Cabbage

Peel back the waxy outer leaves of a cabbage and a world of possibilities opens. Cabbage is the multifaceted vegetable that, depending on how you cook it (or don't), morphs effortlessly from winter comfort food to summer coleslaw.

Cabbage is as happy in a casserole as it is atop a hot dog or in a stir-fry. And if you're daring enough to experiment, those leaves will also excite the palate.

Cabbage actually refers to several different vegetables, which can be green, reddish-purple, or white; have round or conical shapes; and sport smooth leaves or crinkly ruffles.

Many of the heads, including familiar green and red field cabbages, belong to Brassica oleracea, which also encompasses such nutritional heavy hitters as broccoli, kale, and collard greens. Chinese cabbages, including napa (and even bok choy, which is considered a cabbage), are a different species, Brassica rapa. Recipes often call for a particular cabbage, but similar typesgreen and Savoy, for example -- can usually be used interchangeably.

Cabbages of all kinds are compact workhorses, not just culinarily but nutritionally. Green and white cabbages may protect against stomach ulcers, and they contain compounds that could help prevent breast, bladder, and lung cancers. Red cabbages are especially high in polyphenols, which protect brain cells against proteins that can cause Alzheimers disease, according to researchers at Cornell University. The leafy vegetables are rich in the antioxidant vitamin C and are a respectable source of beta-carotene, says Susan Kraus, a registered dietitian in Hackensack, New Jersey.

In addition to being some of the most virtuous vegetables, cabbages are also affordable and plentiful year-round. Ever adaptable, cabbage grows in temperate climates from California to New York and is abundant in China, India, and Russia.

Sometimes crunchy, other times tender, cabbage also has the ability to take on the flavors of surrounding meats, herbs, and spices. Tossed with mustard, vinegar, and peppery radishes, its uplifting in the dead of winter. Roasted with olive oil and sprinkled with lemon juice, it becomes a speedy side dish. And stuffed with ground beef, pork, and rice, it's the hearty meal you prepare on a cold afternoon. The options are limitless. So if you've resolved to eat better this year, enjoy cabbage — again and again.