ingredients of the week: lemon, ginger and honey

as mentioned in my last post, i'm sick. and this is not the time to get sick! why can't my immune system just work?! well, i will let you know that soup made me feel a lot better, but nothing can make me feel better than a mug of my special get-well tea. it's not any weird tasting natural medicine with all sorts of strange ingredients, most of you have probably made it at some point.

so for this ingredient of the week, i'm actually breaking it down into three sections for the ingredients in my magical tea: lemon, ginger and honey. each ingredient has it's own unique medicinal qualities, and when combined can relieve literally any cold and flu symptoms you have!

first up!

so let's start with lemons. first off, the smell just puts you in a better mood. refreshing, light, happy, calming - exactly what you need when your world is insane! the most important thing to know about lemons (and limes, for that matter) is that they are full of anti-cancer and antioxidant compounds which are vital to keep a strong immune system. lemons are particularly high in vitamin c, which acts to neutralize any free radicals in the body and prevent them from damaging your healthy cells. specifically, vitamin c has shown to greatly reduce painful swelling and inflammation in the body, and can greatly help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

number two in the trio

next on the list: ginger. i love cooking with ginger because it's a bit spicy and instantly makes the whole kitchen smell good! ginger is really helpful for relieving any gastrointestinal issues such as upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, vomiting (especially with morning and motion sickness) and all that nice stuff. like lemons, ginger also has strong anti-cancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that are extremely potent. when it comes to the flu, it helps with relieving throat pain, congestion, fever and chills, increases circulation and can even cure headaches. a compound in ginger also stimulates healthy sweating (yeah, it sounds gross) that detoxifies the body. it's the ultimate cold fighter!

greek honey with mixed nuts

i save the best (and my favourite) for last, honey. it's been used for over 2500 years by mankind, it is an important part of many different traditional medicines (such as ayurveda), and scientists are still researching into it's benefits! honey by far, is the best natural remedy for curing sore throats and suppressing a cough. hands down. it has many antimicrobial properties which help to soothe the raw tissues on the back of your throat. at the same time, honey boosts your immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells due to it's high amount of antioxidants. honey is a natural sweetner, and is a high source of vitamin c, calcium and iron. compare that to processed sugar, which has zip. use honey instead! weirdly, honey also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, so it can be used as an antiseptic. this seems strange, but it's even used after surgeries! i probably wouldn't stick it on my skin, but i guess if you're out of polysporin, haha?

ingredients for a healthy you

what you need:
slice of lemon
1 or 2 small pieces of fresh ginger root
1 tbsp organic honey (i use greek honey)

step 1:
put water in a kettle and begin to boil. in the mean time, chop of your pieces of ginger and trim off the skin. plop in the bottom of your mug.
step 2:
squirt your honey on top of the pieces of ginger.

like so...

step 3: 
put your slice of lemon on top of the honey and ginger, and once water has boiled, pour directly on top. stir with a spoon to mix the honey in with the water. drink up!

TA DA! now you know how to make my special tea. feel better!

another really tasty option for feeling better is to add a piece of ginger in a mug with honey and then steep a bag of tazo zen green tea with it. the tea is really light and refreshing, with lemongrass and spearmint leaves and goes perfectly with the ginger.

when life gives you lemons, make αυγολέμονο

damn, life has given me lemons this week. not only is it the week before midterms - which is stressful enough on its own - now plus the fact that i'm all sickly-ickly. to make me feel better, i made avgolemono (ahv-goh-lem-oh-noh), a traditional greek soup with eggs ("avgo") and lemon ("lemoni"). it is the ultimate nommy nommy soup. i am eating it right now, and am in awe that i managed to make something soooo delicious. this is probably the best thing i've made. ever. now, i don't know if that's me and my cooking, or just the awesomeness that is greek food. who knows.

so, i did make some changes to the traditional version. mainly because i lack the equipment (a kitchen aid), but i also wanted a thick soup to help me feel not so sick. in the traditional version, you whip the egg whites until they form peaks, then add it to the broth to make some kind of foamy thing. another traditional version of this soup is magiritsa, made with lamb and served at easter to break the 40 day fast. if ya want it really traditional, you put in the icky bits of the lamb (intestines, heart, head, neck, liver.. ewwies). buuuut since i didn't want any of that lovely stuff, i added normal chicken breast to make some weird, but awesome greek version of chicken soup.

my version of the traditional soup

so, here's what you need:
2 chicken breasts or 3 thighs
2 tsp canola oil
salt and pepper
7 cups chicken broth
3 eggs
juice of 3 1/2 lemons (note: i like mine really lemony, but if you're not a fan, add less)
1 cup kritharaki (also known as orzo) or rice.
1 tsp water
1 tsp corn starch
1 scoop greek yogut
note: you don't need the corn starch, the eggs act as a natural thickener. i just wanted mine a bit thicker than usual.

step 1:
pre heat oven to 350 degrees. pour oil into an oven safe dish and then place both chicken breasts in. add salt and pepper over top and stick in the oven for ~45 minutes, depending on the size.
step 2:
while waiting, juice your lemons into a bowl. set that aside and then put a big pot on the stove. set to high heat and add in all the chicken broth. bring to a boil. once boiling, add in your orzo. it should take ~15 - 20 minutes to cook.
step 3:
when your chicken is done, take it out and slice into small, bite-sized pieces and put into the pot.  set it to low heat. crack your eggs into the bowl with the lemon juice and whisk. set aside. get a small bowl and mix the corn starch and water together to form a slurry.
step 4:
this is the hardest part: tempering the eggs. with whisk in hand, slowly ladle the hot broth into the egg and lemon mixture, whisking quickly. if they scramble, start again. add into the pot, along with the corn starch. stir for about 2 minutes until it thickens and serve with a dollop of greek yogurt!

rich but light, hearty and yummy  : )

as a side note, you can make avgolemono sauce as well, to put over meat or vegetables. it's the same recipe just with no chicken, no orzo, and less chicken broth. a traditional greek way to serve it is over celery and pork which is also really, really good! or of course, on top of dolmades (which hopefully i will be making at some point!)