Cabbage

Continuing with the vegetable theme, here is my next post on quick and simple ideas for incorporating more vegetables into weekday meals.

This week – cabbage:

Cabbage is a nutrient-dense, low-calorie food that contains vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and manganese, as well as fibre. Cabbage is the “king” of the cruciferous vegetable family, which contain compounds called glucosinolates which may help support the body’s detoxification pathways and are currently being researched for their anti-cancer properties. It is worth trying to include at least one portion of cruciferous vegetables into your diet each day. The other cruciferous vegetables include radish, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cress, kohlrabi, rocket, Brussels sprouts and greens.

Cabbage is cheap, plentiful and available all year round. There are different types of cabbage from pale to dark green, as well as red. Darker coloured varieties may have greater amounts of nutrients, but storage is important in order to preserve the vitamin content, so keep yours in the fridge. Once it has been cut, cabbage can lose its valuable vitamin C content, so use it quickly.

Cabbage can be served raw, cooked or even fermented into sauerkraut. I like to serve cabbage quite simply by either shredding it into coleslaw or sautéing it.

Coleslaw has a reputation for being heavy on the mayonnaise, but I like to use a vinaigrette dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar instead and garnish my coleslaw with sunflower or pumpkin seeds for added nutritional value.

A favourite weekday side dish is sautéed red cabbage and red onions. For a slightly different taste, I like to add a couple of tablespoons of no-sugar fruit spread (similar to jam but with no sugar) and some red wine vinegar for that yummy sweet and sour taste.