Fried Cabbage

I was NOT a cabbage fan until I tried this

From Flavors of India by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff

1/2 head green cabbage (about 1 pound)
1/2 sweet green pepper
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon each cayenne, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and coriander powder
few pinches garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed garlic)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

To choose a good cabbage pick one that is solid and heavy for its size. Remove the worn-out looking outer leaves of the cabbage and the thick center stem. Cut the rest into find shreds, as if preparing the cabbage for coleslaw, and set aside. Chop the pepper into fine pieces.

In a heavy frying pan, over a moderate to high flame, heat the oil. Add the chopped pepper and mustard seeds; when the mustard seeds stop popping, add all the cabbage and stir. Continue stirring while adding all the rest of the spices and the salt.

Keep stirring until all the spices seem well blended into the cabbage. Cook the cabbage for another 15 - 20 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent the cabbage from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. When fully cooked, the cabbage will shrink down to half its original size. When the cabbage is done, remove from the heat and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Stir and taste for the correct seasoning and serve hot.

what kind of taste does black mustard seeds have?

Hmmm. I don't think I have had them alone. It is not the same as the yellow mustard seed. If I can't find it in the local stores then I skip that part, although I like it better when I can find those seeds. From the book's glossery:

"Mustard seeds (Black) (Rai)
These small black seeds are an essential part of Indian cooking, and are different in taste to the yellow mustard seeds. Used in sauteing most vegetable and lentil dishes, this spice makes a characteristic sound when put in oil that allows the cook to know when the oil is ready"

I was for about 20 years - and vegan for several of those. So I have a lot of vegetarian recipes.

About two years ago I just needed some meat, so I eat it when I feel like it. I'm pretty picky and was lucky enough to find a good source of beef directly from a local rancher. It is antibiotic and hormone free, completely grass fed. I found them at a farmers market and have gotten to know them a bit. Aside from the meat I still eat like a vegan (no dairy, eggs) due to food intolerance issues. My son is highly allergic to dairy too, but can eat egg. My DH and DD eat everything.

Are you vegetarian?

Well, I'm not an expert, nor a dietitian, so take this with a grain of salt.

If your daughter is eating a variety of freshly prepared foods, and tries new foods, and rotates her foods (so she is not eating the same thing every day) then she is probably fine. If she is eating a lot of highly processed foods and/or not a great variety then she probably needs to work on her eating. She should also make sure she gets a balance of foods, proteins, fats, carbs, etc. from good quality sources. I'm a big fan of avocados, nuts, and legumes. When she was in high school, my best friend's sister went vegetarian and very low fat in an attempt to lose weight. She didn't eat in a balanced way and cut out virtually all fats. She ended up with some of her hair falling out and her skin lost some of it's luster. Her mom stepped in and got her eating right again.

There are lots of people in the world who are vegetarian. For example, this cookbook that I have is from the early 1970's and is a vegetarian Hindu cookbook. The name of it is "Flavors of India: Recipes from the Vegetarian Hindu Cuisine" by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff. I think there are more recent editions available such as through Amazon. There are other books out there as well.

I also have seen a huge trend of former vegetarians eating meat the way I do (more or less) from time to time but only the high quality, humanely treated meat. These people who I know are highly educated and previously dedicated to vegetarianism or veganism who have decided that their bodies needed the occasional meat ~ The people I buy my meat from, the woman is a former, long-time vegetarian with a master's degree from Harvard.

I don't know the reason why your daughter is a vegetarian but perhaps she will move that direction at some point.

I became a vegetarian after my friend the cow who belonged to my neighbor turned up on my plate one day when I was in fourth grade. I was not warned until I'd eaten half my burger. "Bob" was my friend who licked my hand and liked to be scratched behind the ear. I gave up cheese and dairy and eggs later when I found I was not digesting them properly and they make me sick when I eat them.

Best of luck to you and your daughter. There are lots of healthy vegetarians in this world.

For connieq288