Five spices to keep you slim
Spice up your food and your life! We've recently reported on the benefits of adding some spice to your life for health benefits, and now we found more reasons to do so. According to the magazine Må Bra, spices can actually keep you slender, and here are the ones that count.
Cook Nordic, live healthy

Mustard
One single teaspoon is all you need to increase your body’s ability to burn fat by 25 percent, according to a study from British Oxford Polytechnic Institute. And the stronger the mustard the stronger the effect, according to the scientists.

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Black pepper
Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper, and it does more than add taste to your food. Piperine also makes it easier for the body to profit from the nutrients in your food and boosts the fat burning process by 8 percent.

Cinnamon
It’s the classic Christmas spice, but you should use it all year. Cinnamon can give food a sweeter taste without having to add sugar (calories). The spice can also be used as a way to control your weight because it stabilizes your blood sugar. When you eat cinnamon, you reduce the amount of fat building insulin after the meal; you feel fuller longer and your body doesn’t store as much fat.

Chili powder
Do you know what gives chili powder its heat? It’s a component called capsaicin. Capsaicin increases fat-burning and functions as an appetite reducer—two important factors in weight loss. A meal spiced with chili powder will increase burning fat up to three hours after you take your last bite.

Ginger
Add a teaspoon of ginger to your breakfast juice and burn 43 more calories after your meal, according to a study from Columbia University.

Recipes 'to keep you slim'

Boiled turkey breast in mustard sauce
Serves 10
2 pounds turkey breast
Stock:
4 cups apple juice
2 cups chicken bouillon
2 apples cut into pieces
1-1½ Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
Sauce:
4 ounces crème fraîche (or similar)
4 ounces Dijon mustard mayonnaise
1 teaspoon turmeric

Serve with
4 ounces of fresh herbs like parsley, basil, dill, or chives

Instruction:
Bind the turkey breast to an even shape. Warm up the apple juice, bouillon, apples, salt, sugar and cloves in a pot and bring to a boil. Put in the turkey and let simmer on low heat under lid until 160° F, around 40 minutes. Let the turkey cool in the stock, then pick it up and wipe it off. Stir the crème fraîche along with the mustard mayonnaise and the turmeric. Spread the mixture on the turkey breast and drizzle the fresh herbs on top. Cut into pieces and serve. Around 229 calories per portion.

Cinnamon lamb meatballs in tomato sauce
Serves two
8 ounces minced lamb
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
2 pinches of cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
½ Tablespoon rapeseed oil (or canola)
8 ounces strained tomatoes
4 ounces water
2 pinches raw sugar
4 ounces couscous
2 Tablespoons raisins
parsley to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Instruction:
Mix the meat with egg, salt and spices. Shape into four big balls and brown them in oil about 2 minutes. Pour tomatoes, water and raw sugar on top and let boil until the balls are ready, around 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper. Make the couscous according to directions of the box, and add raisins. Remove from heat and let sit 3-5 minutes. Around 455 calories per portion.

Salmon with ginger
Serves two
2 salmon filets (5 ounces each)
salt and pepper
1½ ounces fresh cheese (any taste)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
2 Tablespoons fresh coriander (or other herb)
4 ounces couscous
1 teaspoon butter
½ red bell pepper, diced
4 ounces green peas
½ teaspoon turmeric
Serve with green salad

Instruction:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Make a cut in the salmon pieces. Salt and pepper them and put in an oven-safe pan. Mix the cheese with the finely ground peels of half a lemon, ginger and herb. Spread the mixture on top of the salmon and add lemon juice from the other half of the lemon. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Make couscous following the directions on the box. Stir in butter, bell pepper, peas and turmeric, and juice and peels from the rest of the lemon. About 455 calories per portion.
All recipes courtesy of mabra.com