BSI: GINGER round-up!

I am so excited by all of the fabulous recipes that were submitted for the BSI: GINGER contest this week!  You all did a great job working with an ingredient that many of you weren't completely comfortable with.  I'm so proud!!!  :)

Here are all of the entries I received over the last week...

Mel @ A Taste of Life : Gingered Chicken and Vegetable Potstickers

Caroline @ Banana Cabana : Ginger Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Beth @ Biggest Diabetic Loser : Grilled Chicken Wraps with Creamy Citrus Ginger Dressing

Becca @ Bites of the Day : Ancho Ginger Applesauce and Ginger Rugelach

Christina @ Dinner at Christina's : Crustless Apple Pie with Ginger Topping

Jessica @ Johnstone's Vin Blanc : Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

Miss Tiffie @ Miss Tiffie Munches : Apricot Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Jess @ See Jess Run : Maple and Ginger Roasted Salmon

Ashley @ Sweet + Natural : Crystalized Ginger Cookies

Tri to Cook : Blueberry and White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cookies and Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash

VeggieGirl : VeggieGirl's Veganized Pear-Pistachio-Ginger Blondies

Catherine @ Stevia + Spice : Extra Snappy Gingersnaps

Extra Snappy Gingersnaps

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  


• 2 tsp baking soda
  


• 1 tsp cinnamon
  


• 2 tsp ginger
  


• 1 tsp cloves
  


• 1 1/2 cayenne
  


• 1/2 tsp salt
  


• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  


• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temp
  


• 1/2 cup shortening, room temp
  


• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  


• 3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  


• 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  


• 1/4 cup mild-flavored molasses
  


• 1/4 cup egg whites (from 2 eggs)
  


• Sugar (for rolling)
  

1. Combine flour, soda, spices, salt and grated ginger in a medium mixing bowl.  Whisk to blend.  In a separate bowl, cream together sugars, shortening and butter until fluffy.  Add egg and molasses and beat until blended.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.


2. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 2 baking sheets with silpat cookie sheets.  Spoon sugar in thick layer onto a small plate.  Using wet hands, form dough into 3/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely.  Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. 


3. Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to the touch, 8-10 minutes.  Cool on sheets one minute.  Carefully transfer to racks and cook.  (Can be made up to 5 days ahead of time.  Store airtight at room temp.)

**makes 60 small cookies.

Thankfully my hubb offered to help me with the judging, I don't know how I could have made this decision on my own! There were so many great examples of sweet and savory uses for ginger, and in the end we chose a recipe that we felt could also be used both ways...

The winner of BSI: GINGER is...

Becca's Ancho Ginger Applesauce!!!

What we both loved about this recipe was not only its originality and simplicity, but also the fact that it immediately evoked images of a summer barbeque on your back deck.  Big ol' bbq pork (or bbq tofu!) sandwich in your hand with Ancho Ginger Applesauce on top, the juice dripping down your arm as you take a big bite...  Ahhh summer.  Maybe its the fact that I had to go out in below freezing weather to get ancho chile powder that made this image so divine in my head, but after I tasted it I was even more sure.  Especially when I realized that its flavor truly transcends all seasons, summer barbeque, paired with roast pork and veggies for a fall dinner party, dessert on a cold winter night...it works in every scenario.









Excellent work, Becca!  Hubb and I ate it for dessert tonight...  :)  I'm still deciding on a prize...here are my top 3 choices:

• Trader Joe's care package (do you have one near you?)


• A copy of one of my favorite cookbooks, Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop (if you don't already have it, if you do I can pick a different one)


• A loaf of my pumpkin cranberry bread along with a few of my favorite baking ingredients

What do you all think it should be?

Next week's BSI Host is... Ashley @ Sweet and Natural!!!  I LOVE Ashley's blog, she posts fabulous, naturally sweetened recipes several times a week along with very informative posts about key ingredients.  And she has a wonderfully witty style of writing that always has me laughing.  I'm sure her contest will be a blast so check in with her to see what the new ingredient is!

My hubb and I had fun this weekend testing out some of the entries...check out what we tried!

Mel's Gingered Chicken + Veggie Potstickers











They were SOOOO GOOD and so easy to make!!!!  These fabulous little potstickers even managed to evoke a food dance out of the hubb...that rarely happens and you know when it does that whatever he is eating is goooood.  The ginger was the PERFECT compliment to the ground chicken and veggie filling...I even wished we had come up with some great spicy ginger sauce to pour over the top of them but we just used some teriyaki we had in the fridge.  This is a DEFINITE KEEPER in our house!

VeggieGirl's Veganized Pear Pistachio Ginger Blondies







VeggieGirl did an amazing job at veganizing this recipe...hubb and I are both EXTREMELY IMPRESSED!!!  This is our first dive into vegan baking, and we honestly couldn't tell a difference!  Not that we've tried the original recipe...but you know what I mean.  The blondies are perfectly chewy in texture, and the flavors meld together wonderfully.  I especially love when you occasionally bite into a chunk of the crystalized ginger...YUM!!!  Or as VeggieGirl says...HOLY YUM!!!!  :)

Jessica's Chocolate Gingerbread Bars







These bars were wonderfully chocolate-y and spicy, with a perfect chewy texture.  I took them with me today to a little knitting party and they were a BIG HIT!  Definitely a great start to the holiday baking season...

I was planning to try Ashley's Crystalized Ginger Cookies as well...I just ran out of ginger, and energy.  :)  Look for it later this week, ginger cookies are a FAVORITE in our house!

Ok, I can't write anymore.  Its a shame, too, because Brian made a beautiful dinner tonight that deserves a great post...its just going to have to happen tomorrow.  :)  Goodnight!