Macrobiotic Meal of the Month - March 2009

Do you like cabbage? Well, here's a sweet and tasty dish that I promise will make you a cabbage lover!

Cabbage belongs to the cruciferae family of vegetables along with kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts. According to the George Mateljan Foundation: "Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is also a very good source of fiber, manganese, vitamin B6, folate, and omega-3 fatty acids. Cabbage is also a good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, and protein."

Cruciferous vegetables also contain substances that promote detoxification of the blood and tissues and help to fight cancer.

A Korean friend once commented that Americans don't have many breakdown foods in their diet. I was curious about what she meant. She explained that in Korea, people eat a lot of cabbage, scallions, leeks and daikon, which help to break down fat in the body. And I got the picture! The people living in Korea are lean.

This recipe can be cut in half and made as a side dish or you can add one 8-oz package of tempeh and make it a one-pot vegan meal. If you have meat eaters in your family, cooked, cubed ham or organic beef could also be added in place of the tempeh.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here.

THE BEST SWEET CABBAGE

1 head green cabbage, sliced thin
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup raisins (dark or golden)
1 cup water, filtered 2 tablespoons mirin (a Japanese rice wine, I use Mitoku or Eden brand)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use Mitoku or Eden brand)
2 tablespoons of tahini (MaraNatha Organic No-Salt Added Raw Sesame Tahini)
2 tablespoons rice syrup (Lundberg Organic)
1/4 cup parsley, fresh chopped
1 8-oz package vegetable tempeh (Lightlife Organic) or meat
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a 5-quart, stainless-steel soup pot, add the olive oil and cabbage. Turn flame to high. After it heats oil, turn down to medium-high flame and sauté 5 to 10 minutes.

Add water, mirin, soy sauce, tahini, rice syrup, raisins, tempeh (or meat) and sea salt. Bring back to a boil on high flame. Cover, turn to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If liquid reduces during cooking, add slightly more water as not to burn.

Serve garnished with parsley. Serves 4 to 6.

Enjoy!  ~Meg