Currently Crushing on Cinnamon – Here's Why
My first memory of cinnamon is one of Sunday afternoons at my Gram’s house in Colorado. Growing up my parents, brother and I would go over to my grandparents house most Sunday afternoons. The house would be filled with aunts, uncles and cousins too. We always had so much fun - playing games, chatting, and boy - we laughed a lot…and there was always one of Gram’s homemade desserts.
One of my favorites were her from scratch (everything she made was from scratch) cinnamon rolls. She’d usually just baked them that morning and she always made enough to send each of our families home with a package of them to go.
Which brings me to my CURRENT CRUSH and the topic I want to share about today! I think so many herbs and spices just don’t get the props they deserve. They can be easy to overlook or discount, but once you start incorporating fresh, high-quality organic herbs and spices to your cooking you will be upping your game in a BIG way - from the depth of flavor to all of the powerful nutritional properties.
These days I appreciate cinnamon for all of its powerful nutritional benefits and I especially love it this time of year as we come into the holidays - it just feels like a warm hug to me.
And, cinnamon has a long history of health promoting, medicinal properties. The Romans, for instance, used it for lung health and digestion. And, in the 5,000 year-old healing tradition of Ayurveda, it’s known as an essential warming spice used to balance blood sugar, increase ojas (vibrancy), increase metabolic fire, strengthen teeth, protect the brain, and deal with digestive issues from gas to IBS.
A few teaspoons of cinnamon has been shown to lower blood sugar by an estimated 20-30%! - and balanced blood sugar means fewer cravings, more stable body weight, and more energy ( yes please, right?).
Cinnamon verun, or ‘true cinnamon’ is known as Ceylon cinnamon. Cassia is another common type - and all types of cinnamon come from the dried inner bark of small evergreen trees grown in places like Sri Lanka, China and the Himalayas. Cinnamon pacifies kapha and vata dosha types because of it’s hot, pungent qualities.
I know you may think of cinnamon for desserts but it works beautifully in many savory dishes too. A few ideas to get you thinking of all the possibilities: sprinkle on baked yam, gluten-free oatmeal, or coconut yogurt for breakfast…add to your next veggie curry…
or, try making these easy roasted chickpeas (great to add to salads or have on hand with some assorted nuts for nibbles):
Simple Roasted Chickpeas
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
* can also add in a dash of cayenne and or turmeric to your spice mix - get creative!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Rinse and drain chickpeas and allow to dry on paper towel
Combine salt and spices in a small bowl
Place chickpeas on baking sheet and drizzle with coconut oil. Toss to coat. Spread into single layer
Roast 30 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Allow to fully cool before storing to maintain crispness