Beans, Broccoli, and Beyond

Seven superfoods that taste good and keep you healthy are beans, peas, broccoli, eggs, blueberries, oatmeal, walnuts, and yogurt. To come people, broccoli tastes bitter. If you can’t stand broccoli, opt for one of the other members of the crucifer family: kale, bok choy, and collards, as well as cabbage and nappa. They all give you most of the same nutrients as broccoli, calcium, folic acid, Vitamins C and A, plus fiber and chlorophyll. Just remember that the more color in the vegetable, the more nutrients. One cup of kale, for instance has 5963 I.U. Vitamin A; cabbage has 2100.

Coconut oil has been found to boost brainpower, to help Alzheimer’s patients actually regain some cognitive abilities, according to Dr. Frank Shallenberger’s newsletter, Real Cures, April, 2012 issue.

For a superbly delicious main dish that gives you the nutritional qualities of cabbage, coconut, and peas plus chicken for protein, treat your family to this recipe. I learned to make this by eating it at a café in Macao decades ago. It’s been a favorite of our family ever since.

CHICKEN a la CAFÉ BOLO
4 to 6 Servings
1 chicken breast, boned and skinned
½ Bermuda onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons peanut oil or light olive oil
About 4 cups nappa or cabbage cut in 2-inch squares
1 cup bok choy leaves, optional
1 can coconut milk

Curry paste:
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 to 3 Tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas or pea pods, strings removed and halved crosswise

Cut the chicken breast in bite-size pieces. Stir fry the onion and garlic in the oil until onion is glossy and wilted. Open the coconut milk and make the curry paste.

Add the remaining ingredients ,omitting peas, but including the rest of the coconut milk. Simmer until chicken is opaque and cabbage half-tender. Add peas. Cook 5 minutes more. Serve over Golden Rice, below.

GOLDEN RICE
4 to 6 servings
1 ½ cups brown rice
¾ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups boiling water

Combine all ingredients. Stir. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Cook 50 minutes, adding a 2 Tablespoons more water the last 5 minutes.

To complete your menu, add a fruit salad.

This meal should make your reputation as a gourmet cook, yet will not bust your budget. It’s just as good made with plain green cabbage.