Spicy Garlic Yellow Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced very thin
• 2 scallions, sliced diagonally
• ¼ cup red pepper, diced
• ¼ cup green peppers, dices
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1 small shallot, diced
• ½ carrots shredded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or (vegetable, grape seed, peanut, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 small or half of a 2 cup chicken bouillon
• ½ packets of Goya Sazón Culantro and Achiote
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon Huy Fong Hot Chili Garlic Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Tamari
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

This is best done the day before or at least 2 hours prior to sautéing the rice.

In a sauce pan, that has a lid for later, bring 2 cups of water to a boil with the chicken bouillon, sesame oil, Goya Sazón, tamari, turmeric and Chili Garlic sauce.  Make sure the bouillon has dissolved completely.

Meanwhile wash long grain rice until the cloudiness of water clears.  I use a mesh strainer and shake it while running water the tap through the rice.

After the water has come up to the boil add the washed rice and bring the mixture back up to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer the rice, with the lid on, for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, remove from the heat. Transfer the rice into a blow and fluff with a fork, then set it aside and allow it to cool. Once cooled… place the rice uncovered in the refrigerator.

After the rice has completely cooled and hardened (about 2 hours) you can finish this recipe.  Bring a wok or non stick skillet up to med high heat with your oil.  While you wait for that to come up to temp, shred the carrot, dice the red pepper and shallot.  Toss the peppers and shallots into the pan and sauté for a few minutes. While that’s cooking, slice the garlic. Lower the heat to medium and add the rice to the pan, sprinkling the garlic, shredded carrots and minced ginger over the top.

When you hear the rice popping (about 8-10 minutes), it’s time to flip the rice in the non stick skillet mixing the garlic, carrots and ginger into the rice, so it’s now towards the bottom.  Continue cooking for another 8=10 minutes stirring occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn.  Once you start to smell the garlic, slice the scallions.

Plate the rice and sprinkle the scallions and toasted sesame seeds over the top as a garnish just before serving.

The Ultimate Ginger Juice!

Ginger, Cucumber, Mint, Cayenne with Lemon Tea. The ultimate Ginger Juice!

For those interested in anti-inflammatory foods and or beverages. I came up with this beverage you can drink all day-evey day, in addition to the water you would normally consume daily. The bonus being that this beverage consists of highly anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties.

My source for the anti inflammatory information is http://nutritiondata.self.com/ 

Ingredients:

• ½ pound Raw Ginger Root skinned, rough chopped
• 1 small bunch Mint (about 20 leaves)
• 4 Lemons halved, squeezed
• 4 Tea bags
• 1 Cucumber seeded, chopped
• 6 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

Preparation:

First things first, peel and chop up the ginger. Fill a stock pot with 6 quarts of water and add the ginger. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the pot. Bring up to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hour or until you have reduced to about 4 quarts. 

Turn off the heat and add the tea bags and mint leaves.  Let the bags steep for 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags and allow the liquid to cool.

Peel and scrape the seeds out from the cucumber. Chop the cucumber into pieces and place in a one quart blender.  Pull the ginger pieces out of the stock pot, with a slotted spoon (leaving the lemon halves) and add to that blender with ½ quart of the liquid, from the stock pot and the cayenne pepper.

Liquefy the contents for at least 5 minutes.  After you’ve blended well, add the liquid back to the stock pot and bring back to a boil. Allow to cool and separate, equally, into two 2 quart pitchers.

This liquid is concentrated. So when you want to use it, dilute with water and fortify with maple syrup (for a cleanse) or sweeten with Stevia.

The Five Ways to Get The Best Out of Ginger

After posting, “Secrets of Ginger.” I wanted to also provide you with some of the things I do with ginger, to get the most out of it. Ginger is loaded with flavor and a super food. For those who follow the PointsPlus program. Using Splenda and/or Truvia instead of sugar guarantees you no points.

No. 1 Raw Ginger:

The first way to enjoy ginger is to use it raw.  I buy about 4 lbs of Ginger on average every month, plus or minus a week. One pound of that I keep as fresh ginger. The other three or so pounds I process and make turn it into 4 other types of ginger.

Keep the ginger in the fridge until ready to use. Freeze the ginger if you’ve had for more than 3 weeks. But first, process it by snapping off pieces and removing the skin with a butter knife or spoon. Cut off any over dried knuckles and blemishes. I like to use raw ginger in Miso salad dressing, soups, noodle dishes, stir fries and marinades. Frozen ginger grates easily with a micro-planer.

The second way of using the ginger is the first step to the next 4 uses for ginger.  Pickled ginger also known as Gari, primarily eaten with Sushi.  However, you can also add this to salads and sandwiches to add a fresh taste.

No. 2 Pickled Ginger:

Ingredients:

• 2 lb fresh young ginger
• 3 cups rice vinegar
• 2 cups sugar/Truvia or 48 packets of Splenda
• 2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Wash the ginger root and rub off skin with a spoon or butter knife. Slice the ginger thinly (use a mandolin slicer if you can’t slice thinly) and salt them. Leave salted ginger slices in a bowl for about an hour.

Dry the ginger slices with paper towels and put them in a glass or non reactive container

In a pot, over medium high heat dissolve the sugar into the rice vinegar and bring to a boil. Pour the hot mixture of vinegar and sugar over the ginger slices.

Let the ginger and pickling juices cool down before refrigerating. Cover and keep 3-4 days before using, it will keep refrigerated for up to one month.

While you are slicing, you will have pieces left over that are either too thick or irregularly shaped.  Collect all of that, plus slice more about 1/8 of an inch thick to combine and equal 2 cups worth.  We are going to use those to make ginger the third and fourth way to use Ginger.

No. 3 Ginger Syrup:

This stuff is great for adding to teas and hot cereals and grains like Oatmeal and Quinoa.  The syrup is especially good, if you are into making homemade ginger ales and cocktails.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar/Truvia (or 48 packets of Splenda)
• 2 cups fresh ginger, cut into 1/8-inch slices (about 2 large hands)
• 2 cups water

Preparation:

Basically, to start we are going make simple syrup.  In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, ginger and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy and reduced by half. That shouldn’t take more than an hour.  Strain ginger pieces out and reserve syrup. Don’t worry if it looks thin, the syrup will thicken as it cools.

The byproduct of making Ginger Syrup is what we are going to make next.

No. 4 Candied Ginger:

Ingredients:

• Strained and reserved ginger slices
• 1 sup sugar/Truvia or 24 packets of Splenda

Preparation:

Take your remaining ginger that you strained from the Ginger Syrup and place it on a shallow plate filled with about 1 cup of granulated sugar.  Mix the ginger in the sugar to coat completely. Then move the sugar coated ginger to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake the sugar coated ginger for about 4 hours at 200 degrees to turn it into candied ginger.

Finally we take the ginger syrup and candied ginger to make the final recipe of the Five

No. 5 Homemade Ginger Ale:

Ingredients:

• Ginger syrup
• 1 piece candied ginger
• Ice cold club soda or seltzer water
• squirt of fresh lime slice

Preparation:

For each 16-ounce serving, mix 1/4 cup ginger syrup with 1 cup cold club soda and pour over ice. Additional ginger syrup and/or sugar may be added to taste. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger and a lime slice.

The Secrets of Ginger

Ginger has been revered in Indian and Chinese civilizations for over 5000 years for its powerful health imparting properties. In fact, Indian ginger is said to have the most potent medicinal properties.

Preparation and Storage
In Asian cooking ginger is almost always used fresh, either: minced, crushed or sliced. Fresh ginger can be kept for several weeks in the salad drawer of the refrigerator. Dried ginger should be ‘bruised’ by beating it to open the fibers, then infused in the cooking or making ginger beer and removed when the flavor is sufficient. Ginger is to be store dried and powdered ginger in airtight containers.

Culinary Uses
Fresh ginger is essential to Asian and oriental cookery. It is used in pickles, chutneys and curry pastes and the ground dried root is a constituent of many curry powders. Tender young ginger can be sliced and eaten as a salad. Sometimes the roots will produce green sprouts which can be finely chopped and added to a green salad. In the West, dried ginger is mainly used in cakes and biscuits, especially ginger snaps and gingerbread. Ginger is also used in puddings, jams, preserves and in some drinks like ginger beer, ginger wine and tea. Pickled ginger is a delicious accompaniment to satays and a colourful garnish to many Chinese dishes. Preserved ginger is eaten as a confection, chopped up for cakes and puddings, and is sometimes used as an ice cream ingredient.

Attributed Medicinal Properties
Ginger has long been ascribed aphrodisiac powers, taken either internally or externally. It is mentioned in the Karma Sutra, and in the Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific it is employed ‘to gain the affection of a woman’. Conversely, in the Philippines it is chewed to expel evil spirits. Ginger is a known diaphoretic, meaning it causes one to sweat. It was recorded that Henry VIII instructed the mayor of London to use ginger’s diaphoretic qualities as a plague medicine.

Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, Ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. The primary known constituents of Ginger Root include gingerols, zingibain, bisabolenel, oleoresins, starch, essential oil (zingiberene, zingiberole, camphene, cineol, borneol), mucilage, and protein. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger has been found to be even more effective than Dramamine® in curbing motion sickness, without causing drowsiness. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger’s therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Other uses for Ginger Root include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs. Ginger Root may also be used to help break fevers by warming the body and increasing perspiration.

• Danish researchers found that ginger can block the effects of prostaglandin – a substance that cause inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain and can lead to migraines.
• Ginger was found to be effective for relieving the severity of nausea even in cases of pregnancy.
• Many women claim that ginger tea helps rid them of menstrual cramps.
• It has anti-inflammatory properties that can lessen the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Respiratory infections – it is well known for its warming action on the upper respiratory tract, so it has been used to treat colds and flu.
• It has been found to be effective in cramps caused by stomach gas. Ginger also stimulates digestion.
• It has a wholesome effect on the circulatory system as it makes the platelets less sticky and is of great benefit in case of circulatory disorders.
• As a mood enhancer, ginger’s cineole content may help contribute to stress relief.         
• It is a great mouth freshener and ginger tea has vastly refreshing properties.

What does, “Ginger Ale is made with real Ginger mean?”

The other day, while watching television, I saw a commercial for Canada Dry Ginger Ale.  It was the standard, dorky commercial we are accustomed to seeing, with dancing bottles or something to that effect.  What was of interest to me and really caught my attention, was when the commercial repeatedly emphasized the fact that “Canada Dry Ginger Ale,” is made with real ginger.  WHAT?!?

What other ingredient would they use to make Ginger Ale, if not from REAL ginger?  Is Canada Dry trying to say,“the other brands do not use real ginger?”  This is a little disturbing, don’t you think? Why would a company, whose most fundamental ingredient and namesake is ginger, feel it necessary to bring this fact to our attention? Is this some sort of a REVELATION?

I’m just saying…

If you want to know what I think? Ginger is good for you. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things to eat. Therefore, if Canada Dry Ginger AIe is made from real ginger, then… I guess I am a fan.  I eat lots of ginger, on a regular basis. It has a very distinctive taste that I enjoy; especially that mild burning sensation that you feel when eating it.  I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad thing for me to point out, it is considered a super food.

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