Healing Treasure

When i made the cinnamon rolls for my friends, i forgot to add the cinnamon...

Sad, but true. So the recipe is delicious without cinnamon too. Its just more of a Date, Almond, Flax roll.

Info about the Cinna-Man is up on the alterna-blog.

On Sunday, a sweet friend came to visit in the afternoon. Wanting to make a treat in her honor, i remembered a recipe that sounded delectable from GoneRaw.com.

Cinnamon has a lot of fantastic qualities. You can read more about them at my other blog.

Here is the cooking formula from Shannonmarie (and the photos from me - some are okay, others subpar and not so delicious looking, just figured that if i was going to bother, may as well see the photos all the way through!):

"Servings: Serves 4-8

Ingredients:
1¼ cup almond meal
1¼ cup ground flaxseed
1 dash cayenne pepper
1½ tablespoon cinnamon
1 pinch sea salt
1 cup soft pitted dates
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
.125 cup olive oil
.125 cup agave nectar
¼ cup raisins, plus a little extra
¼ cup chopped nuts

Preparation:
Combine the almond meal, ground flaxseed, dash of cayenne pepper, 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon and pinch sea salt in a bowl and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, process dates, water and vanilla into a paste. Remove half of the date paste and add it to the dry ingredients, along with the olive oil and agave. Mix these ingredients with your hands until it forms a dough. You may need to add a little water and/or agave if it is too dry, but be careful not to add too much.

Spread the dough out on a piece of parchment paper, and flatten/shape it into a 1/4-inch thick square.

Add 1/4 cup raisins and 1 Tbsp. of cinnamon to the rest of the date paste left in your food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Then, spread a thin layer of the paste onto the dough square, making sure to cover the whole surface, and top with a sprinkle of extra raisins and the chopped walnuts.

Using the parchment paper to help hold everything together, carefully/tightly roll the square into a log. Chill in the refrigerator, and then slice into about 1-inch thick rounds. I usually make about 8 cinnamon rolls out of this recipe.

These cinnamon rolls can be eaten right out of the refrigerator or warmed on a dehydrator. I top mine with a generous icing of raw almond butter mixed with agave, vanilla and sea salt (or if I have more time, I make a cashew and coconut whipped cream icing, as seen in the photo). Yum-O!"

okay, i admit it...this is not my photography...or my cinnabuns...

these are Shannonmarie's

These were mine. Just as tasty but not as pretty.
They were gone shortly after this photo was taken.

Upon reaching home after a great yoga class Thursday (much gratitude to my old friend Jonathon for inspiring my attendance), i found an envelope on the bed. It was my Acres USA free sample magazine and catalog! That a request for more info had been made a month and a half ago had slipped into the recesses of my busy mind.

How exciting! I have always wanted to know the ins and outs of organic seed production and how to make organic hay! Actually, that is true...i am not always aware of the desire, but it is there.

So far, i have only skimmed the magazine. The catalog was more magnetic straight away (there are several books on biomagnetism, btw). While putting the little lion to bed titles and descriptions of green and esoteric books were poured over. (Full Disclosure: Books and their consumption are a weakness of mine. There are shelves and shelves and shelves of them in our abode. Many have been great friends.)

The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart (all about the extraordinary wrigglers that are earthworms)

How to Grow Fresh Air by Dr. B.C. Wolverton (highlights 50 plants for their abilities to provide maximum oxygen, to purify toxins, and how green your thumb has to be to grow them)

Carrots Love Tomatoes (and the 2nd edition, Roses Love Garlic) by Louise Riotte (A gossip book for the plant world. All about who likes who, who doesn't like who, and how you can harness plants social preferences to maximize your garden's yield.)

Growing 101 Herbs that Heal by Tammi Hurtung (advice on how to cultivate, care for, and harvest 101 useful and healing herbs)

The Secret Teachings of Plants by Stephan Harrod Buhner (how to become more in tune with the healing aspects of plants. Inspired by indigenous and ancient people and cultures.)

Genetic Roulette by Jeffery Smith (Investigates and shatters the claim that genetically modified foods are safe.)

Dung Beetles by Charles Walters (The compelling tale of this strange bug.)

Secrets of the Soil by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird (Highly recommended to me by a friend. Discusses creative techniques being used to practice non-toxic agriculture.)

(Banana Shark courtesy of the silly people here)

Here is how we are growing these next few days:

There will be a whole lot of sprouting going on (at least that's what i hope).

I am a great lover of the sprouted persuasion. Alfalfa, clover, broccoli, sunflower, fenugreek, radish, lentil, you name 'um, i dig 'um (admittedly, i pass on onion sprouts).

There has been great luck at our house in consuming them and much less luck at...well...sprouting them.

That is all going to change in the next few days.

The Sprout People have been consulted, as well as some new friends. We have got our equipment, and most importantly, our sprouts of tomorrow...let me introduce you to them.

Health Benefits of Sprouts
by Steve Meyerowitz
Sprouts have long been famous as "health food" but recent research shows that in addition to being a superb source of nutrients, they also have important curative ability. Sprouts like alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover and soybean contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals (plant compounds) that can protect us against disease.
Studies on canavanine, an amino acid analog in alfalfa, has demonstrated
benefit for pancreatic, colon and leukemia cancers. Plant estrogens are also
abundant in sprouts. They increase bone formation and density and prevent bone
breakdown or osteoporosis. They are also helpful in controlling hot flashes,
menopause, PMS and fibrocystic breasts tumors.
Alfalfa sprouts are one of our finest food sources of another compound, saponins. Saponins lower the bad cholesterol and fat but not the good HDL fats. Animal studies prove their benefit in arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Saponins also stimulate the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells such as T-lymphocytes and interferon. The saponin content of alfalfa sprouts multiplies
450% over that of the unsprouted seed.
Sprouts also contain an abundance of highly active antioxidants that prevent DNA destruction and protect us from the ongoing effects of aging. It wouldn't be inconceivable to find a fountain of youth here, after all, sprouts represent the miracle of birth.