I love ginger, plain and simple. I don’t know what it is about it, but I really like consuming foods that have ginger in it. I remember as a small child relishing the candied ginger root that made all my friends look at me sideways with raised eyebrows.
Not much has changed now that I’m all grown up, except that I’ve come to use ginger for it’s health benefits like nausea.
One thing that I love about using ginger for nausea is that you don’t need to consume it in order receive its benefits- which is a good thing because generally when I’m nauseous I don’t want to eat anything! I’ve discovered that I can just smell ginger and my symptoms have been subdued.
I’m a big fan of essential oils so I always have a bottle of ginger essential oil in our house. Fortunately, according the Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, there are no known contraindications or warnings associated with it. So when I’m feeling a little queasy, I just open up my bottle and take a sniff!
But nausea isn’t the only health benefit of ginger. There have been studies done that show ginger may help with arthritis, migraines, cholesterol and indigestion. So bear this in mind when cooking- a side benefit (and maybe an excuse to make a gingerbread cake).
My favorite way to enjoy ginger is to make simple green smoothie. In my Vitamix, I throw in some leafy greens (whatever I have on hand), a banana, some water and about ½ inch piece of fresh ginger. Yum! It’s so freshing.
If I want a treat, I’ll make a chocolate protein shake with a little bit of fresh ginger. Double yum!
If you’re looking for something more substantial to consume, I like making Ginger Carrot Soup. Here’s recipe that I found on epicurious.com:
Ginger Carrot Soup
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
- 3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 small carrot, peeled, grated
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.
Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.