RED CABBAGE

Cabbage comes in many varieties beyond just red and green, which most people are familiar with.  There’s the more delicate Napa cabbage and the crinkly Savoy cabbage.  There are also more distant cousins like bok choy, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.  Yes—they’re all related!  They may be different, but the one thing that these varieties all have in common is the excellent nutrition they provide.  One cup of raw red cabbage is an excellent source of vitamins A & C for immunity and vitamin K for a healthy circulatory system.  It’s also a good source of the mineral manganese.

GROW

Cabbage’s sturdy leaves are wrapped tightly around one another, growing in the form of a dense head, like lettuce.  These heads sprout out from the ground on a short, thick stalk, and the head is surrounded by a crown of open leaves, making it look almost like a giant flower.  Cabbage typically has two harvests per year.  It’s planted once in early spring to be harvested in early summer, and then again toward the end of summer to be harvested in late fall.  It stores well through the winter.

EAT

Cabbage doesn’t necessarily have a reputation for being gourmet, but when done right, it can be incredibly delicious.  Its big sturdy leaves lend themselves to being stuffed with meats, sliced into slaws, or boiled in soups.  At the Barn we love to make a healthy slaw out of red cabbage.  Check out this delicious recipe below; it’s a great dish for potlucks!

Apple Raisin Slaw

Here’s a twist on a classic dish that kids love!  This Apple Raisin Slaw makes a delicious sandwich side for any time of year.  You can top a bed of lettuce with this sweet slaw or eat it all by itself as a great snack.  We recommend using Fuji or Jazz apples in this recipe, but try it with your favorite type of apple. This thumbs up recipe high in vitamin C is also perfect to pack in the lunchbox and we are sure it will get eaten, not traded among friends.

 

Ingredients:

¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Juice of ½ a lemon

½ pound apples (about 2 medium apples), unpeeled

1 cup shredded red cabbage

¼ cup raisins

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spread walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Bake for 8-10 minutes, walnuts should be fragrant and lightly browned.  Allow walnuts to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice.
4. Slice apples into thin matchsticks and immediately transfer to bowl with yogurt mixture.
5. Add in cooled walnuts, cabbage, and raisins; toss to distribute yogurt mixture evenly.
6. Serve immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator, up to 4 days.

Makes 6 servings (1/2 cup per serving).

Nutrition Facts per serving: 100 calories; 6g fat (0.5g sat fat, 2g mono, 2.5g poly, 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 13g carbohydrate (2g fiber, 10g sugar); 2g protein; 10mg sodium; 4% Daily Value (DV) vitamin A; 20% DV vitamin C; 2% DV calcium; 2% DV iron.