This week is St. Patrick’s Day, and being the good Irish girl that I am, I will be joining my son for his favorite Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner. It’s the one time all year that I eat corned beef, and only a mouthful at that. This is a cured meat, so very high in sodium. A 3 ounce serving of corned beef contains 827 milligrams of sodium, 36 percent of the Institute of Medicine’s daily recommendation! YUK!
The cabbage, on the other hand is a healthy choice. One cup of cabbage provides 3 grams of fiber, high levels of vitamin C, which promotes a healthy immune system, and nearly double the daily recommendation of vitamin K, an essential nutrient for blood clotting! My plate at dinner will have mostly carrots (a fav of mine), cabbage, potatoes and a tiny bite of corned beef.
Another Irish favorite that works better for me than corned beef is Irish stew! Mostly veggies with a bit of any type of meat or poultry that you like, and if you make the broth yourself you can put only a bit of salt in and it tastes much better than those you see on the supermarket shelves. Here is my bone broth recipe:
Hint – Save all your bones in a container in the freezer as you eat the meat or chicken and then when you have enough, make your own broth. You can freeze some if you want to use at a later date, or make a big pot of stew or soup and share!
Ingredients:
2 large onions, cut up
3 – 6 large garlic cloves-
7 celery stalks, cut up
4-6 large carrots, cut up
1 large or 2 small potatoes, cut up
Kale or any other veggie you like
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 bay leaves
Preparation:
Sauté the onion in 1 tsp of olive oil in a big stew pot
Add the carrots and celery and lastly the onions and cook until onions are soft
Fill the pot with your bag of bones and then add enough water to cover the bones
Add the bay leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add the Kale and any other greens lower to a simmer, cover and let it cook for at least 1 hr. Stir occasionally.
Let the broth cool for several hours (you can put the whole pot as is in the fridge overnight if you want.
Then remove all the bones and any grease that may have formed on top, and you’ve got your stock/broth for any time you want some!
Best of Health,
Kathi
