but not only that, in addition, you are taking advantage of the potential that many of them have, the antioxidant power of turmeric and ginger, the analgesic effect of capsaicin present in hot peppers or the invigorating power of cinnamon.

 

My favorite spices in the kitchen: Turmeric, ginger, chili peppers, cinnamon and vanilla.

 

Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, invigorating and improves cell sensitivity to insulin, and is also a powerful natural preservative.

The capsaicin present in hot peppers and chili peppers is used as a topical analgesic in some pathologies such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or neuralgia.

Ginger is a natural antioxidant, rich in polyphenols, it is anti-inflammatory and can improve digestion. Natural vanilla pods are also essential in my dessert recipes, as you know, I do not use sugars and I try to prepare low-carb dessert recipes, to compensate, the best solution is to flavor with spices, Vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom are my top picks when it comes to healthy sweets.

Vanilla is a very aromatic spice; it is sold in pod form and is expensive, but well worth it. Madagascar vanilla is currently highly prized, although it is grown in many other places.

Natural vanilla provides an aroma and flavor that its derivatives do not. It is truly special, and cooking with it makes all the difference, especially when you do without sugars and sweeteners. The natural flavors are what give substance to the recipe.

 

Spices make the difference in many recipes. Whether you use them or not can change the outcome significantly.

 

Let’s start at the beginning. It’s time to talk about the turmeric, and of course, curcumin.

 

 

Curcumin is one of the chemical compounds present in turmeric, it is responsible for its intense orange color and is used as a coloring in the food industry, its code is E-100, so you know, if you read “E-100” on a label it is because that product contains this coloring natural.

Benefits of turmeric:

• Powerful antioxidant.
• It is anti-inflammatory, its consumption is recommended to prevent and treat arthritis.
• For the same reason, its consumption is recommended for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• It is believed that regular consumption of turmeric prevents the development of cancers such as lung, breast, prostate and colon.
• It improves the cardiovascular system and neurodegenerative diseases.
• It enhances anticoagulant medications and its consumption is not recommended in cases of gallbladder disease.

For all these reasons, its consumption is recommended for most people, it is easy to incorporate it into the daily diet, dry and powdered or keeping a piece of it at home dried rhizome to grate a little when needed.

It is an ingredient that is never missing in curry (spice mix) and is almost always added to curry (traditional stew in Indian cuisine).

You can add it to soups, creams, broths, scrambled eggs, stir-fries, and any cooked vegetable, it provides flavor and color and all the benefits that I have just detailed, it is worth consuming, don’t you think?.

 

Ginger and turmeric are two of my favorite spices when it comes to cooking, in addition to their benefits, their flavor and color are unmistakable and delicious.

 

About ginger I will tell you that, like Turmeric is a root, you can buy it fresh or dried and ground, each presentation has different applications. I love its flavor and that spicy touch, when you try it for the first time it doesn’t leave you indifferent, in reality it seems different to me depending on the recipe and the dish.in which you use it. A small piece of root in a hot green tea with lemon is not the same as in a glass of sparkling water with ice.

It does not taste the same ground and dried in cookie dough or in pumpkin cream, as it does fresh, grated and drained with soy sauce and orange and lemon juice to marinate tofu.

Ginger has many applications in the kitchen and many benefits that you cannot miss.

 

 

Benefits of ginger:

• Helps with digestion, stimulates the synthesis of digestive enzymes.
• Natural expectorant.
• Helps treat migraines
• Relieves premenstrual syndrome in all its aspects, pain and mood.
• Continued consumption reduces LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
• It is a natural antioxidant, rich in polyphenols and is anti-inflammatory.

Chilies and chili peppers give a natural spicy touch to your recipes, take advantage of all their benefits.

 

It’s the turn of the hot peppers, (chili peppers and chili peppers) and the compound that gives them that spicy flavor that makes them so special, capsaicin.

Do you know what capsaicin is?

Capsaicin or capsaicin is the chemical compound present in hot peppers, the one that gives them that characteristic, it is the active component. In addition to adding that spicy touch to many recipes, it has other applications that you may not know about.

 

Benefits of capsaicin:

• It is used as a topical analgesic in some pathologies such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or neuralgia.
• It is a natural antioxidant, it prevents the formation of blood clots.
• It is considered antibacterial, capable of preventing some infections.
• It is an expectorant, it helps to eliminate mucus.
• Anticancer properties are attributed to it.
• It has many uses in the kitchen, you just have to be cautious and dose it correctly.

Like so many other foods with strong flavors or spicy, the use in cooking depends on the diners, if they are used to it, they will tolerate a higher level of spiciness, if on the contrary they are not, you have to be careful and get your palate used to it little by little.

 

 

Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices when it comes to sweet recipes, but its uses go much further there.

 

Let’s now talk about cinnamon and its many benefits. If you thought that the best thing it brings us is its aroma and flavor, you are wrong. Cinnamon is a very powerful spice that is good to know and incorporate into your diet.

Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, invigorating, and improves cell sensitivity to insulin. It is also a powerful natural preservative.

What I like most about it is precisely the fact that it is capable of improving insulin resistance and, therefore, regulating blood glucose levels.

• Regular consumption (1 g/day) reduces blood glucose levels, LDL, and total cholesterol.
• Reduces resistance to insulin.
• Lowers triglyceride levels.
• It is a muscle relaxant.
• Helps heal wounds.
• Helps you fall asleep.
• Multiple applications in cooking: cinnamon tea, all kinds of desserts and in recipes based on meat and vegetables, in stews, etc.

The two most consumed varieties of cinnamon are Ceylon and Cassia, the most recommended is the first, the main reason is that it contains less curamine, a toxic substance that in certain doses affects our liver.

The Cassia variety generally comes from China, has an astringent point and is darker in color and can contain up to 1% curamine, so be careful when consuming it daily.

The Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), with a sweeter, more aromatic flavor and lighter color, has less than half the curamine of Casssia, so it is safe to consume.

Eat cinnamon daily if you want to benefit from its properties, but make sure it is Ceylon cinnamon.

 

The queen of dessert spices is natural vanilla, it provides a very special aroma and flavor.

 

Natural vanilla fascinates me, it is undoubtedly one of my favorites. favorite spices, I think their aroma and flavor is incomparable, it is soft and so pleasant that it usually gives desserts a very special touch.

I love buying the pods, opening them and removing those small black seeds to add them to a cream, a sponge cake, a fruit compote.

As you know, I usually make my dessert recipes without sugar, and whenever possible, without sweeteners, which is why the use of natural spices is so important, they are the ones that give flavor without the need for sweetening.

A clear example is the homemade apple compote, it is only made of cooked apples, but cooked with cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice.

Vanilla is soothing, antioxidant, aids digestion, stimulates the production of estrogen and contains eugenol (a substance analgesic).

As you can see, in addition to its organoleptic properties, which for me make it unbeatable, it has health benefits, so use it in the kitchen, flavor your desserts with it and make it one more in your spice box.

 

Below, I leave you some links to recipes that include:

Turmeric:

EASY VEGETABLE CURRY

Ginger:

SUGAR-FREE CARROT CAKE (VEGAN)

Hot peppers:

SHAKSHUKA (SUGAR-FREE)

Cinnamon:

SPICED BEEF

APPLE SAUCE WITHOUT SUGAR

Natural vanilla:

PUMPKIN PUDDING WITHOUT SUGAR

 

This is just a sample, all these spices can be added to many recipes, I make it every day, they add flavor and improve their nutritional values.

But here I am only talking about my 5 favorite spices, I have many more, which I love and use often, pepper, paprika from La Vera, all kinds of fresh herbs and dried, star anise, cardamom, I would like to know what yours are.

Share your favorite spices in a comment, I would love to read them.

Cheers!