Moroccan cooking

Moroccan cooking

A history of Morocco is incomplete with the inclusion if the Berber people. They are the indigenous people of North Africa whose homeland includes the Kingdom of Morocco. Even during the Byzantine Empire, the Berber people remained mostly independent from rule in large part due to the fact that many of them inhabited the area in and around the Atlas Mountains, which separate the Atlantic Coast of Morocco with the Sahara Desert. You can see a bit of what the Berber people are like as well as hear some traditional music in the video below!

However, the story of Morocco actually begins with the demise of the Berber way of life. Although these particular Berber clans were Muslim, they didn’t follow it too seriously at times and retained their traditional Berber customs. This changed in the 11th century, because of a man named Abdallah ibn Yasin. Yasin was a strict follower of Islam. He became a preacher who aimed to change the Berbers into proper fundamentalist Muslims. The tribes of Western Sahara joined him, and he led them on a jihad through Northern Africa and even into parts of Spain and Portugal.
This rule continued through various dynasties throughout the next few centuries until the early 1900′s, when French and Spanish were granted protectorate status by the Treaty of Fez in 1912. Their reign over much of Morocco would include exploitation of many of the countries natural resources, as well as many human rights violations. The French did everything in their power to insure that Morocco could not gain independence, including exiling a popular leader and replacing him with what the Moroccan people perceived to be a puppet. This lead to a Moroccan uprising in 1955 and Morocco eventually gaining it’s independence on August 20, 1956.
It is interesting to know that Morocco was the first Nation to recognize the United States as an independent nation in 1777. Another interesting bit of trivia is that the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship is the longest unbroken treaty in U.S. history..
Morocco remains the only African state not to Be a member of the African Union, mostly due to disputes over Western Sahara (an area which it claims but has been disputed). The UN has not recognized Western Sahara as an independent nation, and several military conflicts have happened in recent history.
I could go on for ages…bu we are here to cook as well!
The Recipe: Lamb Tajine with Couscous (Serves 4-5)
TajineToday we are going to cook what I would consider the most popular of Moroccan dishes, the Tajine. Historically a Berber dish, we will also keep it as authentic as possible by serving it with Couscous. The Tajine is a dish named after the pot in which it is cooked. However if you are not as lucky as us to own a Tajine, it is acceptable to use other forms of cookware to make this dish, such as a casserole dish, a crock-pot or a Dutch oven. this recipe, like many Moroccan dishes, is full of spices, which are used extensively in Moroccan cooking. This is a take on a traditional lamb tajine, but it should be noted that there are literally thousands of ways you can modify this dish to your liking.
Ingredients:
  • 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) lamb shoulder, well trimmed and cut into 4cm (1 ½ in) chunks
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 2.5cm (1 in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 3 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 to 4 tomatoes (chopped)
  • 2 Medium Carrots (chopped)
  • 400g Sweet Potatoes (chopped) [equal to amount of carrots]
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 6 tbsp oil
Spice Mix:
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp black pepper
Couscous:
  • 400g of couscous (about 2 cups)
  • 500ml of water (about 2  cups)
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp butter or margarine (we used olive spread)
Topping
  • 1/2 cup (50g) Slivered Almonds
  • 1/2 cup fresh coriander (chopped)
Method: (About 2 – 2 1/2 Hours)
The most important thing with this dish is to do all of your preparation before you start cooking. This will make it much easier to do things on time and in order.
So first, start by mixing all of your spices in a bowl. you want to measure them out and then blend the mix well.
Spice Mix - Tajine
Spice Mix
Next you want to put the onions, garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse until they are minced. (if you don’t have a food processor you can do this with a knife) Pour that mixture into a bowl and then puree the tomatoes in the processor. (again you can just chop them finely or just use 600ml of tomato juice instead).
Now its time to chop the carrots and sweet potatoes. (If you can find the small sweet potatoes it is easier to chop to a similar size as the carrots).
Carots and Sweet Potatoes
Carots and Sweet Potatoes
Separate half of the spice mix onto a plate, and then coat the lamb in the spices. Retain the other half of the spice mix for later in the process.
IMG_1732
Now its time to start cooking. Preheat the oven to about 160 C / 325 F (with your tajine/pot inside the oven) and then heat half the oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is heated, brown the lamb pieces in the oil. Add in the onion/garlic/ginger mixture to the pan and then add the rest of the oil. Fry this mixture until the onions are clear and about to turn golden brown. Stir in the remaining spice mix and cook for about 1 more minute. lastly add the honey and stir it through the mixture.
By this time the oven should be pre-heated. Add the carrots and sweet potatoes to the bottom of the tajine and then cover with the lamb/onion mix from the frying pan. Last add the tomato puree to the mix and stir gently. (if you want a more saucy mixture in the end, consider adding about 400-600 ml of stock to this mixture).
Place in the middle of the oven and cover….cook this for about 1 hour before stirring the 1st time.
After the first stir cook for about 30-40 minutes longer.
After the first 1 hour and 20 minutes, you can start to prepare the couscous and the toppings. First put the chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil. While this is happening chop up the dried apricots and the parsley. After the stock starts to boil remove from heat and immediately add the couscous and the dried apricots and stir quickly to mix. Then immediately after cover the pot with a lid and let sit for about 3 minutes.
While this is sitting, you can pull the tajine out of the oven and sit on the counter top to rest for a few minutes. Spread out the almonds on a baking sheet and then place in the already heated oven. (you can turn it up to 200C if you want them to toast faster). They will need to toast in the oven for about 4-6 minutes or until golden brown.
Toasting Almonds
After the couscous has sat for about 3 minutes (the liquid should be absorbed), put it back on low heat. Put the tablespoon of butter on the couscous, and using a fork, gently rake the couscous to separate it. Once this is done, you can go ahead and plate a bed of couscous.
Bed of Couscous
At this time your almonds should be about done. Pull them out of the oven and then go ahead and serve the lamb tajine over the bed of couscous. Top this with the toasted almonds and fresh coriander and you are ready to serve!
IMG_1778
Further Information:
If you are interested in learning more about the Berber people or the history of the Kingdom of Morocco, there is a great series produced by the BBC called Kingdoms of Africa, which has an episode on Morocco and The Berber People. You can view the entire episode below!

Notes and Credits:
Sara and I have been making this recipe ever since we started dating seriously, (and I assume she has been making it much longer than that). We don’t necessarily do it the same way each time, sometimes adding more vegetables, making it more like a stew or including different meat and spices. The important thing that we have found is the method of slow-cooking in our tajine.

Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine - A BBC Original

Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine - A BBC Original
Veggies make me happy.

You need to make this. Right now.
Ok, it’s 10:30 at night, so maybe not tonight, but you need to make it soon.
Will you please make it for me? I’m so very tired of eating in restaurants. I just want a homemade salad, or a happy pot of vegan stew, something with veggies that aren’t covered in butter.
Right now I’m entering my 4th night in a row of less than 5 hours of sleep, my goal tomorrow is to not have to utter the words “Dear lord, fill my coffee cup again, I might die.” Wish me luck.
OK, because I want to get to blissful sleep, here is my current favourite stew recipe:
And! For those of you who are leery of the word "vegan" or "vegetarian", please don't be alarmed, this recipe is beyond awesome and there is nothing tofu-esque about it. You won't even miss the meat! (Ok, I know that's a standard line, and usually I respond "I'll have a side of bacon with that", but take my word, my bacon-loving word.)
Don't turnip your nose at these veggies. (...groan)

Vegan Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine (That only happens to be vegan by chance)A BBC OriginalServes 6-8 if served with couscous or quinoa (makes lots of lunches)

Ingredients:
  • 2 lemons, sliced (peel and all)
  • 2-3 tbs Ras El Hanout (Moroccan Spice Blend) – If you can’t find it, you can make it from this recipe
  • Hot Chili Powder (Or regular chilli powder and some cayenne)
  • Olive Oil
  • 3 regular-sized cooking onions, sliced into half lengths
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 very large sweet potato (or two regular sized ones, think lots!)
  • 4 small turnips (the little red ones, if you can’t find these, you can use a regular turnip, or add more parsnips, or whatever your favourite root veggie is) 
  • 3 parsnips
  • 5 carrots
  • 1 red pepper
  • **note – chop all of your veggies into a medium dice, whatever you’re comfortable with and like, just make sure they’re all roughly the same size.
  • 1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (in olive oil)
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  • Water (to cover)
  • 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 1 can of chickpeas (optional protein)
  • Mint and cilantro to serve
  • Couscous (for the side)


This recipe makes enough for a ton of meals, so prepare for freezing by buying containers when you do your groceries. Your lunches will thank me.
Basically the key to this is to prep all of your veggies before-hand. Get everything chopped and set aside so that you can make the stew.
Start by heating a large pot (the biggest one you have probably) and adding some olive oil to heat up, then add your spice blend and chilli powder and mix with the oil until it starts to smell (probably less than 30 seconds if your pan and oil are hot).  Mix the onions in with the spicy oil and sweat until soft (About 4-5 minutes).
Next, add your garlic and tomato paste and stir and bash everything around with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds (until the tomato paste gets a little darker and everything is combined). This little step takes the bitterness out of your tomato paste!
Next, add your lemons and all of the remaining veggies and work hard to make sure they’re all coated with the yummy onions and spice. Give them a few minutes to take on a bit of the heat, and then add the sun-dried tomatoes, can of tomatoes and apricots, top the mix up with water until everything is covered (But not swimming like a soup, just covered, you can always add more liquid later if you need to).Bring it up to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of your veggie chunks). Check them for doneness near the end so that you don’t get mush or break a tooth.
The almonds and chickpeas can be added when the stew is juuuuuust about cooked (estimate 5 minutes or so from going on the plate). At this point you should taste it to see if it needs salt and pepper (most likely it needs a whack of salt, hit it hard, there are a lot of starchy, yummy things in there).
Fresh herbs make all of the difference. If you added these, plus some green onions to plain yogurt, it would make a nice addition to the stew (if you like that sorta thing)
If you’re serving it straight away, you can add a mix of chopped mint and cilantro to the top (parsley is good too here). If you’re freezing, you can stir it in, but the greens will turn dark in the freezer. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad and they won’t ruin the taste (quite the opposite actually); so, have no fear, pop them in there and enjoy a delicious, albeit, slightly uglier lunch.
This stew with some quinoa or couscous is the perfect winter meal (in my opinion); so warm and comforting, it makes the snow cap on my heart melt a little. You can make a batch of quinoa up at the beginning of the week and keep it in a jar. Just simply scoop some out when you want/need it and heat it up with your lunch. If you have a kettle at work, you can make couscous in a container in less than 5 minutes (fresh, hot and fluffy!).  
Hope you enjoy it, I’m jealous .
Much love,
-BBC


P.S. At a dinner party, you could serve this with roast lamb, couscous and flatbreads. It's great if there are vegetarians coming too, because it's a meal on it's own.

Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine - A BBC Original

Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine - A BBC Original
Veggies make me happy.

You need to make this. Right now.
Ok, it’s 10:30 at night, so maybe not tonight, but you need to make it soon.
Will you please make it for me? I’m so very tired of eating in restaurants. I just want a homemade salad, or a happy pot of vegan stew, something with veggies that aren’t covered in butter.
Right now I’m entering my 4th night in a row of less than 5 hours of sleep, my goal tomorrow is to not have to utter the words “Dear lord, fill my coffee cup again, I might die.” Wish me luck.
OK, because I want to get to blissful sleep, here is my current favourite stew recipe:
And! For those of you who are leery of the word "vegan" or "vegetarian", please don't be alarmed, this recipe is beyond awesome and there is nothing tofu-esque about it. You won't even miss the meat! (Ok, I know that's a standard line, and usually I respond "I'll have a side of bacon with that", but take my word, my bacon-loving word.)
Don't turnip your nose at these veggies. (...groan)

Vegan Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine (That only happens to be vegan by chance)A BBC OriginalServes 6-8 if served with couscous or quinoa (makes lots of lunches)

Ingredients:
  • 2 lemons, sliced (peel and all)
  • 2-3 tbs Ras El Hanout (Moroccan Spice Blend) – If you can’t find it, you can make it from this recipe
  • Hot Chili Powder (Or regular chilli powder and some cayenne)
  • Olive Oil
  • 3 regular-sized cooking onions, sliced into half lengths
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 very large sweet potato (or two regular sized ones, think lots!)
  • 4 small turnips (the little red ones, if you can’t find these, you can use a regular turnip, or add more parsnips, or whatever your favourite root veggie is) 
  • 3 parsnips
  • 5 carrots
  • 1 red pepper
  • **note – chop all of your veggies into a medium dice, whatever you’re comfortable with and like, just make sure they’re all roughly the same size.
  • 1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (in olive oil)
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  • Water (to cover)
  • 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 1 can of chickpeas (optional protein)
  • Mint and cilantro to serve
  • Couscous (for the side)


This recipe makes enough for a ton of meals, so prepare for freezing by buying containers when you do your groceries. Your lunches will thank me.
Basically the key to this is to prep all of your veggies before-hand. Get everything chopped and set aside so that you can make the stew.
Start by heating a large pot (the biggest one you have probably) and adding some olive oil to heat up, then add your spice blend and chilli powder and mix with the oil until it starts to smell (probably less than 30 seconds if your pan and oil are hot).  Mix the onions in with the spicy oil and sweat until soft (About 4-5 minutes).
Next, add your garlic and tomato paste and stir and bash everything around with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds (until the tomato paste gets a little darker and everything is combined). This little step takes the bitterness out of your tomato paste!
Next, add your lemons and all of the remaining veggies and work hard to make sure they’re all coated with the yummy onions and spice. Give them a few minutes to take on a bit of the heat, and then add the sun-dried tomatoes, can of tomatoes and apricots, top the mix up with water until everything is covered (But not swimming like a soup, just covered, you can always add more liquid later if you need to).Bring it up to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of your veggie chunks). Check them for doneness near the end so that you don’t get mush or break a tooth.
The almonds and chickpeas can be added when the stew is juuuuuust about cooked (estimate 5 minutes or so from going on the plate). At this point you should taste it to see if it needs salt and pepper (most likely it needs a whack of salt, hit it hard, there are a lot of starchy, yummy things in there).
Fresh herbs make all of the difference. If you added these, plus some green onions to plain yogurt, it would make a nice addition to the stew (if you like that sorta thing)
If you’re serving it straight away, you can add a mix of chopped mint and cilantro to the top (parsley is good too here). If you’re freezing, you can stir it in, but the greens will turn dark in the freezer. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad and they won’t ruin the taste (quite the opposite actually); so, have no fear, pop them in there and enjoy a delicious, albeit, slightly uglier lunch.
This stew with some quinoa or couscous is the perfect winter meal (in my opinion); so warm and comforting, it makes the snow cap on my heart melt a little. You can make a batch of quinoa up at the beginning of the week and keep it in a jar. Just simply scoop some out when you want/need it and heat it up with your lunch. If you have a kettle at work, you can make couscous in a container in less than 5 minutes (fresh, hot and fluffy!).  
Hope you enjoy it, I’m jealous .
Much love,
-BBC


P.S. At a dinner party, you could serve this with roast lamb, couscous and flatbreads. It's great if there are vegetarians coming too, because it's a meal on it's own.

Spicy Moroccan dippers


Pictures gallery of Spicy Moroccan dippers

Giada's Spicy Tomato Salsa Recipe Swagbucks TV

Giada's Spicy Tomato Salsa Recipe Swagbucks TV
Giada De Laurentiis shows us her recipe for a spicy tomato salsa. Orange juice gives this salsa its sweetness; red pepper flakes add heat.

Lebanese Taverna Bethesda Restaurant MenuPages Middle Eastern

Lebanese Taverna Bethesda Restaurant MenuPages Middle Eastern
Harissa hot and spicy moroccan paste : 3.00: Kabis assorted pickled vegetables : 3.00: Tahini sesame paste, lemon, parsley, Dippers rice crackers : 1.00: 2.00:

Minty Yogurt Dip Indian Cuisine Indian Food Step-by-step

Minty Yogurt Dip Indian Cuisine Indian Food Step-by-step
This dip can do double duty as a raita! Not only will it taste good with any kind of chips or dippers, it is also a great accompaniment for your favorite rice pilaf.

Conroy Catering Wedding Menus

Conroy Catering Wedding Menus
Seafood Martini with Jumbo Shrimp & Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, Spicy Cocktail Sauce. Sippers & Dippers Display Moroccan Style Chicken Sate, Apricot Ginger Dipping Sauce

Moroccan-Spiced Beef with Couscous Good Housekeeping

Moroccan-Spiced Beef with Couscous Good Housekeeping
Moroccan-Spiced Beef with Couscous. From Good Housekeeping. Susan to the Rescue: Spicy Beef with Couscous Video; Coleman Natural Foods All Natural Beef Hot Dogs;

Tomato recipes Recipes BBC Good Food

Tomato recipes Recipes BBC Good Food
Moroccan kofte with spicy tomato sauce Quick tomato soup with cheesy garlic dippers By Good Food. Ready in 25 mins Everyone needs

Moroccan Mango chutney Wild Appetite

Moroccan  Mango chutney Wild Appetite
Bread dippers. NEW Vinegars range. Chutneys and Mustards. Jams. Aioli. A chutney with a mid-eastern Moroccan touch. Delicate spicy flavour for curries and lamb dishes.

Cooks Recipes Tangy Orange Chicken

Cooks Recipes Tangy Orange Chicken
TANGY SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN. TANGY MOROCCAN CHICKEN. Lightly flatten chicken breast halves. Sprinkle CHICKEN DIPPERS WITH SAUCES.

Product Summary of Dip It! Great Party Food to Spread Spoon

Suggestions for appropriate dippers onion soup dip to the more exotic Moroccan Eggplant and Tomato Dip. You'll find meat, cheese, seafood, spicy and

Traditional Moroccan Couscous with Vegetables

Traditional Moroccan Couscous with Vegetables 

Number of servings: 6

Per Serving273 calories
Fat5 g
Carbs48 g
Protein8 g
[Cook] Traditional Moroccan Couscous with Vegetables (Vegan)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups couscous
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

  1. To start the couscous, rinse it under cold water and then strain in a sieve to remove some of the excess starch.
  2. Next, combine the stock, salt, pepper and olive oil, bring to a boil and then pour over the couscous. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
  3. Let sit for approximately 10 minutes to rehydrate. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
  4. Add red onion, celery, tomato and garlic. Mix well and seasoned with salt and pepper to your liking.
  5. Serve immediately or let cool and use as the base to make a salad.

Alicia Silverstone's Moroccan Couscous Recipe + Book Giveaway!

Alicia Silverstone's Moroccan Couscous Recipe + Book Giveaway!


Back in 2009, I met Alicia Silverstone at a Food Network party. I was just starting to write my first cookbook, The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, when I met Alicia — so her book, website, and spirit became very much an inspiration to me. I loved what she was doing. I thought, "I want to touch lives like her!" 
Today Alicia is giving away a *signed* copy of her book, The Kind Diet, to one lucky Herbie! AND Alicia is sharing one of my favorite recipes from her book with you too!
Moroccan Couscous with Saffron Recipe
[HH Editorial note: This recipe has been adapted to meet my dietary standards. I replaced the oil and margarine called for with broth and changed the cooking techniques slightly to accomodate this adaption].
Ingredients: 
2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes.
2 cups diced yellow onion (large dice)
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes (skin optional)
1 1/2 cups zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
pinch salt (optional)
1 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat couscous (uncooked)
2 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and place squash, onion, carrots, and zucchini on the prepared sheet, careful not to overlap. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper if desired. [Editorial note: Alicia suggests 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper]. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula midway through. [HH Editorial note: When the vegetables are fork-tender and a little browned on the sides, they are done. If you cut your veggies rather large, bake time may vary.]
Meanwhile, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Once boiling, remove pot from heat and stir in cumin and saffron, plus salt and pepper to taste. [Editorial note: Alicia suggests 1/2 tsp pepper and salt to taste]. Once roasted vegetables are fork-tender, transfer them (and their juices, if any) into a large bowl and add the couscous. Bring the vegetable broth back to a boil, then poor over the vegetables and couscous. [Editorial note: the couscous will absorb all the liquid broth]. Cover the bowl tightly with a plate and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Add green onions, toss couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve. [HH Editorial note: I tend to add 1-3 additional tablespoons of vegetable broth just before serving to make it a little moister]. 
[HH Editorial note: Use quinoa instead of couscous for gluten-free option, but cook quinoa on the stove in the broth mixture until fluffy.]

Saffron Extract – Lose Weight and Feel Fantastic!

Saffron Extract – Lose Weight and Feel Fantastic!

Are you overweight and often feel lethargic? Can’t stop gorging and snacking between meals? Not only can this hamper your health, but can also make you feel bad about your body.

Saffron Extract could be what you are looking for…

Saffron Extract was recently recommended by Dr Oz a few months ago as a miracle ‘secret’ to weight loss. Of course, diet and exercise can help with weight loss, but often the biggest factor to successful weight loss is suppressing those continuous hunger pangs and ‘snack attacks’ that hit us between meals.

saffron bikini picThis is where Saffron Extract comes in

Saffron Extract is a naturally occurring spice that has been used in cooking for thousands of years. However, more recently studies have found that in its concentrated form, it is a be highly effective as an appetite suppresant and mood enhancer.

How Saffron Extract Works

1)Saffron Extract is an Appetite Suppressant
Saffron Extract is a powerful natural appetite suppressant. Trying to lose weight when constantly hungry is very difficult to acheive. If you have tried to lose weight and failed in the past, you will know what I’m talking about.
Saffron Extract contains Satiereal, which helps you avoid the things you shouldn’t eat between meals, as well as limiting the amount you eat at each meal.
Satiereal works by stimulating the brain to produce the chemicals that are produced when you eat. So, simply put, it reduces those feelings of hunger that naturally the body wants to satisfy.
2) Saffron Extract Improves Emotional Well Being
Emotional eating can often cause weight gain, and is a problem that is a lot more common than one might think. This kind of eating has nothing to do with appetite, and everything to do with mood.
Emotional eating due to anxiety, stress, depression, frustration or just plain boredom can flood the body with serotonin, (the so-called ‘happy hormone’ that makes you feel good), but these feelings only last a few minutes.
Saffron Extract produces the same chemicals without the feeling the need to eat. Taking Saffron Extract not only helps supress appetite, but also helps control the need to eat when you feel emotional.
As well as appetite suppressant, in a 2004 study, Saffron Extract has been proven to have similar properties to a conventional anti-depressant.
3) Saffron Extract Fights Sugar Cravings
Linked to emotional eating, sugar cravings are also linked directly to weight gain. The short term ‘sugar rush’ causes a slight elavation in energy and feeling of wellbeing. However this usually leads to a strong crash, leading to further cravings for sugar. This is a very detrimental cycle for your weight loss goals.
Saffron Extract satiates the body making the sugar cravings much less severe and helping you focus on your dieting and eating healthy foods.

Beware Inferior Saffron Extract Products

saffronWhen choosing the best Saffron extract, make sure to look for one that uses pure saffron extract. Fillers, binders or any other added ingredients can reduce the effectiveness of the saffron extract or even cause unwanted side effects.
We checked out several brands of saffron extract that are available, both online and in stores. Unfortunately, we found that many of them either use sub-standard ingredients or are packed with fillers.
OUR CHOICE
Of those that we tested, one that stood out was Saffron Extract Select. Made with the highest quality saffron available and no additives, it’s no wonder that Saffron Extract Select has become one of the most popular saffron supplements you can buy.
It is made with 100% pure saffron and, of those we tested, nothing really comes close in terms of both quality and value for money. We highly recommend it.
Saffron BannerWhether you are dealing with obesity, or just want to shape up and lose a few pounds, Saffron Extract Select is the perfect solution to shedding that unwanted fat and feeling great at the same time. And as it comes with a ‘no questions asked’ money back guarantee, there really is no risk.
Why not try a bottle today?


Scientific Proof for Saffron Extract

Two studies appearing on Dr. Oz’s site reveal that study participants using Saffron supplements lost up to 10 pounds in 4 weeks without making any lifestyle changes. In examples outside the study where people did make lifestyle changes, there are reports of women losing as much as 11 pounds in 7 days.
Dr. Oz also refers to a study published in the Journal Lipids in Health and Disease, where the extract in Saffron Extract was discovered to reduce the action of a gene PPAR-gamma, that is understood to be the “Master Regulator” of fat cell growth.
This is one of the mechanisms that Saffron Extract interferes with the activity of Leptin, the hormone that controls appetite and metabolism. The article goes on to state “That’s where Saffron Extract comes in: It helps ease this hormone, called Leptin, overload so the brain can receive these slimming signals.
Plus, the extract is high in antioxidants that soothe internal inflammation – a key benefit, says Julius Oben, Ph.D, an associate professor of nutritional biochemistry at the University of Yaounde’ in Cameroon. “Inflammation can interfere with Leptin’s ability to dial down hunger.” This in itself may be as valuable to your diet success as appetite suppression!
dr_oz_pic
In another study from 2010, 60 women, from ages 25-45, half of whom displayed tendencies of compulsive eating, and administered saffron extract to 50% of the group, whilst the other 50% was given a placebo.
The study dictated that the pills were taken twice a day, for a period of 8-weeks, and their diets were uninhibited- they could eat freely, as they always had. Very quickly, it became obvious that the appetite-suppressing qualities of the saffron were working in the test group, as the weight-loss in those participants was significant!
And by the 8th week, with the conclusion of the study, it was recorded that the individuals who had been taking the Saffron extract were now snacking about half as much as they had been at the start. That is quite some impact for a natural supplement to have!

Saffron Extract is Natural and Safe

Saffron extract is a natural supplement, made from the saffron crocus. The dried stigmas, threadlike parts of the flower, are used to make saffron spice. According to WebMD, saffron has been used to help alleviate a number of ailments aside from over-eating including: asthma, cough, sleep problems, hardening of the arteries, intestinal gas, depression and heartburn. It has also been used as an aphrodisiac.
Unlike man-made appetite suppressants, there are no dangerous side effects or withdrawal reactions.
Saffron Extract is a completely new type of weight loss supplement. If you have tried and failed to lose weight before, it could be the breakthough supplement you are looking for.