Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Weekly Challenge - Week 7 (2/12/13)

Cook with fresh garlic.

 
In today's world, everyone wants a 'magic' bullet or pill to cure their current ailment.  Fresh garlic is God's magic bullet.
 
Please note that I said fresh, not raw.  I am not suggesting that you eat raw garlic, especially if you do not regularly use fresh garlic in your cooking.  The only way I use raw garlic is in salad dressings and sauces, where it is coated with oil or fat.  Eating a raw garlic clove by itself can cause stomach irritation.  Eating raw garlic cloves is not recommended and not necessary to benefit from garlic's magical properties.
 
I had NEVER had fresh garlic used in any food in my life growing up!  I now ALWAYS have a couple heads of garlic in my house; it is an item I always want to have on hand.  It is an essential staple in my kitchen.  Garlic has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties.  Even the traditional medical community has good things to say about garlic.  Besides boosting the immune system and fighting infections, it has anti-inflammatory properties, it fights cancer, it strengthens the heart lowering blood pressure and cholestrol, and it is packed with vitamins and nutrients.  This is truly God's superfood.  NOTE:  Garlic also improves blood circulation because it has blood thinning properties, but if you are having surgery or if you are on blood thinning medication, you should be careful when using garlic in your diet.

Some tips concerning garlic:

1.  Store your garlic in a container that breathes and place in a dark cabinet or counter area.  Do not store your garlic in the refrigerator.  My garlic holder is shown in the photo above. 

2.  Get a good garlic press.  I have purchased many different ones, and have been extremely frustrated with most.  The one I finally found that works well is the Zyliss Susi.  (I have never tried the Susi 2 or Susi 3 presses so I don't know how they work.)
 
 
 
3.  Buy a head of fresh garlic - buying the already minced garlic in a jar or garlic powder is not the same.

4.  Start slowly if you typically don't use garlic.  One or two cloves go a long way in a dish.  During the winter, when colds are rampant, I use a clove or two of garlic, along with yellow onion in most of our dinner meals.

5.  Yes, eating garlic can give you 'bad' breath, especially when you first start eating it.  I wonder if this effect is due to the 'kill-off' of germs.  Brush your teeth well and follow the 'break fast' routine.  I have lots of friends who eat garlic daily and they do not have bad breath from the garlic, so don't let this thought scare you away from using garlic.

6.  I also have many people tell me they don't like the taste of garlic or that they can't eat it because it upsets their stomach.  However, don't give up on garlic.  Just start extremely slowly and use it in very small quantities, making sure it is well cooked.

7.  To use fresh garlic, pull off a clove and cut off both ends.  Then peel off the skin and place in a garlic press and mince.  You can also smash it with the side of a large knife and then finely chop if you do not own a garlic press.  When making one-dish foods, I press out the garlic into my diced vegetables and saute' everything together.  Here is a photo of the vegetables I sauteed for an egg frittata last week.  I then added eggs and cheese, and baked. 
 






   


Advanced Challenge for those already cooking with fresh garlic:

Buy and use fresh ginger in your food.  Ginger also has many amazing health benefits, one is that it is a powerful digestive aid.  I store my ginger in the freezer.  When I want to use it, I take a knife and peel away some of the outer skin and then use a very small grater - I've pictured the two types I own.  Start by adding 1/2 to 1 tsp. of freshly grated ginger to a dish - fresh ginger is very subtle and you probably won't even taste it.  Experiment and enjoy.
 


"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17


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