Here are a few new recipes that use my new found love Ginger. [Thanks to Leaha for teaching me the yam recipe & food(dot)com for inspiring the following bastardizations of recipes on their site :)] First the medicinal benefits of eating ginger followed by the recipes.
INDEX of RECIPES:
Savory Sweet Potatoes / Cranberry Ginger & Orange Relish / Date & Ginger Oat Cookies
Savory Sweet Potatoes / Cranberry Ginger & Orange Relish / Date & Ginger Oat Cookies
MEDICINAL USES:
The medical form of ginger historically was called "Jamaica ginger"; it was classified as a stimulant and carminative, and used frequently for dyspepsia and colic. It was also frequently employed to disguise the taste of medicines. Ginger is on the FDA's 'generally recognized as safe' list, though it does interact with some medications, including warfarin. Ginger is contraindicated in people suffering from gallstones as the herb promotes the release of bile from the gallbladder. Ginger may also decrease joint pain from arthritis, though studies on this have been inconsistent, and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that may make it useful for treating heart disease.
The characteristic odor and flavor of ginger root is caused by a mixture of zingerone, shoagoles and gingerols, volatile oils that compose about one to three percent of the weight of fresh ginger. In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties [from janespice(dot)com]
RECIPES
Savory Soft-fried Sweet Potatoes
4 sweet potatoes
½ clove garlic (crush & fine chop)
2 inches of fresh ginger (fine chop)
Sprinkle liberally the following 5 c's:
Cumin
Cardamom
Coriander
Cinnamon
Cayenne
Take a nice mixing bowl & mix the seasoning together with about a tablespoon or nice splash of good olive oil and stir well.
There are two ways to cook. Typically put them in a oiled baking pan till soft in a 350 degree oven and cover with foil.
Today my oven had a turkey baking in it so I had to do it on the stove top & considering presentation is everything, I will serve part of it in a cast iron skillet to take away the stigma of the seasoning with those preferring something more basic today.
Second way of cooking is to soft fry the seasoned potatoes. Take a preheated frying pan and when the olive oil is nice & warm, add the potatoes and stir them well to make sure they are evenly coated with oil.
Cook them till they are nice and soft in the middle then leave them in long enough to get an crunch. The crunch is wonderfully carmelized & my favorite part probably.
Cranberry Ginger & Orange Relish
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 granny smith apple, cored,peeled if desired,and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dried apricot, coarsely chopped
• 1 large orange, unpeeled,coarsely chopped,and seeded
• 2 cups fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
• 1 lime, zest of, grated or chopped
• 1 tsp grand marnier
• 1/4 cup honey (use a rich flavored one if you can find it, mint, buckwheat, whatever, plus extra as needed)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- With a zester or a grater, remove the zest from the lime & orange; set aside.
- Peel the apple, apricot & ginger and cut into segments.
-Transfer to a food processor and swirl around until finely chopped; place in a large bowl.
- Remove all pith, seeds and membranes from the orange and add the cranberries (no need to thaw if frozen) to food processor and pulse until chopped; be careful not to overprocess (leave it kind of chunky).
- Add cranberry-ginger mixture to citrus fruit in bowl and stir in honey, grand marnier, lime juice and zest; stir until coated.
- Taste and add more honey if you feel it's necessary.-Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavours blend; keeps well for about 2 weeks. (Makes just over 2 cups)
Date and Ginger Oat Cookies
- Combine butter, golden syrup and water in pan, stir over low heat until butter is melted.
- Stir butter mixture into flour mixture.
- Roll into balls (1 tablespoon), place on prepared cookie trays, flattening slightly, allow room for spreading between each cookie.
- Bake in 375F oven for about 11 minutes or until lightly browned, cool on trays. (Let the cookies bake about 5 minutes, then press them down and return them to the oven.)
The medical form of ginger historically was called "Jamaica ginger"; it was classified as a stimulant and carminative, and used frequently for dyspepsia and colic. It was also frequently employed to disguise the taste of medicines. Ginger is on the FDA's 'generally recognized as safe' list, though it does interact with some medications, including warfarin. Ginger is contraindicated in people suffering from gallstones as the herb promotes the release of bile from the gallbladder. Ginger may also decrease joint pain from arthritis, though studies on this have been inconsistent, and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that may make it useful for treating heart disease.
The characteristic odor and flavor of ginger root is caused by a mixture of zingerone, shoagoles and gingerols, volatile oils that compose about one to three percent of the weight of fresh ginger. In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties [from janespice(dot)com]
RECIPES
Savory Soft-fried Sweet Potatoes
4 sweet potatoes
½ clove garlic (crush & fine chop)
2 inches of fresh ginger (fine chop)
Sprinkle liberally the following 5 c's:
Cumin
Cardamom
Coriander
Cinnamon
Cayenne
Take a nice mixing bowl & mix the seasoning together with about a tablespoon or nice splash of good olive oil and stir well.
There are two ways to cook. Typically put them in a oiled baking pan till soft in a 350 degree oven and cover with foil.
Today my oven had a turkey baking in it so I had to do it on the stove top & considering presentation is everything, I will serve part of it in a cast iron skillet to take away the stigma of the seasoning with those preferring something more basic today.
Second way of cooking is to soft fry the seasoned potatoes. Take a preheated frying pan and when the olive oil is nice & warm, add the potatoes and stir them well to make sure they are evenly coated with oil.
Cook them till they are nice and soft in the middle then leave them in long enough to get an crunch. The crunch is wonderfully carmelized & my favorite part probably.
Cranberry Ginger & Orange Relish
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 granny smith apple, cored,peeled if desired,and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dried apricot, coarsely chopped
• 1 large orange, unpeeled,coarsely chopped,and seeded
• 2 cups fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
• 1 lime, zest of, grated or chopped
• 1 tsp grand marnier
• 1/4 cup honey (use a rich flavored one if you can find it, mint, buckwheat, whatever, plus extra as needed)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- With a zester or a grater, remove the zest from the lime & orange; set aside.
- Peel the apple, apricot & ginger and cut into segments.
-Transfer to a food processor and swirl around until finely chopped; place in a large bowl.
- Remove all pith, seeds and membranes from the orange and add the cranberries (no need to thaw if frozen) to food processor and pulse until chopped; be careful not to overprocess (leave it kind of chunky).
- Add cranberry-ginger mixture to citrus fruit in bowl and stir in honey, grand marnier, lime juice and zest; stir until coated.
- Taste and add more honey if you feel it's necessary.-Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavours blend; keeps well for about 2 weeks. (Makes just over 2 cups)
Date and Ginger Oat Cookies
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup wheat flour
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 cup coconut
- 3/4 cup splenda
- 1 cup dates, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger1 teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger
- 125 g butter (a little more than a stick, by a pat)
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (honey or agave nectar)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg white
- Combine butter, golden syrup and water in pan, stir over low heat until butter is melted.
- Stir butter mixture into flour mixture.
- Roll into balls (1 tablespoon), place on prepared cookie trays, flattening slightly, allow room for spreading between each cookie.
- Bake in 375F oven for about 11 minutes or until lightly browned, cool on trays. (Let the cookies bake about 5 minutes, then press them down and return them to the oven.)