Back in the day I wrote to you about spices and I’m going to write more about cinnamon this time!

Benefits: controls blood sugar, prevents candida, protects against stomach bugs and flu, prevents  IBS, anti- bacterial, prevents salmonella, prevents gum problem and helps in  lowering cholesterol.

Nutrition: fibre, calcium, iron and magnesium and only 60 calories per 1 oz!

I did it short this time. Do you know why? Because sometimes, when something is so good you don’t have to sell it; it does it for you.

Cinnamon is like a Rolls-Royce: when you’re so good you don’t need commercials.  You just keep rolling like a star…

So you want some recipes?

Ok…fine… but only because I like you so much!

Easy Cinnamon roll 

·         I don’t support eating yeast but if you’re going to eat a cinnamon roll you might as well make it yourself so that it won’t be as bad as the store-bought one.

Ingredients:

·         1 pack instant yeast

·         1 cup your choice of milk

·         ¼ cup coconut oil

·         3 cup oat flour (you put 3 cups oat in a blender and blend it until it look like flour)

·         1 tbsp cinnamon

·         ¼ cup stevia + 1 tbsp. stevia

Direction:

1. In a large sauce pan milk and 3 tbsp.coconut oil until warm and melted, never reaching boiling. Remove from heat and let cool. It should be warm but not too hot or it will kill the yeast.
2. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on yeast. Let activate for 10 minutes, then add 1 tbsp. stevia and stir.
3. Next add in flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. The dough will be sticky. When it is too thick to stir, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so until it forms a loose ball. Rinse your mixing bowl out, coat it with canola or grape seed oil, and add your dough ball back in. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush with 3 tbsp. melted coconut oil and top with 1/4 cup stevia and 1/2 - 1 tbsp. cinnamon.
5. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. Then with a serrated knife or a string of floss, cut the dough into 1.5 - 2 inch sections and position in a well-buttered 8x8 square or comparable sized round pan (you should have about 10 rolls). Brush with remaining 2 tbsp. coconut oil (melted) and cover with plastic wrap. Set on top of the oven to let rise again while you preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve immediately.
7. Optional: Frost with non-fat cream cheese frosting or a simple mixture of powdered stevia and milk.

 Cider- glazed root veggies with cinnamon:

Ingredients:

• assorted root vegetables, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter/ coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before cutting into 1-inch pieces. Whisk cider, stevia and pepper Add root vegetables and toss to coat. Cover the baking dish with foil.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir the vegetables. Continue cooking, uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are glazed and tender, about 1 hour more.
4. Meanwhile, place walnuts in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add butter and cinnamon. Stir until the butter melts and the nuts are coated. Spread out on a plate to cool slightly.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cinnamon walnuts.

Cinnamon – pecan wafer:

Ingredients:

• ½  cup unsalted butter/coconut oil
• ¾  cup stevia
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups oat flour (you know how to do it)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Direction:

1. Beat butter, 1/2 cup stevia in a mixing bowl with mixer until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and add to the butter mixture. Stir in pecans.
2. Divide the dough in half and use lightly floured hands to shape each portion into a 6-inch round log. Wrap each log in wax paper and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F.
4. Unwrap the dough and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon on a shallow plate. Roll the logs in the sugar mixture, then slice each into 24 (1/4-inch-thick) cookies. Place the cookies about 2 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
5. Bake, one batch at a time, until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Cinnamon Granola:

Ingredients:

·           6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

·           1 cup chopped almonds

·           1 cup chopped walnuts

·           1/2 cup maple syrup

·           6 tablespoons grape-seed oil

·           1/4 cup honey

·           1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·           1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction:

1.       Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a pan with large baking sheet.

2.       Combine oats, almonds and walnuts in a large bowl. Whisk maple syrup, oil, honey, cinnamon and vanilla in a medium bowl until blended. Pour over the oat mixture and toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.

3.       Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly and evenly browned and starting to dry out, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely in the pan before serving or storing.

Apple – Cinnamon Oat:

Ingredients:

• 4 crisp apples, such as Jazz or Pink Lady, divided
• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons stevia
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

Direction:

1. Shred 2 apples using the large holes of a box grater, leaving the core behind.
2. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oats and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add water and the shredded apples; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, chop the remaining 2 apples.
4. After the oats have cooked for 10 minutes, stir in the chopped apples, 2 tablespoons stevia and cinnamon; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the oatmeal is quite thick, 15 to 20 minutes more. Divide the oatmeal among 4 bowls. Top each portion with 2 tablespoons yogurt and 3/4 teaspoon stevia.

And that’s it my lovelies!

Don’t forget to go check my instagram account for more recipes and daily motivation

@danagatfit

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014