Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."  Fran Lebowitz

I recently ran into a friend who gave high praise for the Happy Joe's, the recipe for pseudo Sloppy Joe's made with lentils.  (8/11 blog entry)  The whole gang enjoyed the dish when she served it for company.  And lentils are a great way to get more protein without ingesting excess animal fat.  One thing I forgot to mention with the Happy Joe's is that you can freeze the dish which makes it perfect for days when you feel like making a big batch of something but don't want to eat a big batch of something.

Well, here's another such gem.  This recipe for Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage is virtually fat free and can be frozen for enjoyment at a later date.  And best of all, it tastes great.  On the nutritional benefit side red cabbage protects brain cells, lowers serum cholesterol, builds muscles, cleans blood, and strengthens your eyes.  Whoa!  Let's get cooking.

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage artfully garnished with parsley from my garden!

Ingredients:
  Small to medium head of red cabbage - you'll need about 8 cups, but don't obsess over this
  1 cup pineapple juice
  1 t salt
  1/2 cup raisin, regular or golden
  tarragon vinegar (amount to follow)
  Smidgen of Stevia
  black pepper to taste

Distructions:
Core and finely slice the red cabbage.  Place the cabbage into a large, heavy pot with the pineapple juice and salt.  Bring to boil, adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the cabbage is simmering fill a 1/2 cup measuring cup with the raisins.  While the raisins are still in the 1/2 cup measuring cup pour in the tarragon vinegar until it reaches the top of the cup.  After the 15 to 20 minutes of simmering add this raisin and tarragon vinegar mixture to the cabbage along with the Stevia, cover and simmer for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.  Adjust seasoning.  Enjoy!

For those of you unfamiliar with Stevia it's a plant that's sweet and makes a darn good sweetener.  It comes in a powder or liquid.  I use the powder and add a sprinkle that's barely visible to the naked eye in this particular recipe.  More than that and it tastes yukky.  Trusts me on this one. 

Loveya
The Mom