Posts Tagged ‘cabbage’

Summer Salad: Spinach Power House

Do you want a hearty salad that is delicious, good for you and jam packed with nutrients? Then you’ve got to try this Raw Power House Salad! It is a party for your tastebuds and very filling. Trust us, you will be getting so much green along with all of the other colors of the rainbow. You will glow with energy and wholeness. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups of baby spinach
• 1 cup of spring salad mix
• 1 cup of cabbage slaw (sliced raw cabbage & shredded carrots)
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 cucumber
• 1 avocado
• parsley flakes
• splash of olive oil and lemon juice

Equipment:
Really nothing is needed beyond a cutting board and knife, and a bowl with spoon for mixing

Directions:
1. Place the handfuls of baby spinach into your mixing bowl. Then add the cup of spring salad mix. Blend all of the leaves together.

2. Add in one cup of cabbage slaw and mix it with the leaves.

3. Slice your red onion in half and then slice it vertically and horizontally to get nice small chunks of onion. Toss those into your salad.

4. Peel the skin of the cucumber if it is not organic. Then slice it long ways down the middle. Turn each half so that the flat side is on your cutting board. Then cut nice chunky slices and add them into the salad.

5. Take your avocado and remove it from its skin (If you’re not sure how to do this, read our article on Avocados). Slice your avocado into small chunks and toss them into your salad.

6. Slice your red bell pepper in half. For the half you are using, cut both horizontally and vertically to create small squares (similar to the size of what you might find in a chunky salsa). Add these to the salad.

7. Sprinkle in the parsley flakes

8. Add a dash of lemon juice and olive oil and mix well.

9. Serve in a plate or bowl and enjoy!

Black Eyed Salad

Not all salads start out with Romaine lettuce or baby cabbage! Why not try a salad that offers a different mix of ingredients and a bold flavor? We promise you, this salad is as delicious as it is colorful. And not only that, but it is super easy to make!

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• black-eye beans (soaked overnight in cold water)
• sliced carrot
• beansprouts
• sliced red pepper
• sliced cabbage
• 1 teaspoon of cold pressed hemp oil
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Equipment:

All you need is a mixing bowl!

Preparation:

Mix all the vegetables together in a bowl. Then, add in the sea salt, lemon juice and season with the hemp oil. That’s it!

Enjoy!

This recipe was provided by Marat, who resides in Leeds, UK. Marat is the raw enthusiast behind the website RawPublic, where he features daily raw food recipes and tips for a healthier lifestyle. Marat’s favorite thing about about raw foods is eating 100% raw; he says he is full of energy and passion for life!

Mmmmm Cabbage!

One of the first recipes we posted on our site was our Spicy Red Cabbage Raw Slaw, which for us, started our love affair with this amazing vegetable. And what’s not to love? Sturdy, abundant and inexpensive, cabbage is a longstanding dietary staple throughout the world and is so widely cultivated and stores so well that it is available throughout the year. However, it is at its best during the late fall and winter months when it is in season. Cabbage is round in shape with layers of superimposed leaves with the inner leaves often lighter in color than the outer leaves because they are protected from the sunlight. They belong to the Cruciferae family of vegetables along with kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts.

There are three major types of cabbage: green, red and Savoy. The color of green cabbage ranges from pale to dark green while red cabbage has leaves that are either crimson or purple with white veins running through. Both green and red cabbage have smooth textured leaves. The leaves of Savoy cabbage are more ruffled and yellowish-green in color.

Because cabbage’s inner leaves are protected from the sunlight by the surrounding leaves, they are oftentimes lighter in color. Red and green cabbage have a more defined taste and crunchy texture as compared to Savoy cabbage’s more delicate nature. Bok choy as well as Chinese (Napa) cabbage are other varieties of cabbage available. Bok choy has a mild flavor and a higher concentration of vitamin A. Chinese cabbage, with its pale green ruffled leaves, is great to use in salads.

Let us educate you in the nutritious ways of the cabbage.

Health Benefits:

• Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is also a very good source of fiber, manganese, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Cabbage is also a good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, and protein.
• Consumption of cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, is known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, colon, breast, ovarian and bladder cancer.
• Cabbage helps to optimize your body’s cleansing/detoxing abilities. Phytonutrients work as antioxidants to disarm free radicals before they can damage DNA, cell membranes and fat-containing molecules such as cholesterol. Phytonutrients in crucifers, such as cabbage, work at a much deeper level. These compounds actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful compounds.
• indole-3-carbinole (I3C), sulforaphane, and indoles are additional phytonutrients found in cabbage. These compounds help activate and stabilize the body’s antioxidant and detoxification mechanisms that dismantle and eliminate cancer-producing substances
• Raw cabbage juice is well documented as being remarkably effective in treating peptic ulcers, which are open sores or erosions in the lining of either the duodenum (duodenal ulcers) or the stomach (gastric ulcers). That’s right! You can juice a cabbage!

How to Select and Store Cabbage:

Choose cabbage heads that are firm and dense with shiny, crisp, colorful leaves free of cracks, bruises and blemishes. Severe damage to the outer leaves is suggestive of worm damage or decay that may reside in the inner core as well. There should be only a few outer loose leaves attached to the stem. If not, it may be an indication of undesirable texture and taste. Avoid buying precut cabbage, either halved or shredded, since once cabbage is cut, it begins to lose its valuable vitamin C content.

Keeping cabbage cold will keep it fresh and help it retain its vitamin C content. Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator. Red and green cabbage will keep this way for about 2 weeks while Savoy cabbage will keep for about 1 week. If you need to store a partial head of cabbage, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Since the vitamin C content of cabbage starts to quickly degrade once it has been cut, you should use the remainder within a couple of days.

Recipes:

• Spicy Red Cabbage Raw Slaw
• Cabbage Carrot Slaw
• Tom’s Fruity Medicine Chest Smoothie
• Alkaline Special (see last recipe in post)

Resources:

The Nutritional Profile of Cabbage is featured on WHFoods: Cabbage

Cabbage Carrot Slaw

This recipe was discovered on the Whole Foods website. We loved the colors and the flavors, so we wanted to share it with our readers.

Serves 6

Garnish this bright coleslaw with toasted sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts. Or, toss it with shredded roasted chicken and serve it as the main course.

Ingredients

1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
4 cups finely shredded green and red cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, garlic, cumin, oregano and mustard just until sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage, carrots, green onions, salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 4oz/116g-wt.): 50 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium, 12g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 1g protein