I had read for a long time of the nutritional benefits of red cabbage, but had never experimented with cooking it. Yesterday, in the health food store there were some heads of fresh healthy organic reds calling out to me. I stuck one in the basket and took it home with me, not having a clue as to how to prepare it other than to cut it up and boil it. This did not appeal to me as the most desirable way to prepare it, considering the rest of the meal for which this was going to be a side dish.
I went to the web in search of options. What I found, below, was quick and easy (takes about 15 minutes cook time). It was colorful and absolutely delicious. The cabbage retains some body. It is not cooked to mush. It is somewhat like a hot slaw.
The leftovers kept very well in the refrigerator over night. I'll be having some with lunch today. This will now become a staple in my detox diet.
I went to the web in search of options. What I found, below, was quick and easy (takes about 15 minutes cook time). It was colorful and absolutely delicious. The cabbage retains some body. It is not cooked to mush. It is somewhat like a hot slaw.
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 small onion, sliced
* 1/2 red cabbage, shredded
* 1/3 cup white or apple cider vinegar, eyeball it
* 2 rounded tablespoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon mustard seed
* Salt and pepper
I used organic apple cider vinegar, Rapidura organic evaporated cane, black mustard seed and Himalayan salt. A mandolin was used to finely slice the onion and a slightly thicker cut setting was used for shredding the cabbage.
Xylitol or agave syrup were considered for the sugar part of the recipe, but I decided on Rapidura. The sweet part of the recipe is rather essential to the overall flavor, as it balances the tartness of the vinegar, so Xylitol might be the best ingredient to use to cook red for those dealing with sugar issues.
Directions
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and onion and saute 2 minutes. Add cabbage and turn in pan, sauteing it until it wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar to the pan and turn the cabbage in it. Sprinkle sugar over the cabbage and turn again. Season with mustard seed, salt and pepper and reduce heat a bit. Let cabbage continue to cook 10 minutes or until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.
Medicinal properties
In European folk medicine, cabbage leaves are used to treat acute inflammation. A paste of raw cabbage may be placed in a cabbage leaf and wrapped around the affected area to reduce discomfort. Some claim it is effective in relieving painfully engorged breasts in breastfeeding women.
Cabbage contains significant amounts glutamine, an amino acid, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
It is a source of indol-3-carbinol, or I3C, a compound used as an adjuvent therapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, a disease of the head and neck caused by human papillomavirus (usually types 6 and 11) that causes growths in the airway that can lead to death.
Red Cabbage, More Is Better
Plant pigments called anthocyanins provide fruits and vegetables with beneficial blue, purple and red coloring. Now Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are learning more about these compounds and their absorption into the human blood stream.
Anthocyanins are a group of healthful compounds that fall within the flavonoid class of plant nutrients. ARS scientists have identified 36 anthocyanins in red cabbage, including eight that had never before been detected in the cabbage.
The study was conducted at the ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC) in Beltsville, Md., where scientists have pioneered methods for identifying and measuring various phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables. Physiologist Janet Novotny, nutritionist Beverly Clevidence, plant physiologist Steven Britz and research associate Craig Charron, all with the BHNRC's Food Components and Health Laboratory, published the findings in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Emerging evidence suggests that anthocyanins may provide cancer protection, improve brain function and promote heart health. An earlier ARS study showed that some anthocyanins yield twice the antioxidant power of the same amount of vitamin C in test tubes, though the amount absorbed by the human body was not explored.
Twelve volunteers consumed three different amounts of cooked red cabbage along with a full diet of carefully controlled foods. Each volunteer completed three two-day meal regimens, which included 2/3 cup, 1-1/3 cups, or 2 cups of red cabbage. The volunteers were capable of absorbing the most anthocyanins when given the largest serving of cooked cabbage.
Interestingly, the anthocyanins that the researchers identified were not equally absorbed, as measured by the portion of the ingested compound that reached the blood stream. Nearly 80 percent of cabbage anthocyanins tested were "acylated," meaning attached to acyl groups, which made them more stable and less absorbable. The non-acylated anthocyanins present were at least four times more bioavailable, or absorbed, than the acylated anthocyanins.
The findings could aid plant breeders in developing varieties with key anthocyanin structures and amounts.
_http://www.khichadi.com/vegetablesandfruits/redcabbagenutritionfacts.shtml
The leftovers kept very well in the refrigerator over night. I'll be having some with lunch today. This will now become a staple in my detox diet.