ARF and some Q & A

Some of you will remember the flu bug I mentioned going around our house a few weeks ago, that left us all essentially bedridden for a day or two. I had begun to develop a somewhat holistic version of ginger ale during that time that would use the qualities of fresh ginger instead of the "natural flavouring" found in the canned versions of the drink, and I think I've got it. In addition to the nice bite from the ginger root, I opted to use some of my leftover raw sugar in the fizzy mix too, since I think it gives a deeper flavour. With all natural ingredients, including delicious fresh ginger and lime juice too, I don't think you can really go wrong, and this drink should find itself right at home with Cate's ARF / 5-A-Day event at her blog, Sweetnicks!

Per serving, this drink is pretty much equal to it's canned counterpart in terms of calories, but it is lower in sodium and free of the often - avoided High Fructose Corn Syrup. The benefits of fresh ginger include antioxidant effects, as well as being an anti-inflammatory agent and a digestive aid (which explains why it's a common stomach flu remedy). Vitamin C (found in abundance in fruit like limes) is the main water-soluble antioxidant in the body. Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing any free radicals it touches, and studies show that it can halt the development and progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease!

Home - Spun Ginger Ale
Serves 4
3 cups water, divided
1 cup peeled, diced ginger
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raw sugar (or 2 tbsp pure fruit sugar)
2 cups club soda, chilled
2 tbsp lime juice

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Add ginger, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes, then strain liquid, discarding ginger pieces.
4. Seperately, dissolve sugars into remaining cup of boiling water. Set aside.
5. Combine ginger and sugar mixtures and chill until very cold.
6. To serve, add club soda and lime juice to the syrup mixture and divide between 4 glasses.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 143.7
Total Fat: 0.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 0.2 mg
Total Carbs: 37.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 0.0 g

So, wondering about the Q&A? Don't worry, it isn't a meme, and nobody's getting tagged! This is in response to a comment I recieved a few days ago, from Ricki of the blog DietDessertandDogs (hi Ricki!), who questioned where I found coconut flour called for in the Thai Milk Cake I made. Well, that entire cake creation was actually a result of finding coconut flour in my local Bulk Barn (and I've found it in the other two I frequent as well). Bulk Barns are only found in Ontario, Manitoba and the Canadian Maritimes though, so for those of you not in the area there are a few options: Organic Coconut Flour from Bob's Red Mill, Aloha Nu Coconut flour by Simply Coconut in Florida, Organic Coconut Flour from Tropical Traditions (distributor list here) and Alpha Coconut Flour by AlphaHealth in Burnaby, B.C.. Most of the websites are full of information, nutritional statistics and recipes for this ingredient as well as other coconut products, so they're a great place to kick off an experimentation run!