Have you seen my other recipes featuring cabbage? Do you remember this Cabbage Pecan Salad? How about this Red Cabbage Rice? Anyway, while writing this recipe I took a glimpse at the nutritional benefits of both red and green cabbage. You really can’t go wrong with either type of this cruciferous vegetable. Both red and green cabbages possess impressive profiles of vitamins and phytonutrients that give them their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventing powers.
However, as I compared the nutrition of each of these cabbages, Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better (from the musical Annie Get Your Gun) came to mind. There is a friendly (imaginary) competition between these two: compared to green cabbage, red cabbage has more vitamins and phytonutrients with a couple exceptions. Let’s compare 1 Cup (89g) of chopped raw green and red cabbage.
Anthocyanins (The Purple Stuff)
Let’s start our comparison with the most obvious difference between red and green cabbage: the color. Red cabbage gets its color from anthocyanin polyphenols. These are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that provide cardiovascular protection. Anthocyanins are also what give blueberries, pomegranates and purple sweet potatoes their vibrant colors. It should be noted that all cabbages contain polyphenols that have anti-inflammatory benefits; red cabbage is just conspicuous about it.
Vitamin C
In addition to playing an important role in our immune system, vitamin C is also required for our bodies to create and repair muscle tissue (Homework: research protein metabolism and biosynthesis of collagen and L-Carnitine). 1 Cup of green cabbage will give you 54% of your daily value of vitamin C. The same quantity of red cabbage provides 84% of your daily value of vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that our bodies need for immune system function, vision and reproduction. 1 Cup of green cabbage only provides 2% of our daily value of vitamin A while red cabbage provides 20% (10 times).
Vitamin K
Vitamin K helps with blood clotting and the prevention of excessive bleeding. Both red and green cabbages are good sources of vitamin K but green cabbage has red cabbage beat with this one. 1 Cup of green cabbage provides 85% of your daily value, while red cabbage provides 54%.
Steaming Cabbage
That’s enough talk about cabbage competition; they’re both winners. Let’s eat some cabbage! In this recipe I use both red and green cabbage, however, feel free to use only type. This recipe is a great inexpensive side for almost any entree. I’ve even enjoy with toast for breakfast.
Prep Time: 10 minutes . Cook Time: 15 minutes . Yield: Serves 8
1/2 Lb Green Cabbage, coarsely chopped
1/2 Lb Red Cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Water or Low-Sodium/No Salt Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Yellow Onion, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
4 Medium Carrots, sliced
4 Sprigs Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 Tsp Chipotle Powder (optional)
Chopped Green Onions for garnish
Salt and Black Pepper taste
1. In a large saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent and carrots are soft. Add garlic, bell pepper and thyme; cook for an additional 2 minutes; stirring occasionally.
2. Add cabbage and season with black pepper, salt and chipotle powder; give vegetables a quick toss to coat cabbage with seasoning. Add water/broth and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until cabbage is tender; stir occasionally. Serve warm.
Nutrition per 6-Oz Serving: 54 Cals; 8g Carb;2 Fat; 2g Protein; 3g Dietary Fiber
Nutrition calculated using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Importer
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