After moving to the United States, my dietary habits changed dramatically. It’s just really different from Korea, and I found it difficult to maintain a healthier diet. I decided to try eating in a more healthy way, and I’ve been on a wheat free diet for the past two weeks. I’m putting more vegetables, healthy protein, whole grains and, most importantly, water on my plate. But, my key ingredient was cabbage. Highly nutritious in Vitamin C, fiber and Vitamin K, cabbage helped me feel satiated while being nutritious. These are some healthy recipes with cabbage — the nutritional “powerhouse.”

Steamed cabbage roll with beef! 

The best way to preserve its nutritional benefit is to steam the cabbage. Steaming enhances the cholesterol-lowering property of cabbage and preserves more glucosinolates. In this recipe, you are eating the steamed cabbage with beef to replenish protein at the same time. The essence of this recipe is the sauce. 

Ingredients

• Cabbage leaf
• Thinly sliced beef (usually used for shabu shabu recipes)
• Mung bean sprouts (or just bean sprouts)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sesame
• 2 spoons soy sauce
• 2 spoons vinegar
• 1 spoon sesame oil

Directions

1. Pile the ingredients in the following order: cabbage leaf, beef and mung bean sprouts. 
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on beef before you put the mung bean sprouts
3. If you have a steamer, steam it for 15~20 minutes. If not, you can use the microwave! 

• Microwave: put the piled cabbage leaf (cabbage leaf, beef, mung bean sprouts) in a bowl and put a half of one cup water in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. This is important! Don’t cover the whole bowl. You need to leave a small place for the air to come in. Then, put it in the microwave for 8~9 minutes until the beef is cooked well. 

1. Mix 2 spoons of soy sauce, 2 spoons of vinegar, 1 spoon of sesame oil and sesame to make a sauce. 
2. Roll the piled cabbage leaf and dip it into the sauce. Enjoy! 

Cabbage pizza

Sometimes, I miss carbs — bread, pasta and pizza. But you can actually replace the wheat with cabbage to make pizza. A healthy pizza recipe! 

Ingredients

• Shredded cabbage
• Rice paper 
• 2 eggs
• Tomato sauce
• Cheese (just any cheese you like)
• Salt
• Canola oil

Directions

1. Put 2 eggs on the shredded cabbage and mix it well. 
2. Prepare a pan and put the canola oil. 
3. Put a rice paper on the pan and put the shredded cabbage on it. 
4. Turn over the rice paper + shredded cabbage. 
5. Put tomato sauce and cheese over it. 
6. Put the cover on the pan until the cheese melts. 
7. Cut the pizza into slices. Enjoy! 

Cabbage donburi

Donburi is one of my favorite dishes. It’s a bowl of steamed rice with meat, fish, veggies, eggs and different sauces. For this recipe, we’re going to put cabbage and tuna on the steamed rice. 

Ingredients

• Sliced cabbage
• ½ onion
• 2 spoons oyster sauce 
• Canned tuna 
• Egg

Directions

1. Cut the cabbage and onion into small slices.
2. Prepare the canned tuna without oil.
3. Prepare a pan and stir-fry the sliced cabbage then sliced onions. 
4. Put 2 spoons of oyster sauce while stir-frying.
5. Put the vegetables (cabbage and onion) at the edge of the pan. 
6. Put tuna next to the vegetables.
7. Then, put an egg in the middle of the pan. 
8. Put the cover on the pan until the egg is cooked. 
9. Prepare a white rice or brown rice in a bowl. 
10. Then, put the cooked vegetables + tuna + egg on the rice. Enjoy! 

Cabbage is a versatile ingredient. It can be used for any recipe, especially for healthy diet recipes! If you’re looking for healthy, low-fat and wheat-free meal ideas, go to the kitchen and try these recipes.