Healthy Black Seed Granola


I was getting ready to make my granola and low and behold a thought came to me.  I remembered that I had some black seed and honey in the cabinet that was very thick.  Black seed tends to swell after you mix it with the honey and this last batch I put way too much black seeds in this very expensive raw honey.


So bells and chimes went off in my head and sure enough, I created a new recipe to share with you guys.  It is healthy and delicious and it takes just a bit of time to create.  Why pay for expensive granola in the store when you can make fresh right in your kitchen.

This recipe will show you have to mix the black seed and honey together for this recipe alone.  I always suggest you have a jar of blackseed honey in your cabinet to take daily.  It is very delicious.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 kilo oatmeal (500 grams) 
  • 1/3 cup virgin olive oil or substitute (do not use extra virgin olive oil as it becomes toxic at 320 degrees)
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup black seeds, ground and preheated (black seeds need to be heated to take out the tart taste which will irritate your stomach)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts ( I used almonds, walnuts, pistashios and some coconut for flavor)

Directions:
  1. Put all of this is a large baking pan and stir together.  Make sure each grain of oatmeal is wet with the liquids and if needed add in a bit of water.
  2. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Stir the granola a few times and watch carefully to see if it doesn't burn.
  3. The granola needs to be crunchy, so cook longer if necessary.

After the granola is done, remove from the oven to cool in the open air for several hours.  You then want to put it in a tightly closed container and store in your cabinet.  Do not put it in the refrigerator.  Walah, you have made your self a very healthy treat.

Note: You can add some diced dates, dried almonds or cranberries for more flavor.

OJ Slushie with Black Seed Oil

If you are feeling kind of sluggish and have little or no energy, then a daily dose of black seed oil is just what the doctor ordered.  Please do not take all those pharmaceutical meds on the market that will make you nervous, jittery and maybe even dead !  Make this simple oj slushie and you will feel great.

I squeezed the juice of 6 oranges and used two of them to make an Orange Julius, using almond milk, bananas, vanilla, honey and the oj juice. and then I froze the remaining juice for later.  As you may know, freshly squeezed oj or any juice will lose most of its vitamins and nutrition after 4 hours, so you need to either drink the juice or freeze it.

After a few hours, before it has become hard and frozen, remove it from the freezer and pound it to loosen up the frozen bits.  Pour the slightly frozen oj in a large glass or jar and wait for it to get slightly slushie.  Add in one teaspoon of the black seed oil and mix.  Get a large spoon and eat your nutritional slushie with no sugar or honey added.

The best way to be energized is 1/2 half hour before breakfast and no you do not need to use the slushie.  You can get the same effect or even better with fresh orange juice.

Health Benefits of Black Cumin and Nigella Sativa

One of the most under rated herbs in the Arabic culture, is Nigella Sativa (also knows as black cumin, black seed, habba barakah, and kalonji). Prophet Mohammad said to use this seed often, as it was a cure for all diseases, except death. Many feel as it was the practice of the prophet to mix the blessed seed with honey.  So the sunnah (way of the prophet) was to place both honey and ground black seed in the right hand and licking the mixture with the tongue.

There are literally hundreds of cures and treatments, using Nigella Sativa, from treating migraines to healing Cancer and you will find a number of sites, that give you dosage requirements. The trick is finding the proper information and the proper dosage and being well. Taking more does not speed the healing. The seeds were found in King Tut's tomb, thus proving that the seeds have been used for thousands of years and that past royalty revered them.

Elephants are fed the seeds for indigestion. The seeds have over 100 nutrients and include a huge amount of vitamins, such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. They will increase your energy, get rid of a vaginal infection and help with high blood pressure. The proper dosage for black seed is one teaspoon of oil, mixed with one teaspoon of honey, one hour before your breakfast. The ground seeds can be mixed with honey and eaten at any time of the day. The seeds must be heated for proper use.

Here is a simple list of some of the cures.

Cancer: Take one teaspoon of the oil mixed with one teaspoon of honey, one hour before eating breakfast, in the afternoon and before sleeping. Take 4-5 cloves of garlic per day or you can mix 1 teaspoon of garlic powder with honey.

Migraines: Rub some of the oil on the temples, around the hair line, a few drops in the nose and even on top of the head if your head is pounding. Do this 3 times a day. Also, take one teaspoon of the oil mixed with honey or juice once a day.

Urinary track infections: Simply take either the oil once a day or one teaspoon of the powder each day and by the second day, the infection should be cleared up.

Worm infestations: Heat 2 teaspoons of the ground seeds in some white vinegar and brush this on your stomach before sleeping. Also, eat 7 dates before sleeping to get rid of ascaris.

How to heat the seeds:

I suggest taking a small amount at first until you are perfect at the procedure as you don't want to ruin a batch. Place them in a skillet on low heat and stir often, as they will burn. Keep tasting them, until the bitterness and hotness is gone. 

Let them cool and then put them in a coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. It is not necessary to grind them all, just what you will be using for the next few weeks.