Ginger Vegetable Chicken Noodle Bowl

Ginger, Flickr.com, photo by floeschie

Apparently, I've been thinking about ginger a lot recently. This is the second post this week about a meal flavored with ginger. I hope you don't mind, because ginger has numerous health benefits. It can help relieve nausea and increase your energy, as well as reduce headaches, menstrual cramps, and arthritis pain. Dr. Mercola listed it in his Top Ten spices to combat aging and prevent disease because it helps keep your heart healthy, boosts the immune system, and lowers cholesterol. Ginger is also an anti-inflammatory agent and is thought to help prevent cancer.

So, let's eat some ginger this week! Today's recipe is a combination of chicken noodle soup and an asian stir fry. It's deliciously different. We used to always eat it over white rice, but these days, we just eat it as-is. It makes a delicious lunch. Add in the spaghetti noodles if you want a little heartier dish, or leave them out if you want it to be more like a soup. The measurements aren't terribly exact. The original recipe calls for a lot of eyeballing it, so add everything in, then feel free to adjust the spices a little more to suit your tastes.

Ginger Vegetable Chicken Noodle Bowl
(adapted from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats)

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked, shredded chicken
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup shredded carrots
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (I've found this at Publix)
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 whole wheat or gluten free spaghetti noodles (optional)
2 cups bean sprouts

Directions:
Add chicken, garlic, ginger, and carrots to a large pot and stir. Add in the salt, pepper, cumin, Chinese five-spice powder, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti noodles, if using, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the bean sprouts and turn off the heat. Let it stand for about 5 minutes, then adjust the spices as needed and serve.