My Secret Veggies to Staying Cold-Free / 私の風邪を引かない秘訣: ネギ、生姜、にんにく

Just over a week left until Veganuary begins!

When people think about a vegan diet, concerns about nutrition might come to mind. Personally, I’m not completely vegan, and I believe it depends on individual constitution and living environment. However, I’ve been doing good as a vegetarian leaning towards veganism. In fact, I feel that a light, plant-based diet suits me well in my 40s.

While my family and friends have caught colds, and colds seem to be going around in general, I’ve managed to stay healthy. I believe a few plant-based ingredients might be contributing to this, so I’d like to share them with you: green onions, ginger, and garlic.

Green onions and ginger, my favorites

There are many ways to enjoy these ingredients, but during this season, I often use them in soups. A bowl of miso soup with green onions and ginger really warms me up. In Japanese cooking, we don't use much garlic.

Miso soup with plenty of green onions and ginger

This year, I discovered a wonderful soup from vegan cooking expert Yoko Imai’s book “One Bowl a Day: Vegetable Soups for a Balanced Body”. The soup features ginger, green onions, garlic, daikon radish, and tempeh. It’s become a favorite of mine. Adding tempeh to soup was new for me, and it feels even more warming than my usual miso soup with green onions and ginger.

Soup with tempeh, daikon, green onions, ginger, and garlic

As for ginger, I used to cut fresh ginger every time I needed it, but this season, I’ve been using dried ginger that I prepared by leaving slices to dry on the heater. Recently I wrote about the detail in a post.

Drying food on heating

I simply break it into pieces by hand, which saves the effort of cutting it while preventing waste. I love this method!

Dried ginger

Another favorite is making simmered ginger from the leftover pulp after making ginger syrup. It’s amazing on rice—so delicious that it’s almost dangerous because I could eat endless amounts of rice with it!

Simmered ginger made from ginger syrup leftovers

Simmered ginger as a rice topping

When my partner and I have lunch together, it often looks like this: sandwiches for him and something Japanese for me. While sandwiches are great, they don’t warm you up the same way. I can’t help but feel this is why I’ve been able to stay active and cold-free.

Lunches for two: German and Japanese styles

So as Veganuary approaches, why not embrace green onions, ginger, and garlic to keep your body warm and keep you fit through winter!

Happy Meatless Monday, everyone 🥕

~~~

ヴェガニュアリーまであと一週間ちょっとになりました。ヴィーガンというと、栄養面が心配という人もいるかもしれません。私自身完全にヴィーガンではないし、体質や生活環境などにもよりそうですが、私がヴィーガンに近いベジタリアンでいる分には元気に暮らしています。むしろ40代という私の年齢には軽い菜食があっているようにも感じます。

家族や友人たちが風邪をひいて、一般的にも風邪が流行っている中、私は元気で、多分これかなあと思う菜食食材があるので書いてみたいと思います。ズバリ、ネギ、生姜、にんにくです。

大好きなネギと生姜

食べ方はいろいろありますが、この時期は汁物に使うことが多いです。ネギと生姜の入ったお味噌汁を食べるとガッツリ体が温まります。

ネギと生姜たっぷりの味噌汁

今年はヴィーガン料理研究家の今井ようこさんの『1日1杯。体がととのう野菜のスープ』で、生姜、ネギ、にんにくすべてが入った大根とテンペのスープを学んで気に入っています。テンペを汁物に入れるのが私には新しくて、ネギと生姜を入れたお味噌汁以上に体が温まる気がします。

ネギ・生姜・にんにくすべてが入ったテンペと大根のスープ

生姜はどうやって使っているかというと、以前は生の生姜をその都度切って使っていたのですが、今季は暖房の上で作った乾燥生姜を手で割って使っています。切るストレスがなく、乾かしてダメにしてしまうこともなく、この方法を気に入っています。

乾燥生姜

あとは、生姜シロップを作った残りの生姜を佃煮にして、ご飯に載せるのも大好きです。無限にご飯を食べられてしまいそうなのが怖い一品ですが・・・。

生姜シロップを作ったあとの生姜で作る佃煮

生姜の佃煮はご飯のおとも

私と相方が一緒にお昼を食べると下の写真のような感じになります。サンドイッチもいいのですが、がっつり体は温まらなさそうで、そら私の方が風邪を引かずにうろちょろできるんだろうな・・・と感じます。

日独別々ランチ

というわけで、ヴェガニュアリーでもどんどん取り入れたいネギ、生姜、にんにくを食べて体を温めて元気に冬を乗り切りましょう!

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You just dice the tempeh and add to the soup?
I like onions and ginger. Garlic varies so much, I like the fresh green garlic, it' milder (I think I have some in the garden that I forgot I planted).

Initially I diced tempeh but breaking it with hand works well and looks more meaty 😁 Fresh green garlic is not common here in my place. I must grow it by myself. I like it too. And I also like strong garlic bulbs ... 😉