Parsnip mash and black cabbage wanted to share!

[Debsoxford]

Trying to get more and different vegetables into diet

I saw parsnip mash in a thyroid diet book never tried it well absolutely lovely wish I'd tried.it years ago and very filling I'm not good with normal spuds so will be putting it on top of cottage pie in future bad hubby doesn't like sweet potatoes so saves on doing 2 lots of spuds

Never seen black cabbage before.steamed it absolutely awful didn't want to give up so shredded a bit and tossed in butter was like shredded seaweed you get at Chinese.I devoured the lot also tried in coconut oil was ok but not as nice as butter in my opinion

I know it's not thyroid related but good diet good health!

[puncturedbicycle]

Just a tip re black cabbage (is this the same as cavolo nero I assume?) - it needs much more cooking than white cabbage. Think of it more like kale than cabbage. We get it all the time in our veg box (I sometimes skip it because I'm getting tired of it now).

I usually braise it. I slice a clove of garlic and saute it w the cabbage in a little olive oil, then add a big splash of water and put the lid on until the water cooks off and veg is tender. If still not cooked add a little more water, cook until the water cooks off and check again. Check the stems, they can stay tough if not cooked enough.

Also nice in a curry. Tonight I did a very easy Abel and Cole Goan fish curry w squash and cavolo nero.

Happy cooking/eating!

[Josiesmum]

Sounds yum,, always good to get ideas for replacements for potatoes and pasta.

I recommend celeriac, grated and sautéed in olive oil until soft. Nice mixed with fresh parsley, salt and pepper and served with fish. Alternatively it can be sautéed with shredded leeks, then simmered until soft and blended to make a delicious soup.

[Treepie]

Parsnip is even better mashed with carrots.

[Hidden in reply to Treepie]

I might try that one. I like parsnip but other half isn't keen, maybe adding carrots would tip it into the zone where he finds it acceptable!

[MrsRaven in reply to Treepie]

I do three veg mash, a small amount of spud, parsnips and carrot. Nice with a spot of onion in too.

[Hidden]

I love parsnip mash too although I have never tried black cabbage.

I assume you at one time thought your weight issue might be thyroid related. There is a growing controversy about the TSH test that GPs use to diagnose thyroid issues and even the person who invented the TSH test says it should not be relied on as a diagnostic tool. Also this country has a much wider reference range than a lot of other countries so what is normal in Britain with say as TSH of 3,4 or 5 or even higher in some parts of the country would be treated as hypothyroid in most other parts of the world. If you have other symptoms other than just weight gain or if you seem to put on weight very easily it would be worth looking at the Thyroid UK forum and maybe posting any blood tests there.

[Jackie101]

Hi - I love parsnip mash too. But I thought Brassicas such as cabbage were not good for thyroid, but cant remember why..

[sulamaye in reply to Jackie101]

They're okay if cooked, but you'd have to eat a lot raw for the bad thing to take effect, can't remember what it's called. Brain fog.

[greygoose in reply to sulamaye]

They're goitrogens. But, only really a problem for people who are undiagnosed or on a tiny dose of levo. And, even then, there's a fifty fifty chance that any individual goitrogen won't have any effect on you.

They act by impeding the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, so that the gland can't make enough hormone. But, if you are particularly sensitive to a particular goitrogen, cooking will not help!

But the up-shot is, if cabbage agrees with you, eat it. If it doesn't, stop eating it.

Hope all that makes sense, my brain is fried this morning...

[sulamaye in reply to greygoose]

that's it I knew they had a name. I think there is disagreement about whether cooking kills them. As with all these things....

[Pufinette in reply to greygoose]

Hi everybody, such a great forum ! It is my special time, to read it every morning and learn. I live in States, I don't think we have black cabbage..

Hi greygoose ( looking alwayes for your informative infos )

How about sour cabbage ?!?

[greygoose in reply to Pufinette]

Not sure I know what sour cabbage is? But, what I said goes for all goitrogens, from cabbage to strawberries to walnuts!

[shirleydancer in reply to greygoose]

i think you may mean sauerkraut, which is German pickled cabbage. it is full of lots of natural good bacteria and great for anyone with IBS, providing you can tolerate cabbage, as for some it can be a thyroid robber. It does taste disgusting, but after being in hospital last year, I had temporary IBS, so I ate some everyday to replace my gut bacteria as I had a mysterious gut infection and was on intravenous antibiotics for nearly a week. Once I was fully recovered I gave up eating it, as before it is an acquired taste, and definitely not my taste.

[greygoose in reply to shirleydancer]

What do you mean by 'thyroid robber'? If you mean goitrogen, it doesn't steal anything at all from the thyroid, as I explain above. A load of rubbish is talked about goitrogens.

However, fermenting it gets rid of the goitrogenic effect, so shouldn't upset anyone. And, as you said, is full of goodies. I love the taste of sauerkraut! But it needs some kind of fat to make it more palatable, such as goose fat.

[shirleydancer in reply to greygoose]

They act by impeding the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, so that the gland can't make enough hormone. But, if you are particularly sensitive to a particular goitrogen, cooking will not help!

But the up-shot is, if cabbage agrees with you, eat it. If it doesn't, stop eating it.

mean exactly what you said, I eat cabbage with no deleterious effects, just not sauerkraut not to my taste.

[helvella in reply to Pufinette]

Black cabbage is, I think, cavalo nero. Has become common enough in the larger outlets over the past few years. Part of the commercialised "Mediterranean Diet" approach. Sometimes added to soups.

[MrsRaven in reply to greygoose]

It makes conplete sense. I apply that to

My whole diet. I have just gone back onto lactose free mill. I have a mild lactose intolerance which seems worse when my thyroidhormones dip. I get gastritis symptoms. Far better on lactose free.

[sulamaye]

Roast parsnip is best, better than roast pots so sweet. Don't understand why people don't like it do you think in their mind they get confused with turnips???

[greygoose in reply to sulamaye]

I like turnips better than parsnips. I don't like my veggie sweet! Can't stand sweet potatoes!

The worse one - and brings back horrible memories of school dinners - is swede. Ugh.

[helvella in reply to greygoose]

I agree - too, too sweet.

Also, so many ordinary potatoes these days are far too sugary sweet. Prefer them when they are more starchy and potato-flavour than sugar.

[RedApple in reply to sulamaye]

Sulamaye, I have often come across confusion between parsnips, turnips and swede. I believe the names can be interchangeable depending on where you come from (and I'm meaning within the UK as well as possibly outside the UK).

My quick description...

Parsnips look a bit like long, white fat carrots with a pointy end, and are sweet

Turnips are round, small (average tennis ball size perhaps?), mainly white but often with pinkish and greenish colouration on the outside and white fleshed.

Swede is round, much larger than turnip and orange fleshed.

I have come across quite a few who would reverse my description of turnips and parsnips

[sulamaye in reply to RedApple]

they would be wrong if they did RedApple - ive got some parsnips growing outside this window and they are definitely as you describe! It's not that I think people think one is the other when cooking, growing or looking at them, more that if asked to try them they amalgamate (i've given up trying to spell since getting m.e and just go fro approximations!) the lot into something they think they don't like.

[knackersyard]

Best way to get loads of veg into your diet is a Juicer. Most of the Phytonutrients are lost during cooking.

A Slow Masticating Juicer is the most effective way to extract the goodness. Well cold pressed is, if you've got a few £K to spare, but Omega to a really good Masticating one for 399.

I've got a Nutribullet too & use both. Some veg/fruit suit one more than the other.

[serenfach]

For a completely different taste sensation, try boiling the cabbage in apple juice - it is lovely and I am not keen on cabbage!

Parsnip chips - cut very thin like a crisp and fried for a minute - touch of celery salt - bliss!

[Hidden]

Black cabbage well I shred it and casserole it. this is easy. I alternate one layer of cabbage with one layer of apple. I also use a small amount of white wine vinegar I usually freeze it in smaller portions for later.

[nightingale-56]

A recipe I brought back from a Greek restaurant is White Cabbage, shredded, stir fried in Olive Oil and butter, with Coriander and Dill. You can add a pinch or two of sugar if you wish.

[maggi999]

Butterbean mash - boil potatoes as normal, add a tin of butterbeans to the pan at the end of cooking the potatoes until they are heated through. Mash the two together, I do it with a potato ricer to make it really smooth, adding butter and/or olive oil as required - yummy!