Sadly, in many households, the mere mention of cabbage leads to upturned noses and excuses to leave the table! In some countries, the cabbage is a delicious and nutritious staple, yet to many in the western world cabbage is only recognised as an ingredient of coleslaw...and then by the addition of mayonnaise, hydrogenated fats and many other unpronounceable ingredients, the health benefits of cabbage are completely written off!
So why am I blogging about cabbage you may ask? Well, I'm on a mission to promote this nutritious vegetable, which is sturdy, strong and abundant at this time of year. It's hardy and easy to grow, which means that many green fingered folk out there have rows of them in their vegetable patch, yet have no idea what to do with it! A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine, who knows I eat raw food, tentatively asked, 'Do you eat cabbage?' and ever since, has been supplying me with the most wonderful cabbages freshly gathered from her garden. I've also been asked by a couple of friends for suggestions as to what to do with their cabbages aside from blending and juicing, one friend even tucked into a plate of raw cabbage - nothing else, said he felt like a rabbit!!! So I've come up with a few delicious recipe ideas for you, just to prove that cabbage isn't just rabbit food...
...but first, let me tell you some of the reasons you should include cabbage in your diet. Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, something to do with the cross shaped pattern of their leaves. Cabbages are rich in fibre and provide a phenomenal source of vitamin C. Cabbages also contain the naturally occurring, nitrogenous compound: indoles, which have been found to reduce the risk of various forms of cancer. Not bad eh?
Cabbages are relatively cheap, (and low in calories - not that I ever count calories) making them a welcome addition to the raw diet, and yet they are amazingly rich in terms of protective vitamins:
Vitamin A: which is responsible for the protection of skin and eyes.
Vitamin C: an all important anti-oxident and helps mitochondria (the part of the cell responsible for energy production) to burn fat.
Vitamin E: a fat soluble anti-oxident which helps the skin
Vitamin B: which helps maintain the function of nerve endings and boost metabolic energy.
Modern scientific research has proved the many health benefits of cabbage. Extracts of cabbage have been found to kill certain viruses and bacteria, it can boost the immune system's ability to produce more antibodies, and it can also help to cleanse the digestive system due to its iron and sulphur content.
There are many different varieties of cabbage, the most popular being the green cabbage (aka spring greens/collards) which I'm using in the recipes below. There's also the Savoy cabbage which has green/yellow crinkled leaves, (you can use this variety of cabbage as an alternative in my recipes). Then theres Bok Choy, which is a welcome addition to stir un-fries and has a sweet, light, celery type of taste. Then there's the beautiful Red Cabbage - tho why it's called 'red', when it's a delicious purple colour escapes me? It goes without saying that the red cabbage simply has to be good for you since all that beautiful plant pigment is where the majority of its nutrition is stored. Red cabbage is beautiful in salads. Then there's, Napa cabbage, cavolo nero.... fabulous variety and taste!
Ok, now you have an idea why you shoud be eating cabbage, here's some cabtastic recipes to tantalise your tastebuds.
Cab-Berry Smoothie
Blend: 1/4 red cabbage, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 cup frozen mixed berries and water to the desired consistency. I like to eat my smoothies like a pudding, out of a wine glass with a spoon..how decadent!
Summer Rolls
Finely slice: 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 courgette, 1 avocado, and any other veg that take your fancy, such as mushrooms, spring onions, aspagagus etc.
Blend: 1 red pepper, 1 clove garlic, 3T tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon, pinch of salt.
Take the outside leaf of your cabbage (I used spring greens), de-vein if the vein is too thick. Lay this on a plate and top with the sliced veg at one end. Add a drizzle of the red pepper dressing and roll up like a wrap.
These are lovely eaten with your hands using the rest of the dressing as a dip!
Curly Cabbage Salad
Slice your cabbage and put into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, a pinch of salt and 2T nutritional yeast.
Massage these into the cabbage, squeezing quite firmly. This breaks down the cell walls and allows the cabbage to soften, making it more palatable.
This can form the base of your salad, feel free to add whatever takes your fancy: chopped tomatoes, avocado, spring onions, red pepper, pine nuts etc.
Crispy Crunchy Greens
Prepare the curly cabbage salad as above, then transfer to the Dehydrator and dehydrate for a few hours til crispy. (That's if you can wait, I love the warm wilted cabbage straight from the D!) This makes a lovely snack, or crispy topping for any salad/soup.
Curried Cabbage Slaw
Thinly slice your cabbage and place in a bowl.
Add a drizzle of olive oil and tamari,juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2t ground cumin, 1/2t ground coriander, 1/2t turmeric.
Massage into the cabbage as before.
Add 2T sesame seeds, 2T shredded coconut and toss.
This can be dehydrated for a couple of hours to soften and allow the flavours to develop.
These are just a few of my favourite recipes. The possibilities are endless. Have fun, experiment, and no longer neglect the humble cabbage!
cabtastic! love it :) x
Posted by: Rawfoodscotland | 07/09/2010 at 05:52 PM
Such a nutritious and healthy vegetable! Great tips you gave here. Thanks a lot!
Posted by: Jo | 04/27/2011 at 08:13 PM