Lime and Ginger Popsicles

Tags

dessert, ginger, lime, low calorie, popsicle, refreshing

The past few weeks I have eaten like a pig. A total pig. Steak and Shake, Mexican, pho, beer, a Brazilian steakhouse, delicious brunch, Southern food, a huge brownie with hot fudge and ice cream. Basically, if it was offered to me, I said yes. No big deal, right? Until I put on my jeans. Holy smokes! Those calories have caught up with me. It makes sense. One cannot consume endlessly without consequences. But I am not giving up my flavor. Sometimes I just want a pop of flavor without a load of calories. These popsicles are perfect for that. So delicious!

Lime and Ginger Popsicles

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 10 cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature. With a slotted spoon, remove the chunks of ginger. Pour the mixture evenly into your popsicle molds. I divided mine evenly between 6 molds and then topped them off with more water. Stir each mold to be sure the syrup is evenly mixed in. Freeze until solid. Enjoy!!!

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Pear Chutney with Dried Cherries and Ginger

Tags

canning, cherry, chutney, ginger, gluten free, home grown, pear, preserving

I love chutney. It has so many possibilities with it’s tangy sweetness. I serve it with pork, on little cheese toasts like those pictured below, and occasionally just eat it plain. This chutney is canned in a hot water bath. The idea is that I will give jars away as Christmas gifts, assuming they make it that long.

Pear Chutney with Dried Cherries and Ginger (from Food in Jars)

• 3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped roughly
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 4 cups roughly chopped pears (4-5 medium pears)
• 2/3 cup sugar

Place dried cherries in a heat-proof bowl or measuring cup and pour boiling water over top. Set aside.

Heat a large, non-reactive pot or skillet over medium heat. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Add onion and sea salt and cook until the onion softened and develops a bit of color. Add ginger, mustard seeds and cardamom and cook until spices are fragrant and the mustard seeds begin to pop. Add vinegar and brand to pan and use a wooden spoon to work up any bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Add dried cherries and their liquid. Add chopped pears and sugar and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, put a lid on the pan and let pears simmer gently for 30-35 minutes so that they soften.

When the pears can be crushed with the back of a wooden spoon, remove the lid from the pot. Increase the heat to high and cook quickly, stirring regularly, to help reduce any remaining liquid. When chutney is no longer at all watery and looks deeply colored, take a taste. Makes adjustments as needed.

When chutney is fully cooked down and tastes good to you, ladle it into three prepared half pint jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. When time is up, remove jars from canning pot and let them cool on a folded kitchen towel. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and eaten within a week. Sealed jars can be kept in the pantry for up to one year. Makes 3 half pints.

Sugar Snap Salad with Miso Dressing

Tags

Asian, dressing, food, ginger, light, miso, salad, sugar snap peas, vegetarian

I was first introduced to miso on my trip to Japan. I love it’s salty complexity, especially when paired with gingery sweetness. The dressing on these vegetables is phenomenal. If you don’t think the veggies sound good (you are a weirdo), skip them and just try the dressing. It’s my new favorite! One small note- if you make this recipe, be sure to eat it all in one day. It doesn’t keep well. If you can’t eat it all, just halve the recipe.

Sugar Snap Salad with Miso Dressing (from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

The Salad:

• 1/2 lb sugar snap peas
• 1/2 pound Napa cabbage, cut into thin ribbons (about 3 cups)
• 4 large radishes, quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 large scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

The Dressing:

• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp yellow or white miso
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a small ice-water bath. Boil the peas for about two minutes, until barely cooked and still crisp. Scoop them out with a large slotted spoon and drop them in the ice water bath. One they are cooled, drain and pat dry. Trim ends and slice on bias into thin strips. Toss into a bowl with cabbage, radishes, scallions and 1 tbsp sesame seeds.

In a blender, combine all the dressing ingredients. Blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Don’t add extra honey as the peas will add sweetness.

Toss the salad with the dressing and sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. Serves 4 to 6.

Thai Crab Soup

Tags

Asian, coconut milk, crab, food, garlic, ginger, lunch, quick, soup, Thai

When I first saw this soup in my blog feed, I knew I wanted to try it. Who wouldn’t love the Thai flavors of ginger and coconut milk paired with vegetables and a tasty protein? Plus it is super easy to throw together making it a great dish for lunch. I have made this soup a couple of times since finding it and have really enjoyed it each time. You should try it.

Thai Crab Soup (a variation of this recipe)

• One can coconut milk (not the light version)
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, microplaned
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Zest of one lemon
• 1  1/2 cup baby spinach
• 2 servings worth of cooked vermicelli
• 1 pkg imitation crab meat

In a small saucepot, combine the coconut milk and chicken stock. Add the ginger, onion, garlic, and chili flakes. Bring to a simmer. In the meantime, saute the sliced mushrooms in bit of oil to help remove some of the liquid. When done, drain off the extra liquid and add to the coconut milk mixture. Add the vermicelli and crab meat. When heated through, add the baby spinach. When barely wilted, remove from the heat and serve. Serves 3 to 4.

Miso-Ginger Marinated and Grilled Salmon

Tags

Asian, food, ginger, grill, miso, salmon, summer

When I was in Japan, I had some of the most amazing salmon. It was so fresh and had a unique flavor I was unfamiliar with. Now that I have become more experienced with flavors, I learned that flavor was miso. Love that flavor! We really enjoyed this salmon. I intend to make this recipe in the future!

Miso-Ginger Marinated and Grilled Salmon (thanks to Bobby Flay)

• 1/4 cup white miso
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons minced green onions
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 4 salmon fillets, 8 ounces each
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the above ingredients and marinate the salmon for at least 30 minutes.

Grill as desired.

Ginger Chicken

Tags

Asian, chicken, Dinner, food, ginger, main, Supper

I’m always on the lookout for a tasty recipe for chicken. This one is pretty good. The ginger and garlic flavor is very nice. Serve over rice.

Ginger Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish

Cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, whisk the soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger, and garlic together. Add in the chicken and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add a single layer of chicken to the pan. You will probably have to fry the chicken in two batches. The single layer allows for good browning. When all the chicken is cooked, garish with the scallions and the sesame seeds.

If you wanted to make a glaze for the chicken, you could make the marinade again, substituting the fresh garlic and ginger for powdered. Then add to the empty skillet and reduce over high heat until syrupy. Toss the chicken in the glaze. 

Gingerbread Cookies

Tags

baking, cookies, dessert, ginger, gingerbread

These gorgeous cookies are brought to you by Mrs. Myrtle Hicks, the mother of a co-worker and a excellent cook. Some ginger cookies are so light on the ginger you can barely taste it. These go so far they might even be called spicy. I made them this morning to take home for my father’s 50th birthday party. I know he will love them. 

Gingerbread Cookies

• 5 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 tbls ground ginger (yes you read this right. Tablespoons it is.)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sift all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.

• 1 cup of oil
• 2 cups of light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup of molasses
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 cup of lowfat buttermilk

Beat oil and sugar together until well blended; add molasses and beat well (may look somewhat lumpy). Add beaten eggs and mix well. Alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the sugar mixture, starting with the dry and ending with the dry, keeping out the last cup of dry to mix in by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula. Chill in refrigerator for 30 mins to make handling easier; scoop out about 1 cup at a time and lightly knead on a piece of floured waxed paper or other surface. Form into a log and pinch off walnut size pieces, roll into a ball, keeping hands and fingers floured. Place on baking pan sprayed with Pam. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel after each use and spray with the baking spray before using again. Bake at 350* for 10 mins. If making larger pieces, you may need to increase baking time. Cool in pan for 3 mins then remove gingerbread from pan and place on cooling racks until room temp. Store in airtight containers or zip lock bags. Enjoy!

Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic

Tags

Asian, bok choy, garlic, ginger, side dish, vegetable, vegetarian

This is just something I threw together as a last minute side dish for the previously posted  Asparagus and Beef Rice Bowl. Personally, I think bok choy is one of the best vegetables ever and it is fantastic no matter how it is prepared.

Bok Choy with Ginger and Garlic

• 1 head of bok choy, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely diced
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten free as needed)
• Olive oil

Saute the garlic and ginger in the oil for a minute until fragrant. Add the bok choy until tender crisp.

Baby Ginger Cookies

Tags

cookies, dessert, ginger, minature, molasses

I found these lovely little cookies at Savory Salty Sweet. They are the perfect thing- sweet, spicy, chewy, just a bit of crunchy. They are delectable. The small size means that they take extra time to make but they are so worth it. It’s what makes the texture perfect. Be sure that you make these. You will not be sorry, I promise!

Baby Ginger Cookies

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• ¼ cup molasses (dark or light are both fine)
• 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flou
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground powdered ginger
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix together until smooth. Add the fresh ginger and stir into batter.

Using a pastry bag or a Ziploc bag with a bottom corner cut off, pipe or squeeze out cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in approximately ¼ teaspoon portions. At the end of the batch, I got tired and started making them a bit larger. About the size of a half dollar. Make each dollop about an inch apart so they have room to spread.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until the edges of the cookies have just begun to appear slightly darkened and dry. Cool the cookies first on the paper. When they are no longer gooey, slip them off onto the wire rack.  My batch made about 250 little cookies.