Cinnamon Toast

I know what you are thinking. Pfft, a piece of toast? But really, this is awesome for breakfast, with a nice egg or better yet, a green shake! Sometimes you just want a little something sweet in the morning, but you don't want the 800 calorie stack of french toast, and you don't want to take that much time making it.

I will have to give my brother in law his due for this one. It is a preferable alternative to the cinnamon toast made with butter and sugar. This one uses olive oil and honey, with lots of cinnamon on top. The oil and honey caramelize during baking, making it so, so good! You only need one or maybe two pieces for breakfast to be satisfied.

Recently, I have been taking a course about how to use food and herbs for their medicinal benefit. There is research to support cinnamon as having properties that control blood sugar. While it will not replace an insulin pump, it is an easy thing to add to the diet for a little extra boost. I am thinking about trying other spices on this toast too, such as pumpkin pie spice, fennel, aniseseed, garam masala, cardamom, etc, all of which have healing properties of their own. Many of the spices that we may think of as sweet spices, like cinnamon, cloves, ginger are also digestive aids. If you have ever been to an Indian restaurant, you may have noticed a plate of fennel seeds on the way out the door. Fennel is a well know carminative, meaning that it releases gas. Try chewing on a teaspoon of these the next time you have indigestion. It may seem strange at first, but it works like a charm every time.

 In addition, spices are full of antioxidants that are rejuvenating to the cells. Take a look at the Spice Hunter website if you are curious about the different spices and their antioxidants.

Cinnamon Toast

1 piece of whole grain bread or homemade bread
1 teaspoon olive oil or canola oil
1-2 teaspoons honey
A few dashes of cinnamon, or other spices

Preheat the oven, or the toaster oven to about 350 degrees F. Drizzle the olive oil on the toast evenly, followed by the honey and then the cinnamon. Bake in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes. Really keep an eye on it. If you like you can also try this under the broiler, but I find that baking the bread doesn't cause the underside to get soggy like it does in the broiler.