Green Cabbage Steaks with Black Olive Tapenade

Lately I seem to be having a love affair with cabbage. I’ve already made these green cabbage steaks three times; twice before I ate them so fast I completely neglected taking pictures of them, never mind sharing any with anyone else. I don’t think Melissa actually believes that I made them at all because there’s never anything left when she comes ’round and no one else knows anything about them either. It’s like a covert operation. This time around I only had enough cabbage to make two steaks but I remembered to take pictures as evidence. I really am doing the work!

Unfortunately, once again I ate both of those cabbage steaks without so much as a breath. I literally inhaled them. Guess I’m just not very good at sharing. I do have a little of the olive tapenade left. Maybe I could put that out as a peace offering.

Now, I must say, there’s got to be something going on that’s making me crave cabbage so much. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. Besides being very rich in vitamin C, cabbage has very powerful anti-inflammatory properties; it’s loaded with antioxidants that fight chronic inflammation and ease swelling in the tissues. On top of that cabbage helps the body to retain water, aiding in keeping it hydrated. I’ve always believed in paying attention when your body is craving something… Unless, of course, your body is asking you for Doritos! Then you’ve got to use enough sense to know that the devil is at play and just be strong.

I’ve got a theory about my cabbage mania, though. I’ve had the great misfortune to have broken both my big toes – thankfully not at the same time! But around this time of year when shoes are a must, I feel those stupid toes more than any other time. And I don’t think I drink as much water in the winter either. So my body just zeroed in on cabbage to get the job done. It’s just reminding me what it needs.

On top of that, I guess I’ll have to pay attention to the advice of my acupuncturist and not insult my toes by calling them ‘stupid’. She told me I had to ‘send them love’ to really get them to heal. So I’ll do that too-but sometimes it just feels good to eat a bunch of cabbage steaks and think what I will about my toes!

Raw Vegan Recipe: Green Cabbage Steaks with Black Olive Tapenade

For the Green Cabbage Steaks:

1/2 head medium to large green cabbage, sliced horizontally into 1 1/2 inch thick ‘steaks’

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons paprika

1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

pinch salt

Combine olive oil. paprika, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Brush mixture over both sides of cabbage steaks.

Put steaks on dehydrator trays lined with Teflex sheets.

Dehydrate at 115 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours, checking at three. Edges should start to look a little dry but inside still moist. Serve with a dollop of black olive tapenade.

Peruvian Black Olive Tapenade

1 cup pitted Peruvian black Botija olives, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

3 tablespoons capers (optional)

juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. You can also add 1/4 cup tomato, chopped small to the mix for a little sweetness!