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With some dubbing it “The New Red Wine.” 
Mention coffee, and caffeine is probably the first thing that comes to mind—the indispensable morning jolt often viewed as a guilty pleasure. But research is turning that notion on its head. Coffee, it turns out, may be the most beneficial of all our familiar beverages, and caffeine doesn’t play the leading role.

A recent Harvard report noted these coffee benefits: lower blood pressure, a slower rate of weight gain with age, and reduced risks for type 2 diabetes and heart or neurological diseases.
An NIH-sponsored study of 400,000 men and women, between the ages 50 and 71, found that those who drank three or more cups daily, caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections. Other studies have found that coffee reduces risk for various cancers, liver damage from overindulging in alcohol and food, and depression (caffeinated coffee specifically) among women.

 Why It’s good you
“Coffee is the new red wine, without the hangover,” says Bob Arnot, MD, a popular TV medical correspondent and health book author who has tested hundreds of coffees from around the world. The health-boosting ingredients are antioxidants called chlorogenic acids. The name doesn’t mean they’re acidic, in the sense of upsetting your stomach; it’s just a technical designation for a group of antioxidants in the polyphenol family of nutrients, found in all plant foods.
“These powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds are the most important health components of coffee, just as they are in the freshest fruits and vegetables, fine red wines, and premium green teas,” says Arnot. But given the way we eat, coffee is typically the top source of these nutrients in the American diet.

All coffee are not equal
In testing coffees with high-tech lab tools (think back to CSI episodes with mass spectrometers), Arnot found that levels of chlorogenic acids could be dramatically higher—by a hundred times or more—in the healthiest coffees, maximizing their therapeutic qualities. And, he identified how to get the most antioxidants in a cup of java.




The bean:
Beans grown at higher elevations, rather than on low-lying flatlands, contain more chlorogenic acids and—lucky for us—more flavor. Ethiopian, Kenyan and Costa Rica beans fall into this category, and higher-elevation beans from other areas also fit the bill. One way to identify them is by taste, and coffees, like fine wines, are reviewed and ranked by expert tasters.

The grind:
A fine grind enables more antioxidants to be extracted from the beans, because it exposes a greater surface area for water to penetrate.




Coffee Buying Tips
With a higher-elevation bean and a light roast, Arnot’s tests found that the highest antioxidants come from a fine grind brewed in these coffee makers (in order of antioxidant content):
AeroPress , Kalita , Mr. Coffee and Chemex
For a Keurig, a recyclable K-Cup pod, such as Ekobrew , can be filled with a good light roast. 

Shade grown coffees are becoming more plentiful. Shade can be induced artificially, with a plastic- wrap-style covering, to promote yield, or can be natural from indigenous trees, enhancing the ecology of an area and creating different flavors in beans. Its effect on antioxidant content has not been widely researched, but one study in Thailand found that antioxidant levels were higher with natural, rather than artificial, shade.



To boost the antioxidants in your cup of joe, look for: 

Arabica Beans: Traditionally grown at higher elevations, these typically contain more antioxidants and less caffeine than Robusta beans, which are grown on low-lying, flat, industrial plantations and used in mass-market and instant coffees.

Higher Elevations: Bean descriptions may include words like “mountain,” or “hillside.” Higher- altitude coffee likely comes from small, independent farms, supports local economies, and improves quality of life in coffee-growing regions.

Light Roast: Look for light-colored beans.




How to make a cold brew:

Iced coffee is simply hot coffee, chilled and served over ice. Cold brew never meets hot water and is gaining popularity as a more flavorful, cold black coffee drink. Recipes vary but these are the basic steps:
To avoid muddy coffee, use a very coarse grind and pure cold water. The best ratio of coffee to water depends on your personal taste. Some examples are 8 parts water to 1 part coffee, or 4 ounces of coffee to 2 cups of water.

1. In a jar or jug, add coffee and then water, and stir gently to saturate grounds evenly.
2. Let sit for 12–24 hours, in or out of the fridge. Longer is better.
3. Strain with a filter and serve chilled or over ice.

The flavor myth
Although dark roasts are believed to have richer flavor, this is a myth. “There are 1,200 flavor components in coffee,” says Arnot, and light roasting of higher-elevation beans brings these out, as sweetness, fruity flavors, hints of chocolate, and many more. “If you’re drinking dark, burnt coffee, loaded up with cream and sugar,” he adds, “Boy, do you have a treat in store.”

Pitfalls to avoid
In the United States, two out of three coffee drinkers add sugar and/or cream, but dairy reduces the beneficial effects of coffee antioxidants, and sugar adds empty calories. Coffee without milk? And a study of a supermarket-style nondairy creamer found that it reduced antioxidant absorption from coffee by 30 percent. Although Arnot recommends drinking coffee black, he points out, “he polyphenols in coffee also decrease the untoward effect of high-fat and high-sugar meals, so you should still buy a coffee with very high antioxidants.”


To adjust taste, he recommends:
If coffee is too bitter: Use a coarser grind.
If it has a sour taste: Use a finer grind.
For anyone who cannot tolerate caffeine, there’s decaf. With or without caffeine, Arnot calls light-roast, high elevation, flavorful black coffee “the healthiest new superfood we have.”


 

Coffee with coconut oil? Coffee with butter?
There’s something about the Paleo-friendly combination of coconut oil and unsalted butter that makes a cup of regular black coffee taste like a latte! It’s a tasty way to get the benefits of coconut oil, known to promote healthy cholesterol (HDL) levels and reduce “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels. Plus, butter contains zero lactose, so this is great for lactose-intolerant folks.

1 cup hot
1 Tbs. coconut oil 

1 Tbs. unsalted butter  or  ghee 
Mix it all in a blender until frothy.

Studies show that coffee, with or without caffeine, delivers maximum benefits with 4 cups daily for women and 6 cups for men.

Hope this well help.. Thanks so much for reading. :)


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Salmon Gravlax.....so pretty & delicious!

If you love fish you love salmon. This is a no salmon in the oven recipe. Here we go. :)


Serves 12 as a first course or 20 as an appetizer.
In this variation of traditional gravlax, raw grated beets and fresh horseradish are mixed together and spread on top of the salt cure. The horseradish subtly flavors the salmon and the beets penetrate the top of the flesh, coloring the surface with a ruby glow. The result is divine in looks and taste and is simply gorgeous when sliced!

    •    1/2 cup [100 g] coarse sea salt, such as La Baleine
    •    1/2 cup [100 g] firmly packed golden brown sugar
    •    One 3- to 4-lb [1.4- to 1.8-kg] salmon fish fillet, salmon with skin and pin bones removed
    •    8 oz [230 g] raw beets, peeled and grated
    •    1 cup [240 g] prepared extra-hot horseradish
    •    1/4 cup [60 ml] vodka


Finely snipped fresh chives; thinly sliced green onions, including green tops; brined capers, drained, rinsed, and blotted dry; minced shallots; and/or English cucumber, thinly sliced, for garnish
Thinly sliced pumpernickel or other bread for serving


1.    Select a rimmed baking sheet that is the same length as the salmon or nearly so. Place a wire rack that is just slightly shorter inside the baking sheet. Cover the rack with a double layer of cheesecloth, allowing enough to overhang the sides and ends of the rack to fold over and cover the fish completely.

2.    In a small bowl, stir together the salt and brown sugar. Spread half of the salt mixture on the skin side of the salmon, packing it into place. Lay the salmon, skin-side down, on the cheesecloth. Gently rub the remaining salt mixture over the flesh side of the fillet.

3.    In a medium bowl, combine the beets and horseradish and mix well. Spread the beet mixture over the top and sides of the salmon fillet. Slowly drizzle the vodka evenly over the top, being careful not to rinse off the beet-salt cure.

4.    Bring up the sides of the cheesecloth and wrap them snugly around the fish. Fold the overhanging ends toward the center. Now seal the entire fillet in a large sheet of plastic wrap. Once tightly wrapped, arrange the fillet, flesh-side up, on the rack. Rest a slightly smaller rimmed baking sheet or other flat, rimmed vessel on top of the fish. Put something that weighs about 3 lb [1.4 kg] on the top baking sheet. (I use full beer bottles set on their sides.) Place the weighted salmon in the refrigerator for at least 2 days, or up to 5 days. Flip the salmon once a day, being sure to return the weighted baking sheet to the top of the salmon after each turn.

5.    Remove the weighted baking sheet. Remove the fillet from the wrappings and scrape the cure off of the flesh side. *Skin the fillet and then cut crosswise (against the grain) into thin slices. Arrange the slices on a platter or on individual plates and garnish as desired. Serve with the pumpernickel.


*SKINNING A FILLET

Lay the salmon fillet skin-side down and with the tail facing you. With your non-dominant hand, grip the tail with a piece of paper towel, or put a little coarse salt on your fingertips to create traction. Using a sharp, flexible boning knife in your dominant hand, angle the blade toward the skin and, while continuing to grip the tail skin securely, cut along the skin as smoothly as you can. Cut all the way from the tail to the head end, keeping the skin taut. Discard the skin.



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