Humble cabbage stars in these easy winter recipes
The humble cabbage deserves a moment in the spotlight. Cabbage is often overlooked as a vegetable. It shouldn’t be. It’s a culinary powerhouse, especially this time of year.
Cabbage adds sweetness to soup, crunch to dishes, and can star in side dishes prepared with few ingredients. It can be used as stuffing wrapper, as a scooper for ground meat, or cooked down until luscious and silky in a soup.
Go to any winter farmers market, and you’ll see tables overflowing with cabbage — from red to green to Savoy to Napa — with some varietals so large and picturesque, they make me think of the Cabbage Patch Kid logo or of Peter Rabbit stealing one from Mr. McGregor’s farm. Some area vendors selling beautiful cabbage right now include Crystal Organic Farm at the Morningside farmers market and Woodland Gardens at the Freedom farmers market.
Among varietals, I use green cabbage most often because of its versatility. Since it is so sweet, it can add deceiving richness to any dish, and it is incredibly filling. The cabbage soup diet was popular in the 1980s because people had good short-term success losing a few pounds due to the low calorie and high fiber content of this cruciferous vegetable, which makes the soup filling.
When I was a kid, TV cartoon shows portrayed cabbage as a bland and smelly vegetable with stink lines being plucked from a boiling pot by some witchy-looking character. So, you’d think getting children to eat cabbage would be hard. But the inherent sweetness and natural crunch appeals to them. I am still surprised every time I see my daughter grab a hunk of cabbage off my cutting board and walk away, snacking happily. So, like any mom, if my kid likes it, I use it a lot.
Although cabbage sometimes looks quite tasteless, the vegetable is surprisingly complex, with health benefits that include anti-inflammatory properties and high levels of vitamin C. That’s something we all need a little bit more of during cold and flu season.
There’s more to cabbage than just boiling it and serving it on the side with corned beef and potatoes. These recipes are kid-approved and come together in an hour or less, making them excellent weeknight dinner options. If you can’t find green cabbage, use any other firm variety. For best results, don’t use bok choy.
- 1 head cabbage
- 5 limes, divided
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 pound ground raw turkey (a mix of white and dark meat)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 shallot (or half a small red onion), diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red chile flakes or chopped fresh Thai red chile
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¾ cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced, for garnish
- Sriracha, for garnish
- Peel away and discard any tough outer layers or leaves from the cabbage. Rinse the cabbage. Using a paring knife, cut a deep cone-shaped incision into the bottom of the cabbage and remove the core. Gently separate the cabbage leaves. (You will have about 24 leaves.) Set aside on a plate or in a large bowl.
- Juice 4 of the limes. Add the lime juice to a bowl, along with the fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. Set the sauce aside.
- Cut the remaining lime in half, then cut each half into wedges. Set aside.
- Sauté the ground turkey in the canola oil over medium-high heat until browned. Add the diced shallot, garlic, red chile and salt, stirring to combine. Cook until softened. Remove from the heat, add the lime-fish sauce and stir until evenly coated. Once incorporated, mix in the cilantro and mint.
- To serve: Spoon ½ cup turkey mixture into cabbage cups. Serve with the cucumber slices, lime wedges and Sriracha on the side. Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 207 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), 16 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 580 milligrams sodium.
Pork sausage, potato, cabbage and carrot soup
I make this whenever I want a hearty soup for dinner that takes less than an hour to prepare. The mix of pork sausage and cabbage combine for an instantly complex, slightly sweet concoction. You can use soy crumbles or turkey sausage if you have dietary restrictions, but the pork sausage adds immediate depth to this quick soup.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds spicy Italian pork sausage, casings removed
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ head green cabbage, julienned
- 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 cups chicken stock or 8 cups of water plus chicken bouillon (such as low-sodium Better Than Bouillon brand)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Cook until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until softened. Add the cabbage and carrots, and sauté until they start to slightly soften. Add chicken broth. Once the soup reaches a boil, add the onion powder, salt and pepper, lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the flavors have married, about 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook on low heat until done, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the dill and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serves 10.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 443 calories (percent of calories from fat, 64), 24 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 31 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 69 milligrams cholesterol, 926 milligrams sodium.Spicy slaw
I was inspired to make this slaw at home after eating it on fish tacos in Cabo San Lucas. This slaw can be used in a variety of applications: on tacos, as a side dish for barbecued meats, and as the base of a lunch bowl with black beans, tomatoes, hot sauce, and maybe some grilled chicken. I use store-bought avocado mayo, but you can easily substitute your favorite brand.
1 head green cabbage, julienned
3 limes, juiced
1 cup avocado mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
1 bunch cilantro (leaves and stems), chopped
1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Mix all of the ingredients except the cabbage in a lidded container. Stir to combine. Add the cabbage and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate at least an hour prior to serving. The slaw will keep, refrigerated, 2-3 days. Serves 10.
Per serving: 176 calories (percent of calories from fat, 96), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 19 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 340 milligrams sodium.
- 1 head green cabbage, julienned
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 cup avocado mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
- 1 bunch cilantro (leaves and stems), chopped
- 1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Mix all of the ingredients except the cabbage in a lidded container. Stir to combine. Add the cabbage and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate at least an hour prior to serving. The slaw will keep, refrigerated, 2-3 days. Serves 10.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 176 calories (percent of calories from fat, 96), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 19 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 340 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
