10 Recipes For Cooking With Fresh Ginger

ginger recipes for chemo patients

One of the first things you learn as a young adult cancer fighter is that an upset stomach can often be helped with some good, old fashioned ginger.  Ginger ale, ginger candies, ginger ice cream…the ginger possibilities are endless!  While it is not well known why ginger helps ease nausea caused by chemotherapy, we’re here to lend you some fun recipes we found to add ginger to your every meal 🙂  Here at Lacuna Loft, we’ve talked about ginger jam and ginger strawberry ice cream but here are even more fun ginger recipes!

Psst!  Know a chemo patient?  Think about making one (or another!) of these great ginger recipes and dropping the yummies on their doorstep!

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[list_item]stir fried noodles with garlic ginger sauce – Pinch of Yum[/list_item]

[list_item]ginger peach serbet – I Sugar Coat It[/list_item]

[list_item]peach ginger crumblegather & dine[/list_item]

[list_item]carrot ginger soupSimply Recipes[/list_item]

[list_item]candied gingerFood Network (specifically, Alton Brown…love him!)[/list_item]

[list_item]ginger teavegetarian times[/list_item]

[list_item]ginger hot chocolateMinimalist Baker[/list_item]

[list_item]ginger, citrus and black sesame carrots with edamame saladThe First Mess[/list_item]

[list_item]chewy ginger cookies – bon appetit[/list_item]

[list_item]baked gingerbread mini donutsPinch of Yum[/list_item]
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Have you tried any of these ginger recipes before?  Do you have any others that have been helpful for you?  We’d love to hear about it!

image via from Pinch of Yum

Spread On Some Of That Ginger Jam

The other day I was eating out with a new friend of mine.  The toast that came with my omelet had a side of the loveliest ginger jam I’d ever tasted.  It had that wonderful ginger spice but was also smooth and sweet.  It made me think back to my days of guzzling Diet Ginger Ale and how awesome having some of this ginger jam would have been!

Ginger jam seems like another great way to add a bit of ginger into your diet.  A great natural trick for helping a queasy stomach, that ginger spice is found in so many things from drinks to cookies.  Before trying this ginger jam, I’d never had ginger this way.  Recently, Lacuna Loft added ginger to ice cream (it was delicious!) and everyone has had a ginger snap or two in their day.  But ginger jam?  Delectable!

Searching around I found two different recipes…one from Livestrong and another from All Recipes.  I think this is definitely something I’ll have to try this fall.

Have you tasted ginger jam before?  Ever made some ginger jam at home?  What are your favorite ginger treats?  We’d love to know what recipes you love!

Ginger Strawberry Ice Cream – Oh My!

We have been so excited to share this strawberry ice cream recipe!  We offered a sneak peek a few weeks ago on Instagram and today we are pumped to tell you how we made it!  The best part of this ice cream recipe? The ginger!  Eat something sweet and sooth a queasy tummy at the same time!

Here’s what you will need:

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[list_item]1 cup sugar[/list_item]
[list_item]4 cups strawberries[/list_item]
[list_item]1 1/2 cups milk[/list_item]
[list_item]3 1/4 cup half-n-half[/list_item]
[list_item]a handful of chopped ginger[/list_item]
[list_item]1/4 cup basil[/list_item]
[list_item]1/4 cup lemon balm[/list_item]
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Start by rinsing the strawberries and slicing the tops off.

strawberries

Peel a hunk of ginger (you can do this with a spoon!) and slice a handful.  (I did not use the entire hunk of ginger in the below picture!)

ginger_1

ginger

Chop some lemon balm and basil.  We took ours straight from Lacuna Loft’s garden!

lemonbalm

Pour the cream and milk into a sauce pan.  Add the ginger, lemon balm, and the basil.  When the creamy liquid is warm, add the sugar, and stir until the sugar is fully incorporated and the liquid slightly thicker.

heatingcream

Remove from heat.  Blend the herb-y cream-y, sweet liquid along with the strawberries.  Cool for 4 hours (or overnight).

batter

Pour into your ice cream maker and voila!

icecream

As you can see from the above picture, there are small pieces of herbs and ginger in the creamy ice cream.  If you’d like to remove the herbs after you heat the liquid in the sauce pan, and before you blend everything together, that’s fine!

What do you think?  Let us know if you try the recipe!

Favorite Product: Ginger Anything

Several years ago I was put on a months-long course of an antibiotic known to be especially hard on the stomach.  Within a few days nausea became my constant and very unwelcome companion.  The prospect of months of queasiness was completely unappealing but looked pretty inevitable until a good friend bought me a giant box of ginger candies (thanks again, Rachel!).  Some studies have shown that ginger reduces nausea (see here or here for literature reviews), and it definitely works for me.

My course of antibiotics is long over, but my migraines are often accompanied by nausea, so ginger still helps.  My go-to sources are ginger tea and ginger candy, but I also cook with fresh or powdered ginger, drink ginger ale, and am open to pretty much anything else made with real ginger.

Some of my favorite gingery treats (I have not been compensated in any way for mentioning these brands or products; I just like them):

If you have any other gingery product suggestions, or other anti-nausea recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments for me and for other readers!

Please remember that this post is the opinion of the author and should not replace actual medical advice or attention.

image via