http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

"A recent finding is that absorption is enhanced in the presence of piperine, a constituent of black pepper. Indian cuisine commonly uses turmeric and pepper together. I suggest using only turmeric and curcumin supplements that contain piperine or black pepper extract."

Another aspect of black pepper's "magic" is its ability to enhance its sister spice turmeric in its health promoting benefits.

I use a pepper grinder to grind black peppercorns, or more recently, I grind them in a stone mortar and pestle--dump the ground seeds onto a coffee filter and transport to the stove.

There I mix the pepper with turmeric and oil as a basis for making soup.

Thanks for the article, Sharon!

I never thought of that, Gloria. Thank you! One helps the other.

I sprinkle turmeric on things sometimes, not really fond of it but I know I need it. I open the capsule and of course get that yellow powder all over my hands and if they are wet, then I have yellow fingers for days. But adding it to soup base along with the pepper is such a great idea. I'd think it would freeze well too, maybe. I add turmeric often to olive oil, along with other spices, for salads.

Thanks again.

if you eat your soup with a T or 2 of turmeric while watching TV as I often do instead of properly at a table, you sometimes get those yellow drips down the front of your clothes. I notice them when Im hanging my clothes on the line. Woops there's another load to soak in the O2 bleach over night(!). I haven't tried turmeric with salads, but I know you can add it to just about anything that uses oil. I don't notice the flavor too much and I use a whole lot of it. i eat the soup nearly every day or every other day and I make it with 1 or 2 T of turmeric. I got a 5 lb sack of it from Amazon through a restaurant supply place and Im about half way though the sack after maybe 2 years. Yellow. Yellow!

I know it really belongs in curry, but I don't think Ive ever had curry--the dish that it goes in.

Exactly, about the yellow drips.

Never had curry either, nor do I use it in anything, which is why I knew I needed to add it to my list of daily spices. Otherwise I would never get it.

Bulk would be the best way to buy it. Truth is, I just discovered it a few years ago when a cousin was combating throat cancer. I did a bit of research for him and found it to be a good preventative for many things. He recovered nicely and is cancer free, but he continues with the spices daily. He thought I was nuts when I recommended black pepper, I remember. I think the turmeric would have burned more.

Curry is delicious, can be made with chicken, lamb, beef or vegetarian, and it does not need to be spicy hot, depends on how much red chillies or cayenne that you add, we love it very spicy, I am making a curry for dinner tonight.

I've never made it, so I guess I was thinking all curry was hot. Do you use onions and garlic in yours along with all the spices and oil? And which spices are you using? Which peppers?

I also discovered turmeric while researching liver cancer for my sister. She is healthy so far. Don't know to what extent turmeric is the reason.

yes I would like to find a good recipe for curry also.

Onions, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, you can use powdered but it isn't as good, ground coriander, a good quality curry powder which is just a mix of different spices, garam masala, another type of spice mix, turmeric, red chili flakes, cayenne and salt to taste, you can use coconut milk along with water or just water, some recipes call for a couple of tomatoes, I just use a cup of canned. In beef curry you can also add a cinnamon stick broken up. After the onions are sauteed in a little vegetable oil, I like soybean, you add the spice and let it cook for a minute to mellow out the flavor, then add meat or vegetables, cook a few minutes so that the spice penetrates the vegetables or meat, than add liquid. and cook until done, serve over rice.

I was just looking for a recipe for eggplant curry and found this:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/b...

My problem with curry is that I don't like very much ginger used on vegetables or used heavily on anything else.

Thanks Margaret!

That sounds perfect for your first curry. You can also use squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, chickpeas, you can make it to suit your own needs and tastes, it's like any stew, use whatever is available.

See, that's the thing. I'm not so much into foods as I am into getting what I need from them. A peanut butter covered stick of celery is gourmet to me and I usually eat it while on the way to something else knowing it has nutritional value.

I know this isn't healthy, but it's hard to change colors at this stage of my game. Mostly I just simply like pastas and rices and vegetables and fruits and never take the time to do anything creative to them. I eat tons of soups though, so maybe soups are my best bet. I'm trying to change all that a little bit with the addition of spices because they do contain so many nutrients.

Truth is, I cooked for my family all those years and I have healthy strong children, both bigger and stronger than I am. But when I found myself alone, cooking fell by the wayside and no longer held any interest.

So . . . you'll find 'Looking for Magic' is a short series that introduces us to the nutrients found in everyday spices. Most people don't think of spices as adding much beyond flavor to a dish; not true, spices come from plants, they provide the same nutrients as the plants do. I think there are 8 articles in the series.

And if I'm very lucky, all these comments and recipes and input from all of you might just help me to better my eating habits!
Imagine that, teaching an old dog new tricks, changing colors and all that!

I grew up with very simple foods, I started cooking when I was 12, loved to cook, then it my mid twenties I got very interested in other types of cuisine. I had an East Indian neighbor that taught me how to make curry, she was such a nice person.

I think if I were alone I would do much the same, except add meats to it, I'd probably cook enough for a month and freeze it. Soups are wonderful, wintertime is when I make them, pea, bean, vegetable, chicken noodle an endless variety.

Learning new things and healthy diets will help keep us young.

Yep, exactly.

Except I kinda like being this old because then I can get by with being a little bit snarky, but only sometimes.
When I was younger I'd never have told my even younger friend to wear blue instead of her usual drab brown or tan. Now I do/did, and she just said with a tease, 'Oh you're old, what do you know?'

The next time I saw her, she was wearing blue.
Ha! Snarky.

Thanks Mcash 70. Ill try the recipe.

I just tasted my curry and it is awesome, very spicy the way we like it.

Your welcome Hazelnut, first few times you can go easy on the spice, easier to add then to take away.