Spiced Apples, Cabbage, Carmelized Onions, Candied Pecans and Sausage

I threw this together using the last of February's winter share and am quite proud of myself ... perhaps I'm getting a hang of this whole cooking thing.

1 onion
2 apples, cored and sliced
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp each of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves
1/2-1 cup of pecans (or other nut)
1 tbsp of maple syrup
1 head of cabbage
4 pre-cooked sausages (I used TJ's Chicken Apple Sausages)
oil for sauteing

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Slice the onion, spread out on pan, and place in oven. Stir occasionally until brown.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pan over medium high heat. When the butter is melted, add the spices and then the apples. Stir-fry the apples until brown then remove the apples from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat to low and add the pecans. Toast for a few minutes then pour in the maple syrup. Mix until nuts are completely covered then remove from pan and set aside.

Add a little bit of oil to the pan if needed and turn the heat up to medium high. Add the sausage and cabbage and stir-fry until cabbage begins to wilt. Add the apples and pecans back into the pan and cook until everything is warm.

Cabbage, Cabbage, Everywhere!

My winter share has been filled with cabbage. Being the novice that I am, I mistook the green cabbage in our first pickup for lettuce. The biggest dilemma I've had with cabbage is that the obvious cabbage choices - sauerkraut, coleslaw - are despised by my boyfriend. It's true that I'm quite the fan of coleslaw and find sauerkraut delicious on a hot dog but I think, in order to eat all the cabbage in our winter share, I'd have to eat sauerkraut and coleslaw 5 times a day. Who wants that?

So I had to find other cabbage recipes. Interestingly enough, the best non-coleslaw cabbage recipes I found were in the 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes cookbook.

Eggs Fu Young

It may look a little gross but don't let that fool you. I've never had actual Eggs Fu Young so I have no basis of comparison but this was pretty freakin' good. I modified it a bit of the recipes in the book.

Note that I cooked the entire head of cabbage with the vegetables (and feel free to use whatever is in the fridge). This will leave left over cabbage/veg mixture unless you are cooking for more than 4 people. I stored the cabbage/veg mixture and made this dish twice.

1 Head of Cabbage - finely shredded (I used red, but you can use green)
2 Eggs per Person
1/2 to 1 tblsp of Soy Sauce per person
Mushrooms
Scallions (or try onions)
Peanut or other bland oil for frying.
Meat - I used chicken strips
Any other left over vegetables you have.
Dry Sherry or Red Wine (optional)

Beat the Eggs with Soy Sauce (and some dry sherry or red wine if you wish) and set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the meat and vegetables. Stir-fry. Pour the meat and vegetables into the egg mixture and mix. Add a few more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir it like scrambled eggs.

It's not pretty but it's pretty damn good.


Pork & Cabbage

1 lb boneless pork loin
head of cabbage (I used red)
1 onion
peanut oil
Sauce 1:
1-2 tblsp of Black Bean Sauce
1-2 tblsp of Chili Garlic Paste
OR
Sauce 2:
1 can of black beans
Garlic - minced or powder

I recommend brining the Pork. Then slice thinly. Chop the cabbage. Heat the oil in the skillet. When it's hot add the pork and stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes then add cabbage and onions (and garlic if using it) and continue stir-frying until the cabbage is tender crisp. Stir in the Black Bean Sauce/Chili Garlic Paste or the black beans.


So despite the boyfriends hatred, I, like the daddy's girl I am, love coleslaw. Here's the recipe I've made and it's pretty awesome. It's a combo a recipes in 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes and Farmer John's Cookbook.

Cole Slaw:

Basic recipe:
Head of Cabbage - shredded
2 large carrots - peeled and grated
3/4 cup mayonaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tblsp honey
salt to taste

Optional:
Crumbled bleu cheese
Carraway seeds (which I couldn't find but apparently help you digest cabbage)

Combine cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Mix the mayo, vinegar, honey and carraway seeds if using in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss. Stir in salt and bleu cheese if using. Chill until ready to serve.