ONLINE EXTRA -- CRUCIFEROUS CRAVINGS: Caraway Cabbage . . . Seared Red Cabbage Wedges . . . Brussels Sprouts with Pecans . . . Tuscan Kale Salad, etc.

Caraway Cabbage

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 medium onion, sliced (2 cups)

1 apple, cored and sliced (1 cup)

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ cups water

¼ small head red cabbage sliced (3 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add apple and sugar and saute over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring as they cook. Add water and cabbage and stir; add vinegar and caraway seeds.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Most of the liquid will be absorbed and the cabbage will be slightly firm. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 172 calories, 16 percent from fat, 3 grams fat (0.3 grams saturated, 1.6 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 3.6 grams protein, 35.8 grams carbohydrates, 6.9 grams fiber, 39 milligrams sodium.

Seared Red Cabbage Wedges

1 small head red cabbage

2 to 3 tablespoons olive

Salt and pepper

Juice of ½ orange

2 to 3 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts

Remove any outer leaves of cabbage with brown spots. Cut the head in half from the top through the core. Leaving the core in place to hold the slices together, cut into wedges about 1 inch wide (the size of the first digit of your index finger).

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many wedges as will fit in a single layer. Cook about 3 minutes. Using a flat spatula, turn each wedge over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes. (The wedges may fall apart a little, but they'll still taste good.)

Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

2 teaspoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 cups halved and thinly sliced Brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

½ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1½ tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

8 teaspoons coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in Brussels sprouts, saute 2 minutes. Add broth and sugar; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in salt. Sprinkle with pecans.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 79 calories, 3 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 3 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 461 milligrams sodium.

Tuscan Kale Salad

1 large bunch kale

1 slice country-style bread or ¼ cup fresh bread crumbs

1 clove garlic, peeled

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan Reggiano cheese, divided

About 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed

¼ teaspoon coarse or kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim off the bottoms of the kale stems and discard. Pile up the kale leaves and slice them into ribbons about ½ to ¾ inches wide. You should have about 5 or 6 cups kale. Place the kale in a large serving bowl and set aside.

Toast the bread lightly, then pulse in a food processor or rub on the large holes of a cheese grater to make coarse crumbs. If using fresh bread crumbs, spread out on a pan and toast lightly. Set aside.

Pound the garlic clove into paste in a mortar with a pestle or with the back of a large knife. Place the garlic in a small bowl. (If you're using a mortar, you can just make the dressing there.) Add ¼ cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper flakes and pepper and whisk to combine.

Pour over the kale and use tongs to toss well to thoroughly combine. Let stand at least 5 minutes and up to 15 or 20 minutes.

Add bread crumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and a small drizzle of oil and toss again before serving.

Yield: Serves 4.

Kale and Sausage Stew

1 pound kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

About 1 pound Italian sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 medium russet or Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon smoked or sweet paprika, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 cups chicken stock

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

Pull the kale leaves from the stems, setting stems aside. Pile up the leaves and cut into strips. Cut the stems into ½-inch pieces. Set aside.

Place the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium-high. Add the Italian sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the potato and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are starting to brown a little, about 5 minutes. Stir in the kale stems and cook 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika and kale leaves and cook about 1 minute. Return the sausage to the pan and add the stock and drained beans, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Check first, in case the stock is salty enough.)

Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, until everything is heated through.

Yield: Serves 6.

Italian-Style Brussels Sprouts

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts

½ cup water

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese

Trim the ends from the Brussels sprouts and cut each sprout into quarters. Heat water in a medium nonstick skillet. Add Brussels sprouts. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat, stirring frequently about 10 minutes or until just tender and liquid has evaporated. (If there is additional moisture remaining once Brussels sprouts are tender, drain brussels sprouts.)

Whisk mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and garlic together. Toss Brussels sprouts together with dressing. Shave Parmesan cheese over top.

Yield: Serves 5.

Approximate nutritional analysis per ½-cup serving: 84 calories, 42 percent of calories from fat, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 1 milligram cholesterol, 8 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 92 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

Broccoli Farfalle

¼ pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta) (about ½-cup)

½ pound broccoli florets (about 3 cups)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan with 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil over high heat.

Add pasta and cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli and continue to cook 5 minutes.

Drain, leaving about ¼ cup water in the saucepan. Add the olive oil and garlic to the reserved water. Return pasta and broccoli to the saucepan and toss to mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 287 calories, 18 percent of calories from fat, 5.8 grams fat (0.8 grams saturated, 3.5 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 11 grams protein, 49.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.9 grams fiber, 34 milligrams sodium.

Broccoli Slaw

1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups ready-to-eat broccoli slaw mix

1/2 cup mild salsa

Mix mayonnaise and vinegar together in a medium-size bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add broccoli slaw mix and salsa. Toss well. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 80 calories, 34 percent of calories from fat, 3 grams fat (0.5 grams saturated, 0.7 grams monounsaturated), 4.4 milligrams cholesterol, 10.9 grams protein, 10.9 grams carbohydrates, 0.9 grams fiber, 349 milligrams sodium.

Ramen Broccoli Salad

1 12-ounce package broccoli slaw mix (in the salad aisle, or substitute fresh broccoli florets)

2 3-ounce packages ramen noodles

1 bunch green onions, chopped

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

¼ cup (or to taste) sugar

½ cup cashews, almonds or peanuts

½ cup sunflower or ¼ cup sesame seeds

In a large salad bowl, combine the slaw, noodles from the ramen packages, broken up, and green onions. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar and seasoning packets from the ramen noodles. Pour over salad and toss to evenly coat. Refrigerate until chilled; top with nuts and sunflower seeds before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 257 calories, 54 percent of calories from fat, 15.8 grams fat (2.9 grams saturated, 8.2 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 5 grams protein, 25.5 grams carbohydrates, 2.3 grams fiber, 238.7 milligrams sodium.

Curried Cauliflower Salad

3 tablespoons agave syrup or honey

1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 cups (1¾ pounds) Curried Cauliflower (recipe follows)

1 cup (4 ounces) fresh or previously frozen green peas

½ cup (2½ ounces) diced red bell pepper

¼ cup (1 ounce) diced dried apricot

½ cup (2 ounces) curried cashews (recipe follows)

½ cup (¼ bunch) chopped fresh cilantro

¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the agave syrup, lemon juice and olive oil to form a finishing syrup. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the cauliflower, peas, bell pepper and apricot. Pour over half of the finishing syrup and toss to combine. Stir in the cashews, cilantro and salt. Taste, adding additional finishing syrup if desired and adjusting the seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours to give the flavors time to marry before serving.

Yield: Serves 10.

Approximate nutritional analysis per servings: 179 calories, 4 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 5 grams sugar, 440 milligrams sodium.

Curried Cashews

2 cups (½ pound) cashews

1 tablespoon maple syrup, preferably grade B

¾ teaspoon curry powder

Pinch salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cashews on a baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes.

While the cashews are roasting, in a medium bowl, combine the maple syrup, curry powder and salt.

Toss the cashews with the spiced maple syrup, then spread again on the baking sheet.

Roast the cashews for 15 more minutes, tossing every 5 minutes, until toasted and aromatic. Remove from heat and cool well. This makes more cashews than are needed for the remainder of the recipe; the cashews can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Curried Cauliflower

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons plus ¾ teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch dry mustard

2 tablespoons (½ ounce) peeled and julienned fresh ginger

3 heads cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets (about 8 cups)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, curry powder, salt, cumin, coriander, mustard and ginger. Add the cauliflower florets and toss to combine and evenly coat.

Spread the florets in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until golden-brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes, tossing every few minutes for even cooking. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Stir-Fried Beef and Bok Choy

¾ pound skirt steak

½ small bok choy, washed and dried (about 4 cups sliced)

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

4 scallions, sliced (about ¾ cup)

¼ cup bottled stir-fry sauce

Remove visible fat from steak and slice against the grain into 1/2-inch strips. Slice bok choy into 1-inch pieces. Heat oil in wok or skillet until smoking. Add ginger and fry about 10 seconds. Add bok choy and scallions and stir-fry until wilted but still crunchy, about 2 minutes. Remove to serving plate. Add the beef and stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove to plate with vegetables. Add stir-fry sauce to wok. Heat until sauce bubbles. Add vegetable and beef to sauce. Toss well. Serve over noodles.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 375 calories, 43 percent of calories from fat, 17.9 grams fat (6.1 grams saturated, 9.5 grams monounsaturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 38.2 grams protein, 14.4 grams carbohydrates, 2.4 grams fiber, 1425 milligrams sodium.

Crispy Noodles

Vegetable oil spray

¼ pound angel hair pasta or thin Chinese noodles

Preheat broiler. Line a baking tray with foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add the noodles. As soon as the water returns to a boil, drain and rinse. Shake dry and spread out evenly on baking tray to a rectangle about 10 inches by 6 inches. Spray with vegetable oil spray. Place tray about 10 inches from broiler heat. Keep an eye on them as you prepare the rest of the meal. When the noodles are crisp, after about 5 minutes, remove and flip onto other side. Spray with oil again and return to broiler for another 5 minutes. To serve, cut noodles into 2 portions with a sharp scissors and transfer to individual plates.

Yield: Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 239 calories, 14 percent of calories from fat, 3.7 grams fat (0.6 grams saturated, 2.1 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 7.4 grams protein, 43.3 grams carbohydrates, 1.8 grams fiber, 8 milligrams sodium.