The Newsy Neighbbour Magazine
August Issue 118
Article Provided By: Kathryn Hartwell
I LOVE cayenne pepper! Cayenne pepper is hot, hot, hot! But it is also magic; a
magic powder in which to make a magic potion. Did you know cayenne pepper has
numerous and effective benefits? It's used to help digestion, including healing
an upset stomach, slow
intestinal gas, stop stomach pain,
cure diarrhea and as a natural remedy for cramps. Many of us use cayenne pepper to add a little spice to our life, but
did you know that it has the power to change your health? It has been used for
both food and medicine for the last 9,000 years! Cayenne pepper can stimulate
your body’s circulation and reduce
acidity; it’s a powerful, spicy
little pepper that offers many health benefits. It has the power to
relieve a toothache, seasickness, alcoholism, malaria, and fever;
it’s also used to help people who have difficulty swallowing. And there is more,
the fruit of the capsicum plant contains a chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin
is being studied to test its ability to reduce pain sensations when applied to
the skin, and research indicates that it would be effective as a remedy for
headaches (including migraines), potential cure for osteoarthritis, shingles and fibromyalgia. This
little pepper contains vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E,
potassium, manganese and flavonoids – which provides its powerful antioxidant
properties. It is stimulating to the circulatory system, which can help keep
blood pressure and cholesterol levels low. Cayenne is an overall stimulant. It
encourages the cells to work more efficiently. This not only improves blood
circulation but also improves lymphatic health as well. Holy cayenne!
A few years ago,
I heard about a lemon water, honey, and cayenne diet, it was hugely popular
with celebrities at the time as a weight-loss “detox.” The diet consisted of lemon
water sweetened with honey (I used maple syrup) and cayenne pepper. To detox,
you were to drink this alone for 10 days, I did not last that long (about 2
days). The diet naturally led to rapid weight loss, if you lasted for 10 days! No
kidding! I still drink a lot of lemon water and just recently started adding
cayenne to it and I feel great. Both lemon and cayenne have powerful active ingredients. Lemon contains around eight percent
citric acid, which aids in smooth digestion, helps dissolve kidney stones and
helps to alkalize the body.
Cayenne’s health punch comes with the
aid of capsaicin, which has received considerable attention in the scientific
world. Research continues to reveal more wonders of this antioxidant every
year. Together they help to stimulate the liver
and with the right balance of nutrients to detox from harmful substances, such
as sugar and alcohol. It also stimulates the digestive system and intestines. Now,
if you’re not the lemon and cayenne pepper kind of person, why not try just
adding it to your recipes? Since I have discovered how amazingly healthy it is
for you I find myself adding it to a lot of the things I cook. I put it in my
gravies, vegetables, soups, chili (of course) and stir-fry’s. I did find some very
good recipes so you too can start enjoying the wonderful health benefits of
eating cayenne.
I tried to find
unusual and different types of techniques for using your new-found potion and
this is what I found.
WELSH
RAREBIT
Cheese on toast (not very original), but my husband
made this for me a few years back and I was pleasantly surprized at how delicious
it was.
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
½ Can strong, dark beer
1 free-range egg
yolk
1 tsp dry mustard
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Melt
the butter in a non-stick saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over a low heat
for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Slowly add the beer. Simmer for 2-3
minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the
cheese, egg yolk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper. Cook until
the cheese melts, stirring constantly. Season with freshly ground black pepper
and set aside to cool. Place the bread on a baking tray lined with aluminium
foil and toast on each side until golden-brown. Spread the cheese sauce thickly
over the bread, making sure the slices are completely covered so the edges
don’t burn. Return to the oven until lightly browned and bubbling.
GAMBERONES FRITTI
A tasty way
to make prawns or shrimp.
4 tbsp
chickpea or plain
flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
Mix the
flour, salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Dredge the prawns in the flour
mixture to coat.
Heat the oil
in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the prawns for 4-5 minutes, or until
they have turned pink. Garnish with the lime halves.
CHEESE STRAWS
Flaky, buttery cheese straws are a party hit with kids and grown-ups.
Crank up the mustard and pepper if you want more zing.
1 ¾ cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Sift the
flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter
until all the lumps are gone and the texture is like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in
the cheese, mustard powder, cayenne, and egg yolks. Add 4-5 tablespoons of cold
water and mix to a firm dough, add more flour if required. Wrap in cling film
and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a
baking sheet with baking parchment. Roll out the dough to a square, about the
same thickness as a pie crust. Cut into ½ in strips. Transfer carefully onto
the lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp, then leave to
cool on the tray.
Last but not
least, a healthy cocktail – who would have known!
BANDERA
A little
history of this unusual cocktail. It is named after the Mexican Flag, which is
green, white and red. And it’s by the colours
you line up a Bandera. The green, representing the independence movement,
becomes the limes; the white, representing the purity of the catholic faith,
becomes the tequila; and the red, representing the blood of the national heroes,
becomes the Sangria.
First make
the sangria:
1 cup tomato juice
¾ cup Orange juice
3 oz
fresh lime
juice
2 level
teaspoons of cayenne
pepper
To make:
2 oz Sangria
2 oz Blanco Tequila
2 oz lime juice
For the
sangria, pour all the sangria ingredients into a jug and mix well. Next comes
the fun part.
To serve,
pour each of the three drinks into a shot glass. 1 – the sangria, 2 – the
tequila and 3 – the lime. Then line up the three glasses. Sip from each glass
in turn - first the lime, then the tequila, and finally the sangria.
Interesting!! Can’t wait to try this.
There you
have it! Another way to spice up your life and make it healthier all at the
same time.
Kathryn
Hartwell
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