In Season: Ginger
Ginger photo by Tony Hisgett via Flickr/Creative Commons
Stepping into a big box grocery store, it’s easy to think that all produce grows all year round—but that’s hardly the case. In this series, we’ll highlight one in-season produce pick a week.
Ginger
Nutrition: Where to start? With digestion-aiding phenolic compounds and anti-inflammatory, pain-reducing activities, ginger is one of the healthiest spices out there.
Why that matters: The antioxidant and gastrointestinal elements of the ginger root can help fight nausea. Just chewing raw ginger or sipping ginger tea is an easy, cheap way to calm stomach bloating and indigestion.
Where to find it: The produce aisle of any grocery store. Look out for skin that isn’t peeling or wrinkled, which can indicate age.
Five ginger recipes:
1. Spicy Cinnamon Ginger Carrots
via Nutrition Awareness
If you think carrots are bland reminders of diets passed, just give this sweet and spicy dish a try. The ginger adds kick to the cinnamon while complementing the veggie’s earthy taste. Be sure to test it out while carrots are still in season.
2. Cleansing Ginger-Chicken Soup
via Bon Appetit
This lightly tangy soup—which requires minimal hands-on effort—is perfect for brisk days in late November. Feel free to swap cabbage in for the chicken to keep it vegetarian-friendly.
3. Creamy Ginger Green Smoothie
via Nutrition Stripped
Just when you think you’ve made every green smoothie possible, this one adds avocado, dates, and a generous amount of ginger to the blender. With only filtered water and a banana for creaminess, there’s nothing sinful about this chilled treat.
4. Mango Salad with Ginger-Raisin Vinaigrette
via Eating Well
Hark back to summery days with this sweet and fruity salad. It only uses a teaspoon of ginger, but that’s enough to provide quite a bit of your daily manganese quota, and a significant amount of fiber.
5. Couscous with Ginger, Orange, Almonds, and Herbs
via Fine Cooking
This meal boasts enough complex flavors to pass as a real culinary endeavor, but it only takes a few minutes to whip up and even fewer to reheat. Serve it on its own or as a bed for chicken or fish.
