Green Food of the Day: Cabbage
Yes, cabbage counts towards your greens intake (if you haven’t joined this week’s challenge, go here, it’s super easy).
It’s a delightfully underestimated vegetable, one that adds much variety to dishes. It’s versatile, depending on how you slice, chop, or shred it, raw or cooked.
I want to share an easy raw cabbage slaw with you,
But first,
How can I afford to eat healthy?
In last week’s post about kid’s sushi, a reader commented and wondered how I was able to afford what I eat.
I replied in the comment section that I have a “formula,” so to speak, of how I make things work.
Part of that formula is buying and then using what’s on sale.
Often this means buying what’s in season. Watermelons, for example, aren’t in season during the winter and so you won’t find me buying any for that reason, and perhaps more importantly, because it’s so dang expensive. Oranges, on the other hand, are in season (therefore, usually on sale, or at least at an affordable price) during the winter season (in the United States), so we eat a lot of them at this time.
For example.
Today I did a small shopping trip. We’re running low on produce, but our budget doesn’t allow us to do our big shopping trip until the 15th, which is two days away, so I just needed a few things to tide us over until then.
I went to Wal-mart and price-matched cabbages, oranges, and celery.
I got the cabbage for .25/lb.; celery, .50/each, oranges .12/lb.
The way price matching works is I tell them the price (sometimes they ask to see the ad) and then they match it. Takes a bit more time on my part, but saves a ton of money–see for yourself:
13 pounds of oranges for $1.60 (that’s 27 oranges, at .06 an orange!), 4 stalks of celery, 5 1/2 lbs. of cabbage (or 3 heads of cabbage), 2 large heads of romaine (I did not price match on this one), and some roma tomatoes (I don’t love tomatoes outside of summer, I think they taste tolerable, but my husband has to have a constant supply of tomatoes or he doesn’t know what to do with himself) all for $10.
This is pretty typical of our produce budget, which means, I have to create meals around what we have on hand, or rather, what’s on sale.
What to do with 5 1/2 pounds of cabbage?
Plenty, but today I want to show you just one way.
[Argg, a digression. One thing I HATE about blogger, or rather the current layout of my blog on blogger, is the tiny pictures. Now that I have my new camera, my food pictures are actually nice to look at, so for now (until I get my new site which will include bigger pictures), click on the picture to get a better view. Thank you for letting me rant.]
And it includes using these beauties (after all, they were on sale, too, and I’ve got to use them somehow!). 
Granny Citrus Cabbage Slaw GF, SF
Serves 4
I love cabbage for so many reasons. Least of which is the fact that it’s one of the lesser expensive vegetables (at least where I live). I love adding raw, shredded cabbage to soups and stir-frys (after the dish, not the cabbage, has been cooked), to add crunch and volume (making the dish more filling, without adding lots of calories).
One of my favorite was to eat cabbage is in some sort of sweet fruit slaw. Apples, grapes, carrots, oranges, and pineapple all go great in this type of dish. Sometimes I’ll use a little vanilla soy yogurt and balsamic vinegar for my dressing, or just some balsamic vinegar and a some sweetener (agave or stevia/Truvia).
You’ll find that this slaw has an amazing variety of textures and flavors. It’s easy to throw together, and if you got everything on sale like I did, it will cost less than a dollar to make!
You will need:- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 3 oranges
- 1 granny smith apple (other apples will work, but the tartness of GS, goes well with the other flavors at work here)
- 1/4 c. craisins
- 2 TBS. balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 TBS. agave (depending on sweetness desired)
- 2 TBS. unsweetened shredded coconut
Wash and dry outside of cabbage. Cut in half (you’re only using half a head), and slice cabbage into very thin slices, chopping as necessary so the pieces are small, slices (you don’t want any chunks–the best part of cabbage is the shape it takes, and big pieces of cabbage are NOT appetizing!).
Peel oranges. Cut into slices and separate segments. Cut apple in half. Take on half and dice into small cubes. Slice the other half into thin slices (you will use this for a garnish). Mix vinegar and agave until blended. Toss all ingredients, except sliced apples and and coconut, using your hands (you want some of the citrus flavor and juices to come out of the oranges). Sprinkle coconut on top and garnish with sliced apples.
Eat immediately for best taste and crunch!
Nutrition Info: (1 serving=1/4 of the recipe): 172 calories, 1.5 g fat, 3.3 g protein, 38 mg sodium
Final Note: This week’s giveaway winners, and next week’s giveaway, here.
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