Healthy Red (or Purple)

Growing up, red cabbage made frequent appearances on our dinner table. My mother is German and red cabbage is definitely in the top five veggies of our people – although all veggies bow down to the German veggie queen, the potato. So I’m very fond of red cabbage (and potatoes).

In addition to being a tasty veggie, red cabbage has some health benefits including the antioxidant power of its red (or purple, as it appears to be in this picture) coloring provided by anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are flavonoids that color some fruits and veggies red, purple, or blue. Consuming these vibrant free-radical blockers may help to prevent cancer, improve brain function, and promote heart health.

Red cabbage is a great braised winter veggie, perfect for the slow cooker. I agree with Mark Bittman that a slow cooker is essentially a braiser that you can leave alone for long periods of time. To obtain red cabbage goodness straight from the slow cooker, try this tasty sweet, sour, and zesty braised red cabbage recipe.

Maple-Ginger Slow Cooked Red Cabbage
Use a 4-quart or larger round or oval slow cooker
Serves 6

1 medium-sized head of red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and roughly diced
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 T maple syrup
1 tsp grated ginger (I use jarred ginger puree)

Place all of the ingredients into a slow cooker and mix together. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 60 calories, 15g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 1g protein, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 30mg sodium