During the winter months ginger is great for flavoring winter vegetable soups such as carrot and sweet potato. It is very warming and often helps to settle the stomach if you are suffering from nausea or vomiting.
The trouble with storing ginger root is that it quickly dries up or gets moldy. To prevent this from happening, while the ginger is still fresh, peel and chop it into smaller chunks. Store it in an airtight bag and freeze. This will keep the herb fresh and make it easier to grate.
A popular winter soup that uses ginger is carrot ginger soup. It is warming and grounding. It also offers a sweet flavor to help satisfy sweet cravings.
Carrot Ginger Soup
2 tablespoons grape seed oil or olive oil
1 onion chopped into bite size squares.
5 large carrots scrubbed and chopped into bite size pieces.
Juice from grated Ginger (to taste)
Sea salt to taste
Vegetable broth or filtered water to cover vegetables
In a large soup pot, heat oil. Add onion and a touch of sea salt. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped carrots and a little more salt. Continue to sauté for another minute or so.
Add enough broth or water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium-low and cover pot. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
Purée the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Squeeze juice from grated ginger. Garnish with a touch of parsley and serve.
Note: If the carrots are not fresh, you may wish to add a touch of sweetener such as maple syrup or raw sugar to the soup.
