Indian spiced sauteed cabbage and green beans
I'm always looking for tasty ways to season veggies since it's the one food group my family doesn't seem to "seek out". Fruit? No problem. We'll burn through 5 bananas and a bag of apples in 2 to 3 days. Dairy? Same thing- cheese, yogurt and milk get consumed quickly. Vegetables don't go so fast in our house.
But, we're not alone. Did you know that only 9% of US adults eat the recommended number of vegetable servings per day? That means 90% of us do not!It's not that I don't cook them or serve them raw. I do!
Salads are popular in the summer. One daughter loves grape tomatoes, the other prefers bell peppers. But once fall and winter hit, I'm more inclined to want something served warm.You don't need much to make vegetables more delicious. Aromatic vegetables like onions and garlic bring out their flavor as does lemon zest or balsamic vinegar.
Over the weekend, I made this cabbage dish that I'll be repeating! Cabbage is part of the brassica family that includes broccoli, kale and cauliflower. A nutritional powerhouse, cabbage is a great source of vitamin K (which helps with blood clotting and bone health) as well as sulforaphane- a powerful phytochemical that helps fight cancer.
Cabbage is also inexpensive and available in most markets.Green beans and jalapeno peppers are a source of vitamin C, as is the cabbage. They added some great color and texture. I added some sliced white onions for flavor as well.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. canola or corn oil
3 cups purple cabbage, sliced
1/4 white or yellow onion, chopped
1 cup green beans, cleaned and broken in half1 jalapeno pepper, diced1 clove garlic, minced
A dusting of each: cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder, ginger powder, salt to taste
Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet or sautee pan.
Add onions, green beans and jalapeno peppers and cook for 3 minutes.
Add cabbage, minced garlic and one "dusting" of cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, curry powder, ginger powder and salt.
Toss to coat the vegetables and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve hot as a side dish or over rice.
Makes 4 servings.