Nutmeg is the Spice of Life & Pay it forward Giveaway.

Okay, I’m doing things a little differently today. I don’t think Heather will mind, but I guess I’ll find out.

Instead of doing a recipe for this weeks MMAZ, I’m going to talk about the benefits of the ingredient (Nutmeg) and ways to use it! So Martha of me, right? But read all the way to the end, cause you’re gonna want to enter the giveaway. And if you care less about the benefits of nutmeg, then skip to the end. Cliffnote Blog reading is allowed today.

Let’s talk Nutmeg. It’s a spice. Yes, obviously. And did you know that it has some pretty amazing benefits? All spices do in fact. But I bet you didn’t know that Nutmeg is the new oyster. What do I mean by that? Supposedly is the new aphrodisiac, ha! And it’s used as a sleep aid. So I am not sure how those two go together, but somehow they do. Ponder hat!

Jokes aside, here are some other benefits of nutmeg.

• Combined with other spices it can help calm or reduce stress.
• Used as a digestive tonic
• Can help reduce asthma
• Fights depression and anxiety
• It has anti-inflammatory effect which can help clear up skin.

Not too shabby, eh?

Oh Nutmeg.. love the smell but for the longest time I wasn’t a fan of the taste alone. It wasn’t until I started combining it with certain foods that I began to like this spice. Yes, we use it all the time in baking and in beverages, but that’s usually when you combine it with cinnamon, clove, etc. I’m talking about ways to use it ALONE!

Here are my favorite ways to use Nutmeg:

• Use it as a rub on lamb, chicken, steak, or pork. Mix it with black pepper, sea salt, oil, chili pepper, and a little honey or maple syrup. Rub on meat then roast in oven. It’s delicious. If you’re really adventurous add it to a coffee rub. And if you’re meatless, try it on roasted Eggplant, squash, or even Roasted Tofu!

Cornmeal Crusted Tofu with Chili pepper and Nutmeg. Original Recipe here.

• Roast cashews with it. Cashews have a buttery flavor, so they are perfect for this spice. Combine oil, sea salt, and nutmeg to raw cashews. Roasted evenly at 450-10 minutes or so. Shake or turn once.
• Make hummus or tahini. I like to use nutmeg and dried apple with chickpea and tahini. Blend into a sweet hummus!

• Sprinkle of top of Fruit. My favorite combos are nutmeg and grilled peaches with a little ricotta and honey. Or I sprinkle nutmeg on top of grapefruit in the morning. Really helps with the bitterness sometimes.
• And last but not least, use it as a yogurt or ice cream topping. Duh, you know that was coming, right? In fact, I ate it for breakfast the other day. Oikos frozen peach mango yogurt, a little love grown granola, and plenty of nutmeg on top. Amazing! I am in love with this frozen yogurt. Same stats as regular greek yogurt but it tastes like peaches and cream ice cream. Best of both worlds if you ask me.

Speaking of Oikos Frozen yogurt….

Let’s talk giveaway! As I mentioned in this last post, Oikos has graciously offered free frozen yogurt coupons and $25 Whole Foods Market giftcard to a Cotter Crunch Reader. I would love for one of you to not only win this giveaway, but also do something with it. Like pay it forward. Again, these are just my thoughts, but had to put it out there.

To win Free Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt Coupons and a $25 giftcard to Wholefoods, do one or more of the following”:

• Tell me how you would pay it forward if you did win. Would you? Maybe use part of the giftcard to buy someone a meal, a canned good, etc..
• Check out the other flavors of Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt. What sounds good to you?
• Tweet about it and make sure to include @stonyfield and @LCCotter in your tweet.
• Tell me one way you use Nutmeg, if you like Nutmeg.
• Go check out all the amazing MMAZ Nutmeg recipes at BetterwithVeggies.com

Open to US and CANADA residents. I’ll pick a winner by Friday the 16th.

Do you have a pay it forward story? Hope so!

Cheers,

LC

Tagged as: giveaway, meatless, MMAZ, monday, nutmeg, nutrition, recipes, stonyfield greek yogurt, whole foods market