Health Benefits of Turmeric
Turmeric is a cousin of ginger and a popular spice for its anti-inflammatory qualities and other health benefits. Adding healthy fats and black pepper to your turmeric recipes can help activate its healthy benefits and aid your body in absorbing them. While most commonly known as an orange spice, turmeric can also be white.
What Flavors to Pair with Turmeric
Turmeric is a versatile ingredient that can be used similarly as ginger, and is well paired with black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
How to Substitute/Convert Dry vs. Fresh Turmeric in Recipes
Fresh turmeric can be hard to find, but you can try your local health food store, farmers market or Whole Foods. If you can't get fresh turmeric that's okay, simply substitute 1/2 the amount of ground dried turmeric to 1 teaspoon of fresh turmeric in your recipes.
Recipes to Try with Turmeric
Simple Turmeric Pasta
Make a colorful and turmeric infused pasta sauce with your favorite noodles. Start by making the noodles and reserving some of the pasta water in case you need to thin your pasta sauce. Sauté garlic and shallots in butter, add cream or your preferred dairy/alternative like almond milk to create a sauce, and then add pasta in. Add 3 teaspoons of fresh turmeric (or 1.5 tsp ground dry turmeric), parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. Add chives as garnish if desired.
Roasted Turmeric Root Vegetables
Take carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas and your favorite root vegetables and liven them up with a healthy turmeric spice mix. Start by dressing thr root vegetables (cleaned and cut the way you like) in olive oil and roast them at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Create your turmeric spice mix by mixing equal parts (start with 1/2 tsp) of cumin (ground or seeds), coriander, chili powder. Mix the roasted vegetables in the spice mix to coat and garnish with a tablespoon (or preferred amount of) fresh mint and thyme. If you don't have fresh mint or thyme you can also add it to your spice mix.
Turmeric Chickpea Snacks
You can make tasty and healthy snacks with a can of chickpeas and spices. Rinse and dry a 15oz can of chickpeas, heat the oven to 400 degrees and roast them for 20-25 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave them in there while you start a saucepan with olive oil (to taste or 2 tbsp), 1tsp turmeric, and ginger, with salt and black pepper to taste. Heat up and combine for a minute then add the chickpeas in until coated. You can sweeten this recipe by adding dates, cinnamon, and almonds to make more of a tasty trail mix.
Turmeric Rice
Turmeric rice dishes are a popular choice and make a great vegetarian main dish or can be combined with a protein like white fish or chicken to make a tasty turmeric infused dinner. Here are some examples of turmeric rice dishes to try, if you're looking for a healthful way to use up fresh veggies in your kitchen, simply search for turmeric, rice, and the veggies you have on hand for inspiration or just give it a whirl!
Turmeric Coconut rice with veggies
Turmeric Coconut Caramel Corn
Make your own version of this turmeric caramel corn recipe by adding turmeric to your popcorn spice mixture. Dried turmeric is best in this case, combined with salt, cinnamon and chili powder.