Cabbage Steaks.

• Slice a whole cabbage into big 1-inch disks (they'll look like round steaks, hence the name).
• Sprinkle on salt, pepper, olive oil, and (optional) garlic. Or even cayenne pepper.
• Bake on a cookie sheet in a 400-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, turning once.

A head of cabbage ranges from 175 to 300 calories, depending on size -- small, medium, or large. A medium head of cabbage has 20 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 487% of your daily Vitamin C needs, and no cholesterol.

  

Chick pea snacks. Quite yummy.

14-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)

Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Other spices, as desired (curry powder suggested)

Drain and rinse the chick peas.  Coat lightly with olive oil in a bowl.  Season with salt, pepper and/or other spices.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 40-50 minutes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (I forgot to use the parchment paper but it didn't seem to cause a problem.)

Roll them around periodically while baking.

 

Thanks to Anne V. for the recipe! Maybe one day she'll blog again, although it looks like blogging is dying.

Broccoli + Parmesan. And the scandal about Parmesan.

This is so obvious that I don't need to use words.

 

 

I stumbled across this very interesting, long article about Parmesan cheese. What is and especially what isn't Parmesan. At least according to this writer.

 

Kale Chips! You'll never crave potato chips again. (**Update about kale & the thyroid.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Wash and tear into chip-size pieces a bunch of kale. (UPDATE: dry completely)

3.  Stir in a little olive oil and salt.

4.  Spread chips in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

5.  Bake chips for 13-15 minutes.

6.  Enjoy!

 

**From Dr. Weil's website:
Some foods, especially cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower) contain natural goitrogens, compounds that can cause the thyroid gland to enlarge by interfering with thyroid hormone synthesis. Cooking has been reported to inactivate this effect in Brussels sprouts. Cassava, a starchy root that is the source of tapioca, can also have this effect. Other goitrogens include corn, sweet potatoes, lima beans, and soy. Some practitioners recommend that people with under-active thyroid glands avoid these foods, even though most have not been proved to cause hypothyroidism in humans.