Indian Style Beef Kabobs With Cilantro Lime Sauce (great with chicken too)

These Kabobs are absolutely delicious with an interesting spicy (not too spicy) flavor you will love! And…there is a generous portion of Cilantro in it. The health benefits associated with cilantro are extensive. In fact, cilantro is so effective at lowering blood sugar…

These Kabobs are absolutely delicious with an interesting Indians-spicy (not too spicy) flavor you will love!

And…there is a generous portion of Cilantro in it. The health benefits associated with cilantro are extensive. In fact, cilantro is so effective at lowering blood sugar, it is known in some places as the “anti-diabetic plant.”

It is also known for its anti-inflammatory compounds and its cholesterol-lowering ability, as well as its ability to remove toxic metals from the body.  Cilantro is twice as effective as antibiotics against the food-borne bacteria that causes food poisoning, Salmonella.

In addition, cilantro is great for digestion, arthritis, urinary tract infections, and is rich in magnesium, iron and tons of phytonutrients, so use cilantro liberally whenever you can!

There is also curry powder in the marinade, rich in powerful antioxidants and immune enhancing properties. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (2 cups cilantro leaves)
1 small red onion peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small green chili pepper trimmed and halved
1 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 ¼ tsp sea salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice of one lime)
½ tsp curry powder
1 ½ lb rib-eye steak, cut into 24 one-inch chunks
1 medium onion, peeled
Naan bread or rice flour (gluten-free) tortillas

Directions
Place cilantro, onion, garlic, chili, ginger, lime juice, and salt with 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until a paste is formed. Transfer to a large bowl.

Put 2-3 tbsp of the paste in a small bowl and set aside for sauce. Stir the curry powder into the rest of the paste, add the meat, coat well. Cover and marinate at room temp for about 30 -60 or more minutes.

Cut the red onion into wedges, separate the wedges and thread beef and onion onto skewers. Brush a grill pan with the oil. Preheat grill.  Grill the kebabs for 8-10 minutes turning the skewers every 2 minutes.

Serve with the cilantro sauce, plain yogurt, and pita or tortillas. Serves 4.

Curried Red Lentil Stew with Pumpkin Seeds

curried red lentil stewThis hearty stew will warm up your insides with ultra, power-packed, disease-fighting nutrition that includes pumpkin seeds, red lentils, garlic, ginger, turmeric and cilantro.

There’s about a foot of fresh snow on the ground, and more is still falling–even in Boulder, Colorado, things are pretty shut down today. It’s an official ‘snow day’ here!  Seems like a good day to make a hot, piping bowl of red lentil stew, if you ask me. I love this stew! The curry and spice add a touch of heat and the lentils are deliciously filling.

Red lentils actually start out orange, and are much smaller than the more common green or brown lentils, which are larger and tend to get more mushy. I love the lighter taste of red lentils and how quickly they cook. Lentils contain lots of healthy fiber, making them slower to digest, which helps blood sugar stability. They are high in protein, hearty and satisfying. I added toasted pumpkin seeds for a little bit of crunchy, nutty texture, extra protein, and minerals. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of immune-boosting zinc, manganese, phosphorus, copper and iron. Pumpkin seeds also contain a wide variety of antioxidant phytonutrients, and trytophan, an important precursor to serotonin, the ‘happiness’ brain chemical. This time of the year, with the shorter days, and holiday stress descending upon us, a little help with our serotonin production is just what the doctor (or diet/health fanatic) ordered!

I added in fresh turmeric from the produce section instead of the powdered kind you find in the spice aisle, because the fresh root (which looks a bit like an orangish ginger root) is even more potent with its powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, brain-protective, heart disease-preventing power. There is virtually no body system that does not benefit from turmeric, so use it liberally!

Curried Red Lentil Stew

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils, rinsed thoroughly

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

2-3 carrots, sliced

1/2 red onion, chopped

1-3 cloves garlic, minced

handful cilantro, chopped

1 medium sized tumeric root, minced

1 Tbsp (I didnt measure) fresh ginger root, minced

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 to 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp red pepper or cayenne, more or less to taste

sea salt and black pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan add lentils, and about double the water–adjust to how thick or thin you’d like it to be. Rinse a couple of times until water is not foamy or bubbly. Put over med-high heat and bring to boil. Meanwhile in a frying pan on med-high, add a tablespoon of olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, carrots, celery, and spices. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Be careful not to burn the spices.

In small frying pan, add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds with a small amount of olive oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring often–being careful they don’t burn. (I added a lid to the pan, as pumpkin seeds often puff up as they cook and can pop right out of the pan!)

Add to lentils and continue to cook, 20 minutes or so, until lentils are soft and and ingredients are fully cooked. Add chopped cilantro, and fresh lemon juice, and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!! Serves 2-4

 

A Votre Sante!

cat

Save the Colorado picCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, (working on MSN/PH) is an international health, wellness and longevity expert. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing, she has spent the last 30 years studying sustainable diets, health and nutrition all over the world. She also has 4 books including the worldwide best-seller,  “The Fat Burning Kitchen,” “The Top 101 Foods That Fight Aging”, and “The Superfoods Diabetes Reversal Diet”,  and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help create a healthier planet and healthier people.

                             Cat’s Global Green Kitchen

 

 

 

 

Powerful Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory Applesauce with Turmeric

The yellow color in curry, and mustard, too, comes from a spice called Turmeric, and it has some amazing health benefits.

 

Do you like mustard? Or–what about curry?

Turmeric has been used in India for thousands of years as a dye, as a spice for dishes, and also in traditional Indian medicine. Turmeric has some of the world’s most powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties of any food or spice you can eat.

What is turmeric and why should I add it to my foods?

Turmeric grows as a shrub in India and tropical parts of Asia, and it’s roots are ground up to make turmeric. The primary ingredient in turmeric is something called curcumin and it is deep yellow. This deep yellow spice has  incredible medicinal properties as well as it’s pungent taste and color.

Indian medicine uses this spice as a cleansing agent in the body, an aid for digestion, and in treatments for fevers, infections, liver and gall bladder problems, and arthritis. It is also known to help burn fat–by raising metabolism, and is known to prevent heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. In fact it it one of the reasons scientists actually think eastern Indians have so few incidences of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the elderly. This powerful spice is also known to be very effective in killing cancer cells as well.

The massive amounts of antioxidants shut down free radicals which are a primary cause in aging, disease and cancer. Many natural practitioners actually recommend turmeric when a potent antioxidant or anti-inflammatory is needed.

Turmeric  also stimulates  the flow of bile in the gall bladder and therefore is very effective as a digestive aid and fat-burning compound. It is very effective at lowering inflammation from IBS, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis and other digestive diseases.

For the heart, it contains strong anti-platelet substances which help prevent the blood from clotting too easily, and so is very effective against heart attacks and strokes as well as lowering homocystine in the body, which is a key predictor of heart attacks.

This powerful anti-inflammatory works as well as Ibuprofin as a treatment for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and joint pain.

Turmeric is a powerful weapon to fight cancer. This super spice can prevent tumors from growing or slow the growth and spread of cancer cells. In fact, a research study done with mice injected with cancer cells, the curcumin in turmeric was proven to be more than twice as effective as the cancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol).

One of the standout qualities of turmeric is its effectiveness against Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s victims  are known to have a buildup of a certain type of plaque in the brain, and turmeric is highly effective at breaking down this plaque with its powerful anti-inflammatory compounds.

Ok, so how to eat turmeric? You don’t have to eat curry every day!

One way to get high concentrations of curcumin is to use the spice turmeric in some of your cooking and recipes.

Curry contains turmeric, but is usually a combination of several spices and you may not get as much turmeric as you would using pure turmeric. That’s not to say there aren’t benefits to curry too, since it is a blend of several spices, but you can buy turmeric on its own.

Try to get creative and test using turmeric and/or curry on various foods so you can benefit as much as possible from this potent super-spice…

This spice doesn’t have to be used just for curries. It is delicious on sautéed apples, or steamed cauliflower, green beans and onions, or any of your favorite veggies. In fact, I add it to just about everything.

Turmeric is also a great spice to complement recipes that feature lentils. Give salad dressings an orange-yellow hue and a little extra flavor by adding some turmeric powder to them.

Once you start using turmeric on a regular basis, it’s fun to find new ways to use it in healthy recipes. One of my favorite ways is to add a healthy dose of it to egg salad or to scrambled eggs. It adds a great flavor, and gives the eggs a delicious rich yellow hue.

Get turmeric in your diet and take advantage of its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits!

I am always looking for good ways to add this awesome spice to my meals, so I decided to add it to homemade applesauce, and came up with this tasty dish. This applesauce dish is just delish–and it’s a great way to add turmeric to your diet.

Curry and Turmeric Applesauce

In a pan, cut up (peel or leave peels on) 2-4 organic granny smith apples

Add 2-4 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon organic butter

1 tsp (or more) fresh curry powder

1 Tablespoon Turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup or so of raisins (optional)

1/4 cup of pecans or almonds

1 Tablespoon of sugar, honey or maple syrup (optional)

Cook and stir over medim-low heat until apples are soft and begin to fall apart. Serve warm or cold.

 

The Amazing Power of Herbs and Spices

In many recipes, herbs and spices are optional, but I would recommend that you add as many as you can! Every time you flavor your meals with herbs or spices you are supercharging your food without adding a single calorie!


I don’t know about you, but I like to add lots of spices and herbs to my recipes.
While many people just don’t want to bother, there are a few really good reasons to add generous amounts of herbs and spices to your favorite dishes.
In many recipes, herbs and spices are optional, but I would recommend that you add as many as you can! Every time you flavor your meals with herbs or spices you are supercharging your food without adding a single calorie!
You can change something ordinary and bland into something
truly extraordinary, by adding herbs and spices.

Did you know that herbs and spices contain some of the most potent antioxidants that you can find?

In fact, many herbs rank way higher in antioxidant activity than fruits and vegetables, which are obviously high in antioxidants too.

Herbs and spices add tons of extra flavor, and when combined with other nutrition-packed superfoods, it actually boost the their natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power.

In fact, the combination of certain herbs and spices with specific foods magnifies the antioxidant and nutrient value exponentially!

These spices have the highest amount of antioxidants and super-nutrients, so add them liberally to your foods:

Allspice

Basil

Cayenne or hot pepper flakes

Cloves

Cinnamon or its cousin Cassia (which is what we in the United States use)

Nutmeg

Oregano

Ginger

Marjoram

Sage

Thyme

Besides antioxidants, here are some of the other ways herbs and spices are a valuable addition to your diet:
  • Fat Burning – Herbs and spices are thermogenic, which means they naturally increase your metabolism and fat burning power, partly because they are so nutrient-dense.
  • Regulating blood sugar and controlling insulin – When your blood sugar is well controlled, you are more likely to burn fat and store fewer calories as excess weight.
  • Medicinal value – Scientific studies show that herbs and spices can actually work as well or better than some medications for certain health issues. (But check with your physician–before you quit any medications you may be on.)
  • Lowering blood sugar – cinnamon significantly reduces blood sugar levels. It also improves cholesterol and triglyceride levels. One study of people with type 2 diabetes showed that as little as two teaspoons of cinnamon reduced blood sugar similar to blood sugar medication.
  • Researchers found that the active ingredient in turmeric (curcumin) is more effective in slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s than some medications for this condition.

Herbs and spices can also increase your feelings of satisfaction and fullness after a meal, so you eat less.

An interesting research study showed that when a person consumes an appetizer with just half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes before each meal, they eat 15% less food.
Wow!
Red pepper and all hot peppers actually speed up your metabolism and help your body burn fat as well.
Here are more health benefits of some popular herbs and spices:

Rosemary and basil are anti-inflammatory.

Cumin, turmeric and sage fight dementia.

Cayenne, coriander and cinnamon burn fat and help regulate insulin.

Lemon grass, nutmeg, bay leaves and saffron have a calming effect.

Turmeric is cancer fighting and helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Oregano is antifungal and antibacterial.

Garlic, mustard seed and chicory are excellent for the heart.

Basil and thyme help your skin become soft and smooth.

Turmeric, basil, cinnamon, thyme, saffron, garlic and ginger boost the immune system.

Coriander, rosemary, cayenne, allspice and black pepper help banish depression.

So next time you cook, be sure to spice it up and enjoy the fat burning antioxidants of herbs and spices!

Till next time, stay healthy and lean, and Spice it up!
Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

               Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

       Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

The Super Powerful Spice, Turmeric

Do you like Curry?

The rich yellow color of curry comes from a super-spice called Turmeric. Turmeric has been around forever and used in India and other countries for thousands of years as a yellow dye, for delicious spicy curry dishes, and traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine.

But did you you know that turmeric has some of the world’s most powerful fat-burning and healing qualities of any food or spice?

It is not only a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial substance but it also has other very powerful properties as well.

What is turmeric? Well, turmeric grows on a type of shrub in India and other parts of Asia. The roots are used for the turmeric and ground up to make the bright yellow powder.

The active ingredient in turmeric is something called curcumin and bright yellow part of the turmeric. This spice has medicinal properties as well as adding its pungent color and taste to many delicious dishes.

Traditional Indian medicine has used this spice as an internal cleanser, as an digestive aid, and in treatments for fevers, infections, liver and gall bladder problems as well as arthritis.

It also has fat burning properties, and has been scientifically proven to be effective for heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. In fact, Indians and Asians who eat lots of this spice in their diet are known to have some of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the world.

The large amounts of powerful antioxidants fight free radicals which contribute to premature aging, disease and cancer.

Turmeric helps to stimulate the flow of bile in the gall bladder and helps to emulsify fats and so is very effective as both a digestive aid and fat-burning compound.

Studies also show it works very well to reduce the inflammation from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn’s disease as well.

Turmeric also contains strong anti-platelet substances which help prevent the blood from clotting too easily, and so is very helpful to prevent against heart attacks and strokes.

In addition, homocysteine, a chemical component which signals inflammation in the body, and is one of the primary predictors of heart attacks, is significantly lowered in the presence of curcumin. The curcumin in turmeric also lowers and reduces the oxidation of plaque on the artery walls, making it a double edged sword against heart disease and ischemic strokes.

Turmeric is also often used as a treatment for all types of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and for joint pain, due to anti-inflammatory properties.

Turmeric also prevents and fights cancer as well. This super spice can actually prevent cancer tumors from growing, and in those who already have cancer, turmeric will slow down the growth and spread of cancer.

In a research study done with mice injected with cancer cells, the curcumin in turmeric was proven to be more than twice as effective as the cancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol). And with far less negative side effects!

When combined with the antioxidant quercetin (found in red onions, apples and cherries) the curcumin in turmeric is also highly effective against pre-cancerous polyps in the colon. These polyps were actually reduced by 50-60%.

One of the most exciting new studies has shown turmeric’s value against Alzheimer’s. Studies of the Indian population who have a high intake of turmeric in their curry dishes show a very low incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the elderly.

This is thought to be due to the fact that Alzheimer’s victims have a buildup of a certain type of plaque in the brain and turmeric is highly effective at breaking down this plaque and protecting brain health.

How to eat more Turmeric:

Yes, turmeric does exist in the prepared ‘curry’ spice, but the best way to get the highest concentrations of curcumin is to use the spice turmeric instead of curry. Curry is a combination of several spices in varying amounts, and it is hard to tell how much turmeric is in the curry powder you buy.

Turmeric is very deep yellow and can stain skin and clothing so be careful when using it. Although this spice tastes great in curries, it is much more versatile than that. Turmeric is often the yellow color in regular mustard, so if you are not a fan of curry, you can get this awesome spice by eating lots of mustard too.

It is delicious on sautéed apples, or steamed or baked cauliflower, green beans and onions, or any of your favorite veggies.

For a great, low-calorie dip, try mixing turmeric and dried onion with a little omega 3-rich mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Try it with raw veggies like cauliflower or broccoli, celery, sweet pepper, jicama or radishes.

Turmeric is also a great spice to add to dishes that feature lentils. Give salad dressings an appetizing orange-yellow hue and a little extra flavor by throwing some turmeric powder to them.

Once you start using turmeric on a regular basis, it’s fun to find new ways to use it in recipes. My favorite way to use it is to add a pinch of it to egg salad or adding to scrambled eggs or veggie omelets.

It adds a great flavor, and gives the eggs a yummy rich yellow hue.

Turmeric can also be purchased in capsules from a health food store, or you can make your own if you want to buy gelatin capsules and fill your own. The freshest, most powerful turmeric is available in bulk in natural food stores and is usuually less expensive and most potent.

If you are pregnant or nursing, check with your physician before using it; it can be a uterine stimulant. And if you have a tendency to get gallstones or bile obstructions; or have congestive heart failure, best to avoid. Because turmeric is so powerful, check with your doctor if you are taking any prescription drugs as it may interfere with the medication or the treatment.