Pep up your life with Ginger

From ancient times up until today ginger has been valued for both its medicinal properties plus the special spicy flavor it adds to both sweet and savory dishes. Ginger is available in many forms with fresh, candied and dried being the most popular. Very few households are without ginger in one form or another.

The part of the ginger plant used is the underground rhizome. The flesh of the rhizome can be white, yellow, or red. It is covered with a brownish skin.

Nutritionally ginger is a good source of potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese and vitamin B6. Medicinally its volatile oils and pungent phenol compounds such as gingerols and shogaols are thought to promote healing.

Ginger is an excellent natural first aid kit on its own. It relieves many problems like stomach or menstrual cramps, morning sickness, travel sickness, colds and headaches simply by chewing the raw root or drinking ginger tea. It is also a natural anti-inflammatory and relieves both arthritis and rheumatism pain.

See my other blog Herbs 'n Oils for more health info.

Warning: It is advised not to give ginger to children under two years old or in excess to people with high blood pressure. If taking blood thinners check with your doctor before eating ginger often.

Fresh ginger can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks and in the freezer for up to six months. Ginger powder should be kept in a cool dark place or refrigerator. Do not peel before storing.

In the East ginger tended to be used in savory dishes and in the West in sweet dishes but with more people in the West trying recipes from foreign lands this is changing and ginger is becoming popular added to everything from the Starter to the Dessert. Some easy ways to add ginger to your diet is putting it in stir-fry, fruit juices, salad dressings and added to vegetables like sweet potatoes.

Enjoy!

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Asian Ginger Dressing
From Vegetarian Times

1/2 cup rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sherry
2 tbsps chopped peeled fresh gingerroot
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsps apple juice concentrate
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

In small saucepan, combine all ingredients except cornstarch and water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using slotted spoon, discard garlic and ginger. Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into sauce. Simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly, about 2
minutes. Transfer to small bowl, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Mango Ginger Tofu
Submitted by Isa from PostPunkKitchen
You can prepare this in several ways, it is fabulous as a grilling marinade. Here I give you conventional oven instructions. It's tropical, warm, a little spicy and a little sweet. The marinade will fill your kitchen with the most amazing scent while the tofu is cooking. This amount will feed 4 to 6 if accompanied by some jasmine rice.

Equipment:
2 9x13 baking pans or 1 huge baking pan
a blender
medium sauce pot with a cover that fits

For the marinade:
3 cloves garlic
1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 tsps peanut oil or veg oil
2 large mangos, roughly chopped (note: you will need one more mango when cooking the tofu, see below)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup white cooking wine (or vegetable broth)
fresh black pepper to taste
dash of salt
1/4 tsp allspice
2 tbsps rice vinegar (use apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar if you dont have rice)
juice of two limes
1 cup orange juice

Ingredients for the tofu
2 blocks tofu extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 mango, sliced in long thin slices
1 red pepper, seeded and cut in long thin slices

Make the marinade: In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil, add garlic, ginger and jalepeno, saute on medium heat 7 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add 2 chopped mangos and saute 5 minutes Add pure maple syrup and wine, cover and simmer 35 minutes; Uncover and simmer 5 more minutes. Add orange juice, vinegar, lime, black pepper, allspice and salt; Add mixture to blender, puree until smooth.

Prepare the tofu: Cut tofu blocks into 8 slabs each. Place tofu in marinade in a sealable plastic bag or tupperware. Marinate in the fridge for an hour and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375
Reserve about half of the marinate. Lay marinated tofu in a single layer in baking pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Flip tofu over and add more marinade. Dredge peppers and sliced mangos in marinade and add them to pan. Cook another 15 minutes. Heat up remaining marinade in a sauce pan and put in a bowl on the table (or floor, where ever you're eating) so guests (or room mates, or who ever is eating) can pour it over the tofu. Serve over jasmine rice, with a steamed vegetable, such as aspararus or broccoli.

Yam Coconut Curry Soup (serves 2)
From Pam Rotella's Fun Vegetarian Page
This is a sweet and mild curry soup - one of my favorites. Blended fresh coconut gives the soup an interesting texture and refreshing taste. If kept as a leftover, the ginger root marinates this soup, and it becomes hotter.

1 & 1/2 cups diced, steamed, and peeled yams
1/2 cup fresh coconut pieces
1 tbsp steamed, peeled, and diced ginger root
1 tbsps curry powder
2 cups water, distilled preferred

Combine all ingredients in electric blender; cover with lid and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into medium-sized saucepan and heat to serving temperature.

Fresh Ginger Beer
From Cooking Light

2 cups cold water
1 cup fresh lime juice
4 tsps bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
3/4 cup superfine sugar (or sweener of choice like maple syrup)
3 cups sparkling water
Lime slices (optional)

Combine water, juice, and ginger in a blender; process until blended.Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Strain mixture over a pitcher; discard solids. Add sugar to pitcher; stir until dissolved.Add sparkling water just before serving. Serve over ice. Garnish with lime slices, if desired. Makes 8 cups.

Chopped Salad with Ginger-Miso Dressing
From Cooking Light

Salad:
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup diced seeded peeled cucumber
3/4 cup shredded peeled butternut squash or carrot
3/4 cup diagonally sliced snow peas
1/3 cup sliced green onions
Dressing:
2 tbsps seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsps yellow miso (soybean paste)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tbsps minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

To prepare salad, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients; stir well with a whisk. Pour over salad, tossing to coat. 8 x 1/2 cup servings.

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