Make it With Ginger!
You probably know ginger helps sooth an upset stomach, but did you know it’s also an anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants? Like turmeric and cardamom, it can help calm an overactive immune system, as well as relieve muscle pain, help regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. So why not add this miraculous and spicy root to a few summer recipes to get all those health benefits? Here are a few super food recipes for warm weather that check all the boxes!
Ginger Entrees – Just Enough Spice
Although it may seem unlikely since this spice has a definite “bite” to it, ginger pairs well with a broad range of flavors and is often matched with everything from chocolate, ice cream and fruit to chicken, ham and carrots. It takes a bit of peeling, slicing and chopping to get to the good stuff, but ginger is a favorite among chefs for brightening and elevating the flavors of almost any type of dish.
We like the ingredient-combo in Taste of Home’s Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs, and think everyone will want an extra helping of this super moist, garlicky chicken on rice (or noodles)! And just in time for summer, a helping of Gingered Spaghetti Salad — a chilled chicken pasta dish with colorful veggies and protein-packed edamame.
Ginger Salmon with Cucumber Lime Sauce is another summer dish, easy and perfect for a warm weather meal, as are these Char Siu Pork Lettuce Cups. Both have that gingery kick, and either will convince you why the spice ranks so high on a chef’s favorite add-ins.
From Bon Appetit, another cold noodle salad, this one with Ramen, Steak and Sesame-Ginger Dressing which takes more than a few ingredients (lemon juice, soy sauce, tahini, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, kohlrabi scallions, and cilantro to name nearly all!) but it absolutely MAKES the dish one to shout about. Then there’s the Ginger Cashew Chicken Curry, which calls for sambal oelek, an Indonesian chile paste made of crushed raw red chiles, vinegar and salt.
Baked Rice with Gingery Short Ribs, Rosemary-Crusted Prime Rib Roast and Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Chinese Broccoli are three more (from 53) recipes that satisfy the meat-eaters in your midst. And Bon Appetit throws in a couple of drink recipes too, like the Kombucha Vodka Highball or the
inflammation busting Pineapple Slushy, to make those aches and pains dissolve in a slurp.
How to Peel and Cut Ginger
If you’ve avoided picking up a fresh piece of ginger root in the produce section of your grocery store because it seems too intimidating to prepare, watch this quick YouTube video from A Couple Cooks. Sonja uses a spoon to peel the ginger root, making that part less of a chore. If a recipe calls for minced ginger, you can use a grater for perfect mincing and if you don’t have a grater, watch Sonja make short work of the task with her considerable knife skills.
Kickin’ Ginger Dessert Recipes
From Ginger-Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream to Rhubarb Ginger Sorbet, these recipes for desserts from Sweets Serious Eats offer a variety of mouth-watering cold, creamy, brightly tart and spicy flavors. For a another unusual combination of tastes with a boozy kick from 38 proof, try the Ginger Beer, Rum and Coconut Sorbet
But frozen treats aren’t the only sweet desserts you can make. From Pear and Ginger Cake, Plum and Ginger Cobbler, to Gingersnaps (and six other cookie recipes), Serious Eats combines an assortment of fruit, candy, custard to come up with sugary spoonfuls and bites made with ginger.
With peaches now in season, you might want to try Land O’ Lakes Ginger Peach Upside Down Cake, or Gimme Some Oven’s take on Ginger Peach Crumble with old fashions oats, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar. The Lemon Ginger Icebox Cake from Taste of Home combines cream cheese and lemon curd with whipping cream and layered ginger cookies for a yummy twist on a down-home favorite.
Grow Your Own Ginger
We watched this YouTube video to find out how hard it is to plant and grown ginger. Apparently if you have a fresh chunk of ginger you can plant it in May for a fall harvest, and even the stems and leaves can be used to steep tea and stir into recipes. It may take time (30 days) for the ginger to sprout, and the experts recommend compost (90 percent) and potting soil.
Cooking it up in Colliers Hill
Summer introduces so many more options when it comes to making meals – with more fruits and veggies in season, and opportunities to grill. Check out the many amenities in the master-planned community of Colliers Hill, and the beautiful model homes from Richmond American Homes and Century Communities – and coming this fall – K B Home — paired offerings. It’s a great time to buy with rates so low – and lots of possibilities from the high $300s
