Red cabbage and bulgur wheat in tomato sauce
This vegetable and grain dish, rich in fiber and antioxidants, helps support your immune system.
Vegetables and grains containing lots of fiber help support the immune system through the stresses of fall and winter. Fiber helps regulate cholesterol and blood sugar and keeps our guts healthy.
Cabbage has fiber as well as antioxidants. A particular type of antioxidant called anthocyanin gives red cabbage its vivid color. Anthocyanins help protect purple vegetables from sunlight damage, cold temperatures, and other stressors. Anthocyanins also can help protect and heal your cells from damage and protect you from many lifestyle conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological diseases, such as dementia and depression. Red cabbage contains 36 different types of antioxidants and has twice as much vitamin C as green cabbage.
This recipe first appeared on the Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States health blog.
Servings: 8, as a side
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup bulgur wheat, dry
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 cups no-salt-added tomato puree or stewed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup canned light coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Sauté:
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium red onion, grated or finely chopped
- 2 cups grated red cabbage
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
- Boil 2 cups of water. In a heat-proof bowl, add the bulgur wheat and stir in the boiling water. Cover and allow to sit until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- To make the sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the bay leaves and olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and remove from the heat after 15 seconds. Stir in the tomato and the basil and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add coconut milk, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Re-cover to keep warm.
- To make the cabbage sauté: In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil and saute the onion until slightly translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and saute until the bottom layer is slightly browned. You may need to add a little more oil or a splash of water for this.
- Serve the bulgur and cabbage saute with the tomato sauce.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 170
- Total fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 29 g
- Dietary fiber: 5 g
- Total sugars: 8 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Potassium: 717 mg