Saturday Spice Spotlight: Ginger

In honor of a belly ache, today's spice is my beloved ginger.

The reason I became so infatuated with ginger is because of it's healing properties of the stomach.  When I was younger I had stomach aches a lot, and a little bit of flat ginger ale would always make me feel better.  When I was older, I discovered Reed's Jamaican Ginger Beer while working at a health food store.  I was hooked.  Between that and crystallized ginger, I discovered my favorite spice.

I don't only like ginger coated in sugar, though.  I love it ground in oatmeal.  Grated in stir-fries.  Mixed into carrot cake.  I actually like it in everything, every which way.

Ginger isn't just for belly aches.  It has a plethora of benefits.

• Relieves motion sickness and morning sickness
• Eases the pain of arthritis
• Ginger is antiviral and antibacterial, and can be used much like turmeric to help alleviate or prevent colds and the flu
• Ginger has been shown to prevent coronary heart disease 
• Full of antioxidants, ginger helps to prevent cancer

My favorite way to consume ginger is in these Triple Threat Ginger Cookies.

I also like to sprinkle ground ginger on sweet potatoes and roast them in the oven.

Right now, though, to help my stomach woes, I'm drinking ginger tea:  a slice of ginger mixed with almost boiling water and a bit of milk.  I also just had a slice of ginger dipped in some honey.

With ginger on my side, I know I'll feel better soon.

It's a Pizza Pie! Literally...

When I saw Ashley's amazing pizza recipe yesterday morning, I instantly knew I had to make it for dinner that night.  In fact, I toyed with the idea of making the pizza before work, and having it for lunch. Buckwheat flour?  Millet flour?  Yes, please! The only thing holding me back was a lack of tomato sauce, which I remedied with Andrew after a nice trip to the library with Andrew (where I scored a copy of Gluten Free Girl!). I usually don't buy things packaged besides milk, eggs, and yogurt and frozen vegetables, but I make an exception for tomato sauce. It's too good to be without.

This recipe was super easy to make.  I didn't have a pizza pan, so I used a pie dish.  It's not called a pizza pie for nothing, right?  I modified the recipe a bit to accommodate the ingredients I had and my desire for a little bit of spice.

Super Lovely Pizza Pie

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.  Seriously.  1: Mix everything together until well incorporated.  2.  Pour it into a greased pie plate.  Or pizza pan.  Or whatever you choose.  3.  Stick it in the oven at 375 for 40 minutes.

Then your crust is done!  I topped our pizza with the luscious tomato sauce, some eggplant and fennel.  I even added a bit more Italian seasoning to the top.  Oh, and don't forget the cheese!  This is a raw cheddar cheese.  This recipe yielded a wonderfully thick crust, bursting with flavor.  I made a cucumber, mushroom, and hummus dish to go alongside it.  It was perhaps the most relaxing meal of this week, for some reason.  I think sharing a meal, slowing down at the end of the week, and enjoying all the different flavors was like taking a deep, refreshing breath.  Or a long sip of wine.  It was perfect.

Sharing a dish like this was a great start to Valentine's Day weekend.  What are you sharing with your loved one (partner or friends) this weekend?