Recipe for a Healthy Planet by Alex and Lisa Murray
Lisa is in the kitchen this month:
I never thought much about cabbage until I started to grow it in our vegetable garden. Cabbage used to be relegated to St. Patrick’s Day and a few odd times throughout the year. Now, I can’t get enough of it! It is so delicious, and it doesn’t need to be fussed with to taste really good. In past years, we grew two types of green cabbages (cone and Savoy), but this year we decided to go with red cabbage, just for the fun of it. Once again, I was delighted with the results.
One of the easiest ways to enjoy fresh cabbage, no matter what color, is to cut it into ½” to 1” slices, or rounds, and sauté it in a lightly oiled or buttered frying pan for 5 to 15 minutes, depending on how soft you like it. Add a little salt and pepper, and it melts in your mouth. Another easy thing to do with fresh cabbage is to grate a small chunk of it and add it to a garden salad. Or chop some up and add it to soups or stir fry. You can also roast cabbage (see recipe), which takes a little longer to prepare, but is still quite simple. My niece Alex is even making a pasta sauce ‘ragu’ with red cabbage tonight for dinner!
Cabbages are in the Brassica family of vegetables, also known as cruciferous. While cabbage is highly nutritious, take care to eat it in moderation so as not to cause bloating. Cabbages are a good source of fiber and contain vitamins C, B6, and folate, as well as vitamin K, which promotes blood clotting and builds stronger bones. Of the various types of cabbages, red cabbage is a particularly rich source of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, in addition to antioxidants, which help reduce the risk of chronic diseases. On the nutritionfacts.org website, Dr. Michael Greger states that “. . . purple, or red, cabbage provides one of the single best nutritional bangs for your buck, so go for the brightest, deepest colors of cabbage.”
Color Fest
Roasted Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large red cabbage
- 1½ Tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Trim bottom stem and outer leaves of cabbage.
- Slice into 1”-thick round slices.
- Put flat bottom of cabbage on cutting board and slice into six 1” ‘steaks.’
- Place cabbage steaks onto a cookie sheet.
- Combine rest of ingredients and brush half of mixture onto each steak.
- Roast for 20 minutes, then flip.
- Brush rest of mixture onto steaks and roast another 20 minutes.
While the cabbage is cooking, prepare the rest:
Orange Mash
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes or 1 large butternut squash
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Peel sweet potatoes or squash; if using squash, scoop out seeds.
- Cut squash or sweet potatoes into large cubes.
- Boil sweet potatoes or squash for about 20 minutes until tender.
- Whip or mash with vegan butter, cinnamon, and salt.
Crispy Chick Peas
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chick peas (garbanzos), drained
- 1Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
Directions
- Pat dry drained chick peas on parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes in 425 degree oven (while cabbage is also roasting).
- Take out of oven and brush with olive oil mixed with curry powder.
- Roll chick peas around the pan with a spatula to distribute curried oil evenly.
Arrange a cabbage steak, spoonfuls of mashed sweet potato or squash, and roasted chick peas onto each plate. Enjoy the colors of autumn!
For more information on how your food choices affect the planet and your health, go to: harriscenter.org/rhp.