Sauerkraut! How great is this stuff.

I just pulled a half full jar of Silver Floss brand sauerkraut out of the back of my refrigerator that has been in there for about 4 mths (I forgot about it).  It, of course still tastes fresh and delicious!

Anyone else LOVE sauerkraut like me? I love any kind of pickled vegetables in general, but I think many people don't think about keeping a jar of this in their refrigerator the same way we do dill pickles as a quick, satifying, crunchy snack.

Nutrition Info

A one-cup serving of sauerkraut has:
Just 32 calories
No fat
No cholesterol
4 grams of fiber
35% DV vitamin C
102% DV vitamin K
12% DV Iron
Plus vitamin B6, folate, calcium, potassium, and copper

It does, of course, like dill pickles, have a sizeable amount of sodium (about 180mg per 1oz) but this can be greatly reduced by rinsing in some cold water. I eat it raw right out of the jar (don't care for the canned unless it's cooked) but you can cook it in water with onions and apples and drain the water out before you eat it to reduce the sodium as well.

It is also a good source of the probiotic culture, Lactobacillis, which aides digestion.

Never tried it. The smell of it makes me reluctant.

I don't like it plain, but it does make some super-tasty pierogi filling.

I love SAUERKRAUT! especially in turkey sandwiches

Original Post by pickleberry:

I don't like it plain, but it does make some super-tasty pierogi filling.

 

Mmmm pierogi.

Sauerkraut is like mother's milk to me.  I grew up on it!  My family is polish after all, so every holiday we'd have to have this, plus Kielbasa, on the table along side the turkey and stuffing :) 

Pierogi with browned butter and onions has to be one of the best foods on the planet!  As a teenager I worked in a deli owned by a russian couple who sold home-made pierogi.  **drool**

I see this discussion turning over to pierogies... My ex-stepmother used to make homemade pierogies with cabbage and mushroom filling that were to die for! There's no doubt pierogies are awesome, but it kind of defeats the benefit of the low calorie, yet nutritious nature of sauerkraut...unfortunately. ;)

Didn't realize until I moved to Alabama that pierogies are a distinctively Northern food. Nobody down here has heard of them!

Sure haven't heard of them, and I live in Alabama as well.. Never heard of them before.. What are they by the way?

It also has 932 mgs of sodium, which is more than half what I'm allowed for a whole day.  I love it, but never eat more than a forkful. 

If you don't have a problem with sodium, then it's great, and good for you too.

Original Post by shandykat:

Sauerkraut is like mother's milk to me.  I grew up on it!  My family is polish after all, so every holiday we'd have to have this, plus Kielbasa, on the table along side the turkey and stuffing :) 

Pierogi with browned butter and onions has to be one of the best foods on the planet!  As a teenager I worked in a deli owned by a russian couple who sold home-made pierogi.  **drool**

 My S.O., Bill, is of German extraction.  He says the smell of sauerkraut makes him want to march on France.

I love those sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi.  

claire,  I know, I know, it is very high in sodium. :(

  I would say sodium is my one vise other than caffeine. I can give up sweets and fatty foods, but if anyone tries to snatch my salty pickled veges from me I'm liable to take their arm off!

Do you suffer from hypertension?

Love sauerkraut! But I never thought of eating it other than thanksgiving and christmas. I will now.

This might sound gross, but I love pickled onions from the deli. Ha they are soo good, I haven't had one in a little bit, I am going to get one soon =)

brandy,  I LOVE balsamic pickled cipollini (small flat Italian onions) onions!

Check out this recipe. You can substitute shallots or other small onions in place of the cipollinis..

Balsamic-Braised Cipollinis

Recipe by: Unknown

16 cipollinis (small flattish onions)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
sprig of fresh thyme
sprig of fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove skins from cipollinis by dropping
them in pot of boiling water for about 1 minute. Use a sharp knife to cut
both ends from cipollinis and skin should peel right off. Cut cipollinis
in half the long way. In large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil.
When hot, add onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sauti
cipollinis until they brown evenly. Add vinegars, thyme and rosemary to
skillet. Place skillet in hot oven. After about 5 minutes, stir onions to
coat with vinegar. Continue to cook onions, stirring every so often until
they are soft and the vinegar is syrupy. Total cooking time is about 15
minutes. If vinegar reduces too much, add a little water to pan

omg i love ittttt

this sounds a bit gross but i take mustard and ketchup and mix it all in with the sauerkraut and then add some chicken breast ...ummm so good! now i want that!

Best pizza ever: sauerkraut and green olives.  god it's good.

Sounds intriguing! Now I want to try that...Where do you get this pizza? What part of the US are you from?

So glad to find out there are more sauerkraut freaks out there!

I use to eat sauerkraut on my diet a few years back. It takes awhile to get use to the sourness of it though. Haha. It has amazing stats..It's just the sodium in it that is overkill. I would usually rinse it off with water to kill some of the sodium to an extent.

Original Post by gddrdld:

I see this discussion turning over to pierogies... My ex-stepmother used to make homemade pierogies with cabbage and mushroom filling that were to die for! There's no doubt pierogies are awesome, but it kind of defeats the benefit of the low calorie, yet nutritious nature of sauerkraut...unfortunately. ;)

Didn't realize until I moved to Alabama that pierogies are a distinctively Northern food. Nobody down here has heard of them!

 Love pierogie! I'm Russian, so we make the best-tasting pierogie ever! That analysis may be a little biased, but I stand by my point. =D

I haven't had it for years.  Paglia's in small town Missouri.  Surely there are other pizza places that make it... but I've never come across any.

Can anyone recommend me a good sauerkraut and pork chop recipe while we're here discussing it???

I LOVE THAT CRAP but the kind my mum makes never works out with me. (Has rice. Maybe she's just impatient but it's always too hard for me.)

Ack. My family calls it "sour crap" because my little brother thought that's what it was called.

I would love to love sauerkraut but it has never agreed with me. One of my mom's boyfriends tried to force it on us by sneaking it into our waffles. Yeah. The results weren't pretty.