Tuesday, March 13, 2012

how to eat......cabbage

Cabbage?
Cabbage!
To be honest, up until about a year ago when I thought about cabbage, I thought of it mostly as a garnish. I had never bought cabbage and cooked with it, and wasn't really sure how to.....
....and then I started exploring, and I am now a true cabbage believer.

Cabbage is good source of vitamin K, C, A, and fiber.
It's rich in antioxidants, helps boosts immunity, and contains sulphur which helps act as a cleansing agent for the digestive system. (source)
I loved finding this page listing all the healing benefits of cabbage.
All cabbage has health benefits, but I always buy red cabbage (sometimes called purple), because I just love the color it adds to any dish, and because of the deep purple color it's a little bit richer in antioxidants than the green varieties.
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I LOVE the crunch it adds to everything. 
-chopped up and mixed in to salads
-in fish tacos!
-tossed with vinegar and s&p is a perfect topper to burrito bowls

To prepare cabbage, remove outer leaves, cut off stem end, and wash thoroughly, making sure to wash out any dirt that may be in between leaves.

Roasted Cabbage with Gorgonzola
preheat oven to 425°
slice cabbage into 1/2 inch slices and brush both sides with olive oil. 
roast for 25-30 minutes until edges start to brown. 
top with a few sprinkles of gorgonzola and roast for about 5 more minutes until cheese starts to bubble.
Top with cracked pepper and enjoy!

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Here is a quick and easy meal with ingredients I always have on hand. 
Huevos Rancheros
-corn tortillas (I usually toast these over the flame of my gas stove to blacken the edges)
-black beans, cooked in a bit of lime juice and cumin
-chopped cabbage mixed with avocado, green onions, lime, cilantro, s&p
-eggs, fried up in a bit of olive oil
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
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enjoy!

for more adventures in cabbage:
I topped these lentil fritters with cabbage
I spotted this kale slaw with red cabbage and carrots from whole living
I have this late winter salad from happy yolks bookmarked to try

How do YOU like cabbage?

20 comments:

Maria said...

That roasted cabbage recipe looks amazing. I'm going to give it a try!

Maria @ Orchard Bloom

whitneyingram said...

I have half a head of savoy cabbage in my fridge right now and for lunch today, I plan on shredded it up and tossing it with a sesame dressing leftover from an udon noodle salad. Maybe toss in some red bells and some cucumbers

Growing up, we ate a lot of cabbage. My grandmother was fresh-off-the-boat Irish (adorable accent and all) and she made cabbage, so my mom made cabbage. And so I make cabbage.

Ashley said...

Totally love the crunch of cabbage! Cabbage salads are such a nice change of pace when I'm a little sick of spinach and romaine. Your tacos look divine...especially with the egg!

Unknown said...

Okay. I am making that toasted cabbage tonight. Looks so good! Off to Whole Foods I go. Thanks for sharing!

cara lou said...

I LOVE cabbage! And surprisingly, so do J and W. we usually have it in soup or sautéed in a bit of butter with salt and pepper.

Can't wait to try your ideas!

Chrissy Jo said...

This is one of my go to dinners in summer time. I can eat this stuff forever....

Chinese Coleslaw

1 package of coleslaw (or chopped up cabbage)
4 green onions, chopped
2 packages Ramen noodles, roasted
1/2 c. roasted almonds, chopped
cooked chopped chicken breast (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp Accent
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/3 c. olive oil

Dressing is best if made the night before. Mix all ingredients well until sugar is dissolved Pour over salad just before serving.

Not sure if the ramen noodles totally outweigh the benefits of the cabbage, but this stuff makes my heart sing... in fact I may need to go buy some cabbage and make this for dinner tonight!

summer said...

woohoo cabbage!! those cheesy purple slices look insane! you always have foodie ideas that are so simply genius, like why didn't i ever think of cutting cabbage like that?!
i like to eat cabbage in the form of sauerkraut (yay probiotics!) ... especially pink sauerkraut salsa. :)

http://summerharms.blogspot.com/2012/02/scrambled-eggs-with-sauerkraut-salsa.html

Becky said...

I LOVE cabbage! I've never tried roasting it but everything is better roasted so I'll put it on the menu. (And, BTW, we are going to try to go camping at big basin soon. We went a few years ago but I totally forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder!)

Brittany said...

i LOVE cabbage. one of my fav things to do with it is make stuffed cabbage leaves. my version is very healthy, with ground turkey and lots of shredded veggies. i throw in some tamari, a little maple syrup, and some salt and pepper, and let it bubble away in the oven. SO good!

Rosa @ Flutter Flutter said...

Wow, you actually made cabbage look appealing to me! The only cabbage I eat is wrapped around cabbage rolls... once a year. Ha! I may just have to try that cabbage/gorgonzola recipe. Thanks!

Kasey said...

I L O V E cabbage! I grew up eating cabbage cooked in a stew pot with corned beef. Most often, I enjoy it in an asian coleslaw style salad, or as a "wrap" filled with yummy grilled veggies.

Kenny said...

Your posts are always so timely! I literally have 2 1/2 heads of cabbage (albeit the green stuff) in my fridge right now. I always get an abundance of it in our farm boxes around this time and never know what to do with it besides make asian coleslaw. I sauteed it with butter the other night and it was actually pretty good, but I'm excited to roast it!

Unknown said...

ahh this cabbage is beautiful! i love to make cabbage rolls with it, or stuff it in egg rolls with veggies.

tinajo said...

Looks good, I may have to try! :-)

melissa said...

i challenge you to find a vegetable that is NOT delicious when it's tossed with olive oil and roasted with salt and pepper.

kellyohhhhhhhhh said...

Tried the roasted cabbage tonight with blue cheese instead of gorgonzola and it was amazing! And so easy. I will totally make this again!!!!

Elise said...

I tried the roasted cabbage today.. I'm now a believer!

Carrie said...

cabbage is my faaaavoriiiiite. roasting it with gorgonzola is a genius idea!

Kaylynn said...

Cabbage has become my new best friend this past weekend! Funny you should have a whole post about the magic vegetable!

Cheltz said...

Mmmm, these look great! I'm definitely trying these out, as soon as I get a head of cabbage! I once made a delicious cabbage soup that we all loved, but made the house stink for over a day. I can't make it any more :(.