Foodie, single mom and lawyer Lawren Cottles shares her thoughts on Ginger. It’s spicy. It’s fragrant. It’s Ginger! There are so many ginger recipe possibilities, including sweet desserts and savory dishes. I’m back, the foodie lawyer-mom, here to talk about ginger. So what exactly is ginger? The official wiki definition says ginger is the rhizome (root) of the plant Zingiber officinale and is typically consumed as a “delicacy, medicine, or spice.” But ginger is so much more! It’s spicy, it’s fragrant, it’s healthy, it’s versatile and it has a pretty long shelf life. I enjoy eating it and I use it in so many different ways: juiced, pickled, candied, crystallized, dried and powdered.
My daily routine is ginger inspired. Every morning I juice. When I’m having a veggie root juice, I like to combine carrot, orange and fresh ginger. By extracting fresh ginger into my carrot juice concoction it gives it a strong spicy, zingy taste. I absolutely love this drink, because the ginger gives my drink a natural anti-inflammatory boost, which helps me digest food more easily.
As a lawyer I’m generally on my feet all day long. I bring food to work with me and there is almost always bound to be ginger somewhere in my bag to help sustain me through the day. My midmorning snack is usually a dried fruit nut combo including dried ginger. While ginger is spicy and tangy when fresh, when it’s dried it turns into a sweet chewy treat. It’s affordable, easy to pack and has a ton of nutritious value – a couple of handfuls later, I’m good as new. Instant energy boost!
For lunch, I usually pack a delicious salad with an Asian inspired salad dressing. I blend together soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, olive oil, seasoning and fresh ginger. The dressing has a sweet, sour and salty taste with a burst of tangy ginger. Ginger salad dressing and pickled ginger (the kind usually served with sushi) are my all time favorite ginger condiments.
That’s just a small part of my delicious ginger infused diet. There are so many ginger recipe possibilities, including sweet desserts and savory dishes. Ginger bread and ginger bread cookies, which by the way, should come out more often than just at holiday time. Savory favorites? How about an awesome Chinese meal of ginger chicken or ginger eggplant? The ways to incorporate ginger into meals and snacks is endless. So, whether I’m drinking it, eating it, or spicing up a dish with it, ginger is my go to root and I highly recommend it for every diet!
What’s your favorite way to use ginger?