I think delicious food and fast food prep don’t have to be mutually exclusive! I LOVE fast to make, yummy dishes and that is usually how I eat myself. Today I’m sharing my Yummy Multi-Colored Cabbage Stir-Fry Recipe that will fill you up on hearty and healthy veggies that won’t weigh you down. This dish will keep your gut happy and regular! The way it likes and yearns to be :).
Let’s see how…
Beauty Food: Cabbage
Many of you may have seen (or even tried), my Probiotic Beauty Slaw recipe and know all about its health benefits. It’s one of the best ways to start incorporating more cabbage into your diet…if you’re having a hard time not knowing what to do with this vegetable.
Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, and its phytonutrients rank at the top of the list for phytonutrient antioxidants—impressive for thiscruciferous vegetable.
If we don’t take in a sufficient amount of antioxidants, our oxygen metabolism can become compromised, and we could experience the metabolic problem known as, oxidative stress. Top that off with insufficient amounts of anti-inflammatory nutrients, and regulation of our inflammatory system can become compromised, which can lead to chronic inflammation. This can lead to illness and accelerated aging (!). So yes, we do want to avoid inflammation in all ways possible!
Click here to keep inflammation at bay and give your gut the boost it needs!
There are also anti-inflammatory compounds found in red cabbage, called anthocyanins—definitely making it stand out from the rest.
Studies make it clear that cabbage contains a variety of nutrients that have the potential to benefit our stomach and intestinal linings. These nutrients would include glucosinolates and the anti-inflammatory isothiocyanates (or ITCs made from them), antioxidant polyphenols, and the amino acid-like substance called glutamine.
While green cabbage is the most commonly eaten variety of cabbage, you can see why I love using red cabbage because of its added nutritional benefits and robust hearty flavor. This is because of the concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols that provide unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Did you know that cabbage can help us avoid the appearance of crow’s feet- ie those annoying fine lines that crinkle up at the edges of our eyes? Crow’s feet can be a sign that you may have high cortisol levels. And high cortisol can cause the skin to break down faster and wrinkles to appear. The adrenal gland is responsible for making cortisol.
By incorporating anti-inflammatory and vitamin A, vitamin C and E-rich food like cabbage into your diet, you can also help in lowering cortisol levels—diminishing crow’s feet, and prevent lines from forming in the first place. Bet you have a higher appreciation for your adrenal glands now, don’t you?!
Cabbage is really an easy veggie to toss into just about anything really- from salads, to slaws, and soups- so take full advantage, knowing you’re receiving some amazing beautifying nutrients that will keep you beautiful from the inside out. If you have a more delicate system, having it cooked, as in this recipe, might be easier for you to handle than raw cabbage.
Beauty Foods: Carrots, Tomatoes & Shallots!
Carrots
Yes, carrots are #25 on my top Beauty Foods list from my book The Beauty Detox Foods, as an amazing hair-building food.
This bright colored root contains the highest amounts of beta-carotene—the precursor for Vitamin A—necessary for a well-moisturized and shiny head of hair. This vitamin is also important in promoting a healthy scalp, which we all need for the growth of healthy hair.
Carrots also increase the health of your skin by reducing the signs of premature aging.
In addition, carrots are powerful enough to boost your immune system, improves digestion, detoxify the body, and boosts oral health—given all their vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
I love their crunchy texture and sweet taste, which makes this fibrous veggie a great way to take the edge off hunger and providing tons of nutrients.
Tomatoes
I personally love tomatoes and love sinking my teeth into them- sometimes even before leaving the farmers market (for the little ones at least)!
Mother Nature has given these pleasantly plump guys something amazing, called: lycopene. Check this out:
A study was designed in which tomato and other dietary sources of lycopene were removed from the diets of postmenopausal women for a period of 4 weeks (in order to see what effect lycopene restriction would have on bone health). At the end of 4 weeks, women in the study started to show increased signs of oxidative stress in their bones and detrimental changes in their bone tissue.
What this all means is that removal of lycopene-containing foods from the diet was likely to put women at increased risk of osteoporosis. This really goes to show the importance of tomatoes and other lycopene-containing foods that should be included in our diet!
Tomatoes all provide antioxidant support, cardiovascular support, and reduced risk of obesity. All great reasons to add these red gems whenever we can.
Shallots
Onions (of all sorts), are one of my top beauty and health foods in my second book, The Beauty Detox Foods, and are in many of my Beauty Detox recipes.
Onions really can pack a huge health punch. Their pungent odors are because they are both are rich in sulfur-containing compounds, which attribute to their health promoting effects. Since we are talking about shallots, it’s good to know that they too, belong to the exact same genus and species of plant (allium cepa) as all of the onions.
Onions are a great source of polyphenols, including the flavonoid polyphenols. They also have a wide variety of allyl sulfides including the four major diallyl sulfides. Within this flavonoid category, onions are a standout source of quercetin—support healthy circulation and blood vessels.
Onions also provide antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.
Like all veggies, I like to switch it up and use shallots when I want a less powerful punch, and shallots are a great way to do this without missing out on onions distinct flavor.
Prepare ingredients.
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the garlic, shallot, and carrots.
Add the diced cabbage. Cook, stirring frequently.
Add the tamari, and keep cooking until the cabbage softens but is still firm.
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.
Add more tamari as needed. Serve immediately!
See full recipe below…
Savory Green & Red Cabbage Stir-Fry Recipe
Kimberly Snyder
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Servings 2 large servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot sliced and diced
- 1/4 medium green cabbage sliced and diced
- 1/4 medium red cabbage sliced and diced
- 2 carrots sliced and diced
- 2 to matoes sliced and diced
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- Juice of ½ a lemon
Instructions
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, shallot, carrots and diced cabbage. Cook, stirring frequently.
Add the diced tomatoes.
Add the tamari, and keep cooking until the cabbage softens but is still firm.
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.
Add more tamari as needed. Serve immediately!
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Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comments below, and be sure to use #beautydetoxrecipe on my Instagram with a picture of your creation! I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and feedback on making your own creations at home!
Be sure to add this recipe to your Dinner Recipes Pinterest Board!
All love,
Kimberly
Now there is a healthy broccoli belly! Keep your belly happy too with nutrient and fiber-rich plant foods grown in Mother Nature. :) xo
