Cabbage "Rice"

A while back I posted a recipe for Hidden Vegetable Fried Rice. The idea behind the dish was that by chopping up the vegetables very fine, they were almost unnoticeable among the starchy rice. This is a great technique to use if you’re trying to get your kids to eat more vegetables.

Along this same concept, a couple of weeks ago, I shredded green cabbage very fine and then sautéed it until it was tender. For me, texture is everything and I’ve been finding lately that especially with tough veggies like cabbage, I’m more likely to eat them if the pieces are small (I do this with my fermented veggies as well). A nice scoop of finely-chopped, sautéed cabbage was wonderful as a side dish and I used it as “rice” under my other sautéed vegetables. It’s also much higher in fiber and nutrients and lower in starch than rice.

To prepare, simply chop cabbage into large chunks, then process in the food processor until fine.

Heat skillet or Dutch oven to medium, then add a small amount of grapeseed oil to the pan.

When the oil is hot, add the cabbage, sea salt, and pepper, and sauté until tender and slightly brown. Add additional seasonings if desired.

Millet is My New Rice - Fried Millet

The other day, I was in the mood for fried rice but didn’t have the type of rice I wanted to use, so I “settled” for millet. Wow, I’m so glad I did. The flavors and texture were equally as good with millet and the nutritional value may even be better with this ancient grain.

Millet was actually the principle grain in China before rice became popular and is still relied on in Africa, Asia, and Russia. It’s gluten-free, high in protein, fiber, iron, magnesium and potassium and is a source of silica, which is important for maintaining bone health.

I find the creamy texture also great for making breakfast porridge and it makes a hardy addition to soups. The recipe below is colorful and oh so tasty!

Fried Millet

3 cups of cooked millet (cooked in vegetable broth)

grapeseed oil for sautéing and frying

2 c green cabbage, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

2 eggs, scrambled

2 – 3 T tamari or soy sauce

black pepper to taste

¼ c parsley, chopped

sesame oil for drizzling

1. Heat 1 – 2 T oil in dutch oven and add the cabbage and onion. Stir well and sauté until tender.

2. Add the carrot and continue to cook for a few minutes.

3. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan and add 2 – 3 T more of oil. Add the millet and mix to coat it lightly in oil.

4. Mix the vegetables and millet together and “fry” the mixture, allowing the millet to brown slightly.

5. Fold in the egg and parsley, then turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve hot/warm.

A Tempting Soy Dish

Soy is one of those foods that has confused me over the last several years. While I was a graduate student, I was drinking soy milk everyday, eating tofu as a protein source and would even use it to make chocolate mousse. I was also eating other forms of soy as well. It was regarded as a miracle food with a high quality plant protein and whose phytoestrogens were thought to be beneficial.

Then, I read that unfermented soy, such as that found in soy milk, textured soy protein, soy burgers, etc., was difficult to digest and high in toxins that prevented the absorption of minerals. In addition, if it wasn’t organic, it was likely genetically modified and heavily sprayed with herbicides/pesticides. As heartbroken as I was, I stopped eating all forms of soy. Gradually, I added back in fermented soy in the form of miso and tempeh and the occasional meal with tofu, which I was still unclear about.

Today, there seem to be two camps of people that either love soy or avoid it like the plague and I generally sided with the latter group, at least with regard to unfermented soy. Then last week, I read a post from Mark Hyman about his thoughts on soy that you can read here. In a nutshell, he believes that both the good characteristics and the bad qualities of soy have been blown out of proportion and most studies concluding that soy is dangerous were poorly designed and didn’t reflect normal consumption habits.

He also made a good point that I’ll paraphrase here: If you had the choice to eat a stir fry with tofu or a meal from a fast food restaurant, choose the stir fry for sure! It made so much sense to me. And his bottom line was to eat whole soy foods, such as edamame, versus processed soy that’s turned into burgers, cheeses, and ice cream, which in the end, are like any other processed food that contain unhealthy fats (and likely sugars and chemicals that don’t belong in our bodies).

So with that, I’ve posted a simple recipe below for tempeh, which can be found in most markets with the tofu. It’s a fermented soy product that I’ve combined with sautéed cabbage. It’s quick and delicious and a good source of protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, vitamin K, and folate from the cabbage (as well as lots of disease-fighting phytonutrients), and healthy fat.

Tempeh with Cabbage

1 T grapeseed oil

1 package of tempeh, sliced cross-wise

2 c each red and green cabbage, thinly chopped

1 – 2 T tamari or soy sauce

1 t sesame seeds

sesame oil

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the cabbages and sauté for several minutes until tender. Push the cabbage to the sides of the pan and add the tempeh. Saute until lightly browned on all sides and heated through. Add the tamari or soy sauce and pepper if desired, then mix the cabbage and tempeh together. Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve warm.

Hidden-Vegetable Fried Rice

The other day a friend whipped up a fabulous fried rice dish with red rice, onion, cabbage, and chili peppers. I wasn’t even planning to eat but when I saw that rice, I couldn’t resist.

Needless to say, I had fried rice on the brain and wanted to make some at home. A couple of days later, as I was shredding vegetables to ferment, it occurred to me that they would be perfect in a fried rice dish because they would sauté instantly and add a crunchy texture to the rice.

More importantly, if you’re trying to get your kids to eat more green or cruciferous vegetables, this is the perfect way to slip them into a dish, because they add a very nice uniform texture to the rice that is perfect for kids little teeth and a mild flavor that’s spread evenly over the rice so it won’t shock their tastebuds.

They’re also great for a quick soup. Today I got home from my yoga class and combined vegetable broth, a handful of mixed, shredded veggies, an egg and some dulse. It was flavorful, thick, had a little bit of a crunch to it, and literally took 5 minutes to make.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. This rice took a little more time than the soup, but if the rice and veggies are prepared ahead of time, it will go quick as well. I actually have a glass bowl filled with the vegetables in the fridge that are ready to use for the next few days. And any rice (except sticky rice) will work here. These days, I like the rich colors of the dark rices.

Hidden-Vegetable Fried Rice

3 – 4 c cooked rice (brown, black, mahogany, etc., cooked in vegetable broth)

2 T grapeseed oil, divided

1 c leeks, chopped crosswise

½ c each green and red cabbage, carrots, and kale, processed in the food processor into small particles

1 - 2 T tamari

3 eggs, scrambled or cooked omelet style then cut into bite-sized pieces

sea salt and pepper to taste

If not prepared ahead of time, cook the rice according to the directions on the package (I also soak my rice several hours before cooking). Meanwhile, heat 1T oil in a large skillet or dutch oven and sauté the leeks on medium heat until tender. Add the processed vegetables and sauté a couple of minutes more. Add the remaining oil, tamari, and the rice, mix well and continue to “fry” the rice for ~5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and pepper, and mix well. Serve immediately.