Cayenne Spiked Sherry

Tis the season for sherry lads and lasses.

Tis also the season when those of us living in colder areas of the world need some extra circulation.. Which all together means – I want you to meet our cayenne spiked sherry that we invented the other day.

This year, my mom and I tried out making cayenne tincture. For externally uses. I figured out not too long after we opened the first bottle of cayenne tincture, that this was in essence, the same as the trendy chilli vodka that all the cool kids are drinking (or daring each other to drink). Just maybe a little bit stronger. In terms of the cayenne, not the vodka.

We stumbled on this fiery sherry & cayenne tincture combination one evening, and I immediately knew that it must get onto the blog at some point. And with Christmas only 3 days away, I think today is the day.

How to Make Cayenne Spiked Sherry

To make this drink you will need a sherry of your choice – sweet or dry, either works fine, and of course cayenne tincture. All you then need to do, is pour a small glass of sherry, and a small teaspoon of cayenne tincture to this.

If you are wary of the heat of the cayennes, then rather do a half teaspoon, taste, and increase if you like. If left to steep for long enough, cayenne tincture can be incredibly hot. Of course, you can also increase the cayenne vodka amount – if you have a fire tooth and are looking for a serious bit of heat.

Speaking of heat, there is another option to try with this recipe. If the weather is really cold, and you want to try out a gluhwein version, simple warm up the sherry in a small saucepan, then pour into glasses and add the cayenne vodka. Just make sure that when you are heating the sherry that you do not let it begin to simmer. If this happens, some of the alcohol will evaporate! Boooo : (.

Cayenne Spiked Sherry Recipe

Health Benefits of Cayenne Tincture Taken Internally

Oh no! Is she honestly going to tell us this is a health drink??? Yes. : )

Well, I am not sure about the sherry. But I cannot leave you with the recipe before letting you know about the health benefits of this cayenne tincture. We originally made it as medicine, and even though it ended up in the sherry, that does not mean that I can skip telling you about its benefits. : )

Cayenne tincture happens to be a potent bringer of the health benefits that cayenne contains. Here is a quick list of them in case you were wondering what these may be:

Studies have shown cayenne to have the following actions:

Promotes circulation
Assists digestion
Promotes weight loss
Speeds up the metabolism
Effective decongestant
Immune booster
Fights colds and flus
Anti-fungal
Promotes heart health
Promotes detoxification
Anti-irritant
Pain relieving

Many people make and take cayenne tincture (between 5 and 30 drops 3 times per day in water) daily, in order to reap these health benefits. Of course, you can simply eat lots of cayenne as well. However drinking the tincture in water (or sherry if your heart desires – like me) is a very convenient way to get it in.

On an anecdotal note, we have found the tincture to be the absolute BOMB when it comes to nipping flu’s and sore throats in the bud. The cayenne seems literally burns away the germs.

So now that I have convinced everybody of how important it is to drink this as often as possible, hopefully in sherry, I want to make a toast to you where ever you are. This will probably be my last post until after Xmas, as even bloggers need a break: D. I hope you have a absolutely lovely Christmas, many festive greetings of the season to you!

Cayenne Spiked Sherry Recipe

Cayenne Spiked Sherry

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: 3 mintues Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients

2 small glasses worth of sweet or dry sherry
2 teaspoons of cayenne tincture (or to taste)

Instructions

Pour out sherry into two small glasses.
Add half a teaspoon of cayenne tincture. Taste, and add the rest of the teaspoonful per glass is desired.
Sip slowly, preferably by a roaring fire.

Notes

For a gluhwein version, warm up the sherry in small saucepan. Take care not to let it get too hot, as this will evaporate off some of the alcohol present in the sherry. Faint steaming is an indication that you can turn off the heat. Then add the tincture and enjoy.

December 22, 2017 0 comment

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Red Lentil Porridge Protein Breakfast (V)

written by Daniela Klein

If you eat a minimal amount of meat and animal products, then it can be tricky trying to work protein into meals like breakfast. Most breakfast foods like oats, other cereals, fruit and toast do not contain much protein.

But did you know that red lentils can be cooked up as a breakfast porridge? Well, they can, and they taste good too. A little odd if you are used to eating regular oats porridge for breakfast – but pretty good once you adjust. And dates, maple syrup, coconut oil and cinnamon go a long way to making this porridge into a tasty breakfast.

Why Use Red Lentils as a Breakfast Porridge?

Red lentils have a less savory flavor than their green, and brown counterparts. This makes red lentils more suitable for cooking up into breakfast porridge.

Also, red lentils cook faster than green or brown lentils , at an average of 5-7 minutes. This is perfect for on-the-go breakfasts.

Besides being of a suitable flavor for a breakfast food, and quick and easy to cook, red lentils are also nutritional speaking an almost perfect breakfast option.

So before we go to the recipe, let’s quickly take a look at the nutritional profile of lentils, and why this makes them a great food to eat as breakfast.

Red Lentil Porridge Protein Breakfast (V) Recipe

Health Benefits of Red Lentils

Red lentils contain the following nutritional elements:

Good Levels of Protein

For a plant based food, red lentils contain attractive levels of protein. One cup yields about 18 grams of protein. This is only about a third of an average person’s daily requirement, but seeing as you still have two more meals to get in more protein during the day – a cup of red lentils for breakfast would put you right on target.

High Amounts of Fibre

Red lentils also contain impressive amounts of fibre, at 15 grams per 1 cup serving. This is just under half the total daily fibre requirements for the average person. This high amount of fibre also means that starches in the lentils are absorbed at a retarded rate, and the energy released from red lentils is slow and steady over an extended period of time after eating. Perfect in a breakfast food!

Lots of B Vitamins

Red lentils contain outstanding amounts of B vitamins. In the case of vitamin B9 (folate), one cup of red lentils provides almost 90% of the average person’s daily needs. For people who follow a low or no meat diet, B vitamins are a set of nutrients which can be in shortage in the diet.

A Low GI Index

Due to the high fibre content of red lentils, they have a GI index reading of 21. This is very low, which is a good thing because that it means that the they will not spike your blood sugar levels, and the starches that they contain will be taken up by the body very slowly. Which will give you a long steady source of energy.

Iron Rich

Iron is another nutrient which can sometimes be in short supply in a diet which does not contain much meat. Even people on high meat diets can sometimes be iron deficient. Due to menstruation, women need more iron that men, and many have issues consuming enough iron.

Red lentils contain 6,6 mg of iron per cup. This is enough to provide about 80 percent of a man’s daily requirement and 32 percent of a woman’s daily requirement.

Unlock the Iron in Lentils by Soaking

If you wish to maximise the availability of the iron in your red lentils, soak them before cooking, in warm water. You can soak them overnight, or for a couple hours.

Lentils contain an iron inhibitor called phytic acid which can reduce the amount of iron available to the body. Soaking lentils before cooking leaches out much of the phytic acid.

As you can see, all of these nutritional aspects make red lentils an ideal breakfast food, especially if you need something that will keep you going for the whole morning.

So, ready to make some red lentil porridge? : )

Red Lentil Porridge Protein Breakfast (V) Recipe