Green Cabbage and Mushrooms

Who ever thinks about eating cabbage? For me, cabbage's only purpose is to be slawed for a great side dish now and then...especially during the summer with grilled chicken. But lo and behold, cabbage, as it is - has great anti-cancer properties! Perhaps it is time to reconsider this cruciferous vegetable as more than a tasty side a few times a year.Our neighbor grows cabbage...and offers a head now and then. Depending upon whether I have time or an upcoming potluck to attend in which I can take slaw, I either accept or decline the offer. But the next time he offers a head of cabbage - I am going to take him up on it and make the recipe I am sharing today from Dr. Weil. Looking over the ingredients, I bet this will be quite tasty! We especially love shitake mushrooms, so using that particular fungus instead of button mushrooms will be a no brainer. I can visualize this dish served as a side to a lean cut of steak and maybe an ear of grilled corn on the cob. I know it is not summer yeat - but it is coming!! If I did not put this recipe here today, as I received it from Dr. W, it would have become lost in my archives of "worthy blog sharing notes" - so here you go.
I wonder, if the Irish eat as much cabbage as stereotype suggests, do they experience less breast and prostrate cancer? Of course Ireland is a land of much cleaner air and fewer industrial chemicals...for that reason alone, they surely fare better than we Americans. Despite our environment of xenoestrogens and neurotoxins...we can eat cabbage, intake our indoles, and help pacify the cancerous cells within us.

All that below is retyped from the weekly newsletter of Dr. Andrew Weil:
Cabbage is a true vegetable treasure, widely unappreciated. It is low cost and highly nutritious. Along with other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and kale), cabbage provides significant amounts of fiber, vitamin C, and an important class of nutrients called indoles. Reseach on indoles is focusing on their ability to protect against both breast and prostrate cancer. An addition bonus in this savory dish is the mushrooms. Use more flavorful (and healthful) shitake mushrooms if you can find them.
Ingredients:
1 small green cabbage, cored and diced, about 6 cups
1 cup organic vegetable broth
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1/2 pound of mushrooms
1.5 T cornstarch mixed into quarter cup cold water
1 t. dried dillweed, or 1.5 T of fresh, chopped
1/2 t. paprika
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In covered pot over high heat, steam cabbage for five minutes in vegetable stock, until wilted but still bright green. Remove cover and remove from heat.
2. While cabbage cooks, in large skillet saute the onions and mushrooms in olive oil. Add cabbage to skillet and stir together.
3. Dilute cornstarch in small bowl with 1/4 cup of cold water, and slowly add into cabbage mixture. Bring to a boil until sauce thickens, add spices and serve.

This dish contains ZERO cholesterol, has 70.9 calories, over 60 mg calcium and 23 magnesium. It contains 11 carbs. If you would like the total nutritional breakdown email me please, as I had to retype Dr. Weil's recipe to avoid messed up blog formatting.
To your health!
Rita S.