New Foods

Usually when I do my grocery shopping, I focus just on what is on my list and, since I am very familiar with the grocery store I go to every week, I don’t look at anything else. Just this past week I was distracted in the aisle where the nut spreads (like peanut butter) were displayed and found a lot of spreads I didn’t recognize. I decided to try one with the very long description: “Lemony Flaxseed Spread with Ginger and Honey.” It sounded like it would be good on toast or pancakes.

I got home and decided to slather some on the last of the sweet potato bread.

Wow - it had more kick than I anticipated!

Maybe the combination of ginger and chile pepper is even greater that the spices individually?

Whatever the case - this is a successful experiment in the sense that I am using less butter on toast (i.e. this replaces the butter) and I’ve also used it instead of maple syrup and butter on pancakes.

Maybe one of the keys to eat less fat and sugar is to lean toward more ‘spice’!

Recipe of the Week: Ginger Root Tea

Ginger root can be a flavorful and healthy addition to tea. There are many ways to prepare it. Below is the one that is easiest for me. I like it either hot or cold.

Buying the ginger root. I buy a larger piece of ginger root at the grocery store. It keeps well without refrigeration and the larger pieces are easier to grate. The root in the picture has a part that has already been used (lower left of the picture); the raw end dries out very quickly and is simply grated away next time you need to grate more from the root.

Preparing the ginger. I use 1-2 teaspoons of grated ginger for each pot of tea and I usually grate enough for several pots at one time - storing what I don’t use immediately in a small container in the freezer. I don’t bother peeling the ginger before grating it since I am going to put it in a filter anyway (i.e. not directly in the tea). The tough fibers and pulp from the ginger will stay in the filter - not in the tea.

Making the tea. I use a coffee maker that has never made coffee to make tea. I put loose tea or tea bags in the filter along with the ginger. If you use a pot where the tea and ginger are immersed in the water instead of a coffee maker, simply strain the leaves/gratings while pouring into your cup or glass.