Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Feta (and Tofu)

Please don't laugh at this title and ingredient list. It's basically an Eastern / Central European - inspired sweet and sour red cabbage dish, bulked up with tofu, and garnished with Balkan seasonings and feta. You don't really taste the tofu, and could omit it to make this a side dish, or replace it with chicken if you're not concerned about mixing meat and dairy. It was surprisingly good, and I'll be making it again.

Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Feta (and Tofu)

1 lb firm tofu
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
1 large onion
1 small head red cabbage
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey -- optional. (I added this and found it too sweet.)
6 dried tomatoes, soaked, drained, and diced
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 large pinch fennel seeds

Drain the tofu and cube it. Heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat in a large frying pan. Add the tofu and brown lightly on one or two sides only (it will keep browning as you add other ingredients), about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, dice the onion, and core and dice the cabbage. Add the onion and cabbage to the tofu, along with remaining 1 tbsp oil, and continue to cook over high heat, stirring occasionally.

After about 8 minutes, when the vegetables have begun to wilt, add the grapefruit juice, vinegar, fennel seeds, and dried tomatoes. Continue to cook over high heat until just about all of the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage and onions are tender, 10-15 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Add the dill and feta; mix well. You can reserve some feta for garnish.

Serves 4 (with nothing else) or 6 (as part of a larger meal).

Tomato and Cabbage Gratin

I'm rapidly falling in love with cabbage/renewing the love affair cabbage and I began last year. It's so versatile -- it works in every cuisine, is delicious (and takes on the flavors of whatever you cook it with), and takes well to fast or slow cooking. This dish is warming and great for winter without being heavy in the least. With hearty bread to mop up the sauce, it is a great dinner. Not exactly a gratin, I guess, but "cabbage casserole" wasn't a very appealing name.

Tomato and Cabbage Gratin

1/2 large head regular green (not Savoy) cabbage
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 mini can tomato paste
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 2/3 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
about 10 leaves fresh rosemary
pinch of fennel seeds

Dice the onion and saute over medium heat in 1.5 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan until translucent, soft, and starting to color, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the garlic finely and add it to the onions after about 5 minutes. When the onions are ready, add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste; fill the empty tomato can with water and add that as well. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat (above a simmer but below a rolling boil) until fairly thick. (Should be done about the same time as the cabbage, below.)

While the onions are cooking/sauce is simmering, dice the cabbage fairly finely. In a large frying pan, saute the cabbage and fennel seeds in the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat, stirring almost constantly, until it is soft and fairly limp but not browned.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Layer half the cabbage in a medium-sized casserole dish (mine is 1.8 liters and approximately 8.5'' x 11'') and top with half the tomato sauce. Continue with the remaining cabbage and remaining tomato sauce. Top with the cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes, until nicely browned.

Serves 3-4.

Tofu-and-Cabbage & Red Pepper Pasta : Two Fast, Tasty, Ugly Recipes

Here are two new recipe ideas (too casual to really call recipes). Tofu-and-Cabbage is something we make a LOT -- it's very fast, very nutritious, cheap, and strangely we both crave it pretty often (more than once a week, even). Red Pepper(s) Pasta I made tonight -- also fast, easy, tasty, and nutritious, and it's fun because it has three different red peppers in it. Unfortunately, both yield results that aren't what you'd call photogenic.

Tofu-and-Cabbage

1 brick silken or regular tofu -- really, any kind -- chopped into small pieces
1/2 medium head green cabbage
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 large onion, chopped or diced
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 very heaping tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp Sriracha or other hot sauce
2-3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and onions. Cook about five minutes, until the cabbage has begun to wilt. Add the sesame oil and tofu, and work with your wooden spoon to crumble it into small pieces. Add the garlic. Cook three or four more minutes, until the cabbage is more thoroughly wilted. Add the soy sauce, Sriracha and ginger; cook two more minutes. Add the peanut butter and stir thoroughly to combine. Cook another minute or two. Eat!

If this is all you're having for dinner (i.e. no rice) then don't count on it serving more than 2. You can always up the proportion of cabbage to tofu, or serve with rice or noodles -- but we like it best plain.

Red Pepper(s) Pasta

1/2 box large shells or other chunky pasta
1 can plain tomato sauce, no-salt-added if possible
1 large red bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced (I like the big pieces, but dice or use a garlic press if you must)
1/3 cup red wine
1 brick silken tofu, cut into small pieces
large pinch smoked paprika
6-7 dashes red pepper flakes

Put the water on to boil. Meanwhile, dice your bell pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and cook the pepper just until it barely begins to brown -- maybe 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the garlic. When your water boils, add the pasta. Cook the peppers and garlic about two minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the tomato sauce, wine, and tofu, crumbling the tofu as much as possible with your wooden spoon. Add the paprika and red pepper flakes. Simmer until the pasta is done, then combine and eat.

Serves 2 with some leftovers (or one small dinner and one large lunch).

Braised Cabbage Gratin

Serious comfort food: warm, sweet, and soft. The Swiss cheese has a nuttiness or bitterness that goes very, very well with cooked cabbage. Yum.

Braised Cabbage Gratin

1 medium head Savoy cabbage
1/2 large onion, diced
3 tbsp butter
Scant 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce + enough water to equal 1 3/4 cups
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Pepper
1 cup grated Swiss cheese

Finely slice or shred the cabbage. Combine the soy sauce, water, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt the butter in the bottom of a Dutch oven (or other oven-to-stove safe pot) over medium heat. Add the cabbage and onion. This will entirely fill your Dutch oven and threaten to overflow. Don't worry -- it will be hard to stir for a few minutes but will decrease in volume as it wilts. Stir frequently until wilted and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the soy sauce/water combination. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer; simmer about two minutes.

Cover the pot and put in the oven for 40 minutes. Uncover, and cook 20 minutes longer, until most of the liquid is gone. Top with the cheese; cook 15 more minutes.

Serves 4-6 as a main dish; many as a side dish.


Inspired by a Molly Stevens recipe from All About Braising.

Summer Spicy Chicken Salad with Rice

Yum. Nice cool chicken salad. Cilantro. It's a meal-in-a-bowl.

Summer Spicy Chicken Salad with Rice

1 1/2 cups of the green sauce listed here, or a little over 1 cup of this green sauce with 1/2 cup coconut milk stirred in (if you have the second handy one in the freezer)

2 cups cooked basmati rice or other long grain rice
3 chicken breast halves, poached and diced
3 cups diced green cabbage
2 diced scallions
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients, using enough sauce that it is quite moist but not mooshy or runny. Chill. Eat.

Serves 3-4.

Amazing Summer Tofu Salad

Wow. This is good. It's really hot today, and as I was studying this afternoon I was thinking about what cool and delicious yet filling dinner I wanted. And thought this might work. AND IT DOES. Soft, fresh, and crunchy all at the same time.

Amazing Summer Tofu Salad

1 container firm or extra firm tofu, well drained and cubed
3 cups diced green cabbage (can be roughly diced--I'm not a good dicer)
1 lb frozen peas
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
3 green onions, white and half the green part, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste


Boil water in a saucepan. Cook the peas about three to four minutes, until just hot through but not yet wrinkly.
While the peas are boiling, combine yogurt, vinegar, oil, fennel seeds, and salt; mix thoroughly.
When the peas are done, drain them and rinse immediately with cold water to cool them. Combine tofu, cabbage, peas, and yogurt mixture in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Taste, and add more vinegar if necessary.
Garnish with chopped scallions.

Serves at least 4 as a main dish.

The idea of this was that it is fairly bland, but you could add some cilantro, some hot jalapenos, etc to spice it up a little.

Coleslaw

I have never liked coleslaw, but in the last few weeks, I suddenly can't get enough. Finally today I decided to make my own, so I can satisfy my coleslaw cravings at home. First time I've ever bought cabbage! I had no mayo, so used yogurt--practically indistinguishable, but if anything, it tastes better.

Coleslaw

1/3 head green cabbage
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of garlic powder
three good shakes paprika (regular, not smoked)


Shred the cabbage into a large bowl. In a small pitcher, mix the yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Pour over shredded cabbage and mix thoroughly.

Serves 3 generously.