Tag: fresh ginger

How-To's, Recipes

Fight Colds/Feel Better Shots

by Lisa Dawn52 Comments on Fight Colds/Feel Better Shots

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We named these “fight colds/feel better shots” because that is exactly what they are. All of the elements do their jobs including but not limited to:

Ginger: immune boosting, detoxing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Turmeric: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, detoxing
Lemon Juice: immune boosting, detoxing
Cayenne Pepper: anti-cold, anti-flu, anti-fungal

And now that we are about to leave our summer vacation bubble and head back to the city, we need to make sure we are fortified for the school year!

I had to buy some new equipment for this project but it is well worth it. I got a dozen of these cute little 2oz. bottles and these little stainless steel funnels so that we could properly portion out our shots and not waste a drop! I made these in the Vitamix and I can’t vouch for them if made in a blender. So you know what I say? It’s time to get a Vitamix!

This recipe makes about 11 2oz. shots. The size of ginger and turmeric varies but really some amount like what is pictured below is fine.

1 3/4 cup filtered water
The juice of 4 lemons
1 piece of big ginger
3 pieces turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
11 2oz. bottles
1 funnel
1 fine mesh strainer

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 Pour the water into the Vitamix. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice.

Peel the ginger and add it to the Vitamix. Next, add the turmeric, unpeeled. Add the cayenne pepper.

Start the Vitamix on low and then turn it up and let it rip until it is yellow and you don’t hear any more grinding.

Set the fine mesh strainer over a 2 cup measuring cup and pour the mixture through. Press the remaining pulp with the back of a spoon and get out as much as you can. There will be only a small amount of pulp left. You an also skip this step.

Set the bottles up in an assembly line and get the funnel ready. Have a spoon handy to mix the measuring cup every few pours to make sure the pulp doesn’t settle and it is evenly distributed among the bottles.

Pour the shots and then twist the covers on tightly. Store in the refrigerator. Shake them up before shooting them and enjoy!

Vegan

Fresh Ginger & Turmeric

by Lisa DawnLeave a Comment on Fresh Ginger & Turmeric

IMG_3868Ginger                          Turmeric

Six months back, when I was asked to test recipes for Candle Cafe’s new Vegan Holiday Cooking cookbook, I was super excited! What an honor and a challenge. My job was to give honest feedback on each recipe from whether it worked according to the directions to how it tasted. I tested almost 30 recipes!

The best part about the process was that I was forced (in the best way possible) to work with ingredients that I would normally avoid. Ginger being my #1 most avoided ingredient. However, several of the recipes called for fresh ginger so I had to embrace it.

It turns out I like cooking with fresh ginger. In the past when I have made marinades for Asian dishes, I would use ground ginger. Well, folks, it is not the same. Fresh is, well, fresher! And not only that but it is way easier to work with than I thought. All you have to do is break a piece off the ginger, peel it, grate it on a microplane and add to your favorite dish (like Broccoli: Asian Style.)

And right next to the fresh ginger, they sell fresh turmeric. I feel way more confident in my cooking, especially with ingredients that I used to think of as “out there” and now I am hooked on fresh turmeric too. It looks just like ginger but can you see the gorgeous orange inside?

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Fresh turmeric beats the powdered stuff a million times over. Now my tofu scrambles and rice pilafs taste fresher and look brighter. Break a piece off the turmeric, peel it, grate it on a microplane and add to your favorite dish.

Both ginger and turmeric have significant immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. I got hit hard this winter with the flu and I am not going down again. So, not only am I cooking a lot with both, I have been stopping at Organic Avenue a couple of times a week to do ginger and turmeric shots. The Turmeric shot is doable but the ginger shot is super intense. It burns like crazy, my eyes tear, and it is hard to breath for a few minutes after. But, it is totally worth it. You should try it!