Weird Food Wednesday: Cooking with Turmeric

By Kaitlin Bitz Candelaria | March 30, 2016
cooking with turmeric
I don’t know about you, but when I started eating healthy, I had the palette of an unsophisticated six-year-old.

I had never even heard of half of the vegetables I found on my first trip to Whole Foods and it took months for someone to instruct me on the proper pronunciation of quinoa.

However, I’ve come a long way since then and now make a point to try to incorporate a new food into my diet every month. It isn’t hard to do since all my prior experiences involve corn, taters and lots of butter.

Now that I’m a little further along in my healthy eating journey, I may it a habit to try new foods as often as possible. This week for Weird Food Wednesday, I’m cooking with turmeric for the first time.

Turmeric is similar to ginger in the sense that it comes in both a root form and a ground powder form, although the roots may be a little more difficult to find unless you’re shopping in a health food store.

Turmeric hails from the southwest and central Asia regions and is used in many different Asian and Middle Eastern countries as a spice staple. It’s also traditional been used for medicinal purposes in these cultures and is a well-known anti-inflammatory.

Turmeric is well known for it’s traditional coloring — it’s how the mustard in your fridge is such a pretty shade of yellow — and is a primary ingredient in things like curry and yellow rice.

We put together four super simple recipes for you to try turmeric own your own.

Indian Egg Scramblecooking with turmeric

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon of capers
  • 1 tablespoon of cilantro
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Stir frequently until the eggs are cooked all the way through and serve.
This recipe is Whole30 and Paleo friendly.


 

Spicy Brothcooking with turmeric

If you’re anything like me, allergy season is kicking your tail right now. This broth is just the thing to clear up sinus pressure and to pull out the stopper so to speak on your poor, pounding head. It has just enough heat to give it a kick and is super easy on the tummy.

Ingredients

  • 1 container of chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons of cilantro
  • Juice from one lime
  • 4 slices of lime
  • 1 bunch of spinach
Directions

  1. Combine your chicken broth, red pepper flakes, cilantro, lime juice and lime slices in a boiler over high heat.
  2. Bring the broth to a boil before reducing the heat and allowing it to simmer for five to ten minutes.
  3. Remove the broth from the heat and add your bunch of spinach to the top before serving.
This recipe is Whole30 and Paleo friendly.


 

Honey and Turmeric Glazed Wingscooking with turmeric

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of chicken wings
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 1 tablespoon of turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon of crushed rosemary
Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small container, combine honey, turmeric and rosemary.
  3. Prepare your chicken wings by cutting the excess bones and skin off and place them on a non-stick baking sheet.
  4. Coat them evenly on one side with the mixture and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
  5. After fifteen minutes, pull the wings out and flip them and coat the other side with the honey/turmeric mixture before placing them back in the oven.
  6. Cook for another fifteen minutes and enjoy.
This recipe is Paleo friendly.


 

Butter Roasted Veggiescooking with turmeric

It’s hard to go wrong with roasted vegetables. In fact, anytime I try a new vegetable or a new spice, I start off using the oven-roasted method. It provides a rich flavor without being overwhelming and since I’m basically a rabbit, I’m almost always happy with the results

Ingredients

  • 2 beets
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee
Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Peel and slice your carrots and beets. Bonus points if you shave off half a knuckle like I did.
  3. In a microwave safe dish, melt your ghee.
  4. Put your carrots and beets on a baking sheet.
  5. Combine the ghee with your turmeric and use a brush to apply the mixture to the vegetables.
  6. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes and enjoy! Beets have such a strong, sweet flavor that the turmeric is almost undetectable, but you’re still reaping the health benefits!
This recipe is Whole30, Paleo and AIP friendly.


For more Weird Food Wednesdays, click here.

 

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