Pork ‘n’ Cabbage
Spiritual Nutrition:
⚪ White (Crown):
Thyme — intuitive immunity, seasonal clarity, energetic refinement
🟢 Green (Heart):
Cabbage — heart nourishment, emotional processing, energetic flow
Honey — sweetness, self-love, reciprocity
🟡 Yellow (Solar Plexus):
Dijon mustard + mustard seeds — digestive fire, clarity of will, embodied confidence
🔴 Red (Root):
Pork roast — grounding, ancestral connection, physical strength
Apples — vitality, protection, root-to-crown integration
Nourishment Notes
I first created this dish for a simple, family-style St. Patrick’s Day dinner—one pan, heart-forward, and rooted in the Irish staples I grew up around. While the pork is rich and grounding, the true star here is the cabbage: a humble crucifer bursting with green vitality.
Green is the color of nature, healing, and heart-centered energy. Just as plants recycle oxygen for the world, they also remind us of our own rhythms—breathing, nourishing, giving. In spiritual nutrition, green is connected to the heart chakra and the energy of expansion, circulation, and compassion.
Modern science backs this ancient wisdom. A 2023 study on Korean women found that those with higher intakes of green, orange, and white vegetables—especially dark leafy greens—had a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer. (Kim et al., 2023)
To honor this intelligence in your own kitchen, try this:
Chop your cabbage and let it sit for 40 minutes before cooking. This simple pause activates powerful compounds (like glucosinolates) that make the vegetable more beneficial to your body. Choose whole, fresh cabbage when possible—it retains more of its nutrient potency than pre-chopped options.
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 4 friends
Ingredients
Local Pasture Raised Pork Roast - 2 lbs
Local Organic Apples - 3
Local Organic Cabbage - 1/2 head
Mustard Seeds - 1 tbsp
Apple Cider Vinegar - 1/3 cup (or Guinness!)
Dijon Mustard - 1/3 cup
Local Honey - 1/3 cup, local honey if possible
Dried Thyme - 1 tbsp
Cooking Fat - I use about 2 tbsp of beef tallow
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a cast iron pan, heat your cooking fat (such as beef tallow) and sear the pork roast for about 3 minutes per side, until each side is evenly browned.
While the pork is searing, prep the vegetables:
– Cut your cabbage into ½-inch triangles
– Slice the apples into 1-inch wedges
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar (or Guinness), and dried thyme to create your sauce. Set aside.
Once the pork is browned, remove it from the pan and set it aside on a cutting board (you can place it alongside your prepared apples and cabbage for simplicity).
Assemble the base layer by evenly spreading the cabbage across the bottom of your cast iron pan. Sprinkle mustard seeds and cracked black pepper over the cabbage.
Place the pork roast in the center of the pan, then arrange the apple slices around it.
Pour your sauce generously—start by coating the pork, then drizzle the rest over the apples and cabbage.
Cover with a lid and bake for 40 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 160°F and the top begins to caramelize (about 20 more minutes).
Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm and enjoy the layered, seasonal nourishment.
Share your version with me!
Tag @spiritualhealthexpert and use #thewholeyou so I can see what’s cooking in your healing kitchen!
