Cabbage and Ham Stir-Fry

Ginger, garlic, and jalapeño perk up this quick and tasty dish

Need a quick weeknight dinner that you can assemble from what’s in your pantry and fridge? Here you go!

This dish combines green cabbage with cooked ham. Because we always seem to have extra cabbage around St. Patrick’s Day, and often have ham in the freezer.

Mix in some spicy Asian flavors, and it’s stir-fry for the win!

Smothered Cabbage with Bacon and Sweet Potatoes

This flavorful, quick-cooking dish will turn cabbage haters into lovers

Cabbage doesn’t get much respect, we know. But that’s because so many people abuse it with overcooking.

Fortunately, this dish cooks quickly. So its flavors are allowed to dance (and there’s no cabbagey smell in the kitchen). Plus, we add extra zest with bacon and sweet potatoes. Enough flavor, in fact, to entice the most determined cabbage hater in your household.

So the cabbage might be smothered. But your appetite won’t be.

Lentil and Cabbage Curry

  

This quick, tasty vegan dish is great for meatless Monday

Need meatless savor in a hurry? Something nutritious and comforting?

Say hello to lentil and cabbage curry. The hearty umami of lentils will tickle the taste buds of even the most confirmed carnivore.

Chew on that.

Curried Creamy Coleslaw

A spicy update to a traditional summer favorite

Warm weather has arrived in our part of the world. That means cookout time! And every cookout needs coleslaw.

This Curried Creamy Coleslaw is a tastier twist on traditional mayo-based slaws. Curry plays extremely well with cabbage – and you can make this as spicy (or not) as you wish.

Spicy for us, please.

Deconstructed Fish Tacos with Grits

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, a new twist on a classic dish

Tacos are the ultimate fast food.

So let’s slow them down a bit, shall we? Because sometimes we need to savor. This dish keeps all the flavor of the original, but makes things more knife-and-fork friendly.

We replace corn tortillas with grits (also made from corn, so lots of savor there). Then we mound the other ingredients on top, for an open-faced taco.

The result is fancy (and good) enough for a dinner party. But easy enough for a quick meal. Nothing fishy about that.

Hot Bacon Coleslaw with (or without) Jalapeño

Serve this as a side, or use it to top a BBQ pork sandwich

Cookout season will soon be here. So it’s time to seek out side dishes!

Like this one. Coleslaw is always a hit. And you can’t go wrong with bacon. Put them together and . . . instant favorite.

This dish is terrific all by itself, too. Or use it to top a pulled-pork sandwich, or even to garnish fish tacos.

This coleslaw is versatile. And that’s no hogwash.

Corned Beef, Cabbage, and Potato Gratin

This easy casserole makes a one-dish St. Patrick’s Day meal

Ready for St. Pat’s Day? Craving some corned beef and cabbage, but don’t have the time to make it? We’ve got the solution.

This dish combines the three most popular elements of a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner – corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes – into one scrumptious dish. And you can use deli corned beef rather than cooking your own – a real time saver.

So you’ll have more time to celebrate. You lucky leprechaun, you.

Cabbage Chili with Spicy Sausage

Black-eyed peas add savor to this healthy cold-weather pleaser

Cabbage chili? Yeah, not something you’re likely to find in Texas. But totally worth having.

Particularly since cabbage has almost no calories. Many of us are diet conscious this time of year, so that’s a winner.

But the biggest winner is the flavor. We’ve loaded this dish with lots of dried chile powder and other spices, so it has all the deep chili flavor you expect from, well, chili.

This dish makes a great weekday meal, but it’s good enough to serve at an informal weekend gathering with friends. Like, maybe, for football playoffs or the Super Bowl. Score!

Vegan Mulligatawny Soup with Cabbage

Chickpeas add depth to this spicy Indian-style soup

Happy World Cabbage Day!

OK, it’s not the best-known holiday. But we’ll take any chance to celebrate. So let’s get cruciferous.

Cabbage isn’t particularly traditional in mulligatawny soup. But we’d like to change that, because cabbage and Indian spices taste like they were made for each other. Our version of M-soup is also vegan and gluten free, so it will suit almost any diet. And it’s versatile: This soup makes a spicy starter, but is hearty enough to serve as a main.

Best of all, the flavor is wonderful. Once you taste this soup, you’ll be circling World Cabbage Day on the calendar. In red.

Cabbage, Kielbasa, and Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This healthy and easy soup will warm you up

Winter has taken hold in our part of the world. So naturally our thoughts turn to soup.

As they generally do this time of year. After all the holiday goodies we pigged out on enjoyed, we’re looking for healthier dishes (especially ones that warm us up). This easy-to-make soup fits the bill perfectly.

So hit us with your best stuff, winter. We’re prepared!

Pepper Coleslaw with Garlic Vinaigrette

Perk up your cookouts with this colorful, tangy slaw

Here in the US, summer cookout season officially starts on Memorial Day. It arrives early this year—next Monday, to be precise (with the weekend before as warmup).

So you’re probably looking for outdoor-friendly food. Especially side dishes with enough flavor to match the burgers, barbecue, and grilled goodies we’ll be preparing. And preferably something you can make ahead of time—so you can enjoy the festivities with your guests, rather than slaving in the kitchen.

How about a colorful coleslaw that features the sweet taste of bell peppers? Add a garlic vinaigrette and maybe a touch of jalapeño, and you’ve got a dish that’s sure to please. Your guests will think you spent hours putting it together. No need to tell them how easy it is.

Kale and Cabbage Gratin

This Provençal-style charmer is a great starter, side, or main dish

We can almost hear you muttering to yourself: “Kale? And cabbage? In a gratin? Really?”

Yes, really. And this is one of the best dishes we’ve made in quite a while.

We don’t say that lightly. We tend to post only recipes that we like a lot. But even by that standard, this dish is extraordinary.

Best of all, kale and cabbage tend to be inexpensive this time of year. So you get tasty on a budget. Nice.

Easy and Tasty Roast Cabbage

Roasting sweetens cabbage, taking its flavor to a whole new level

Cabbage doesn’t get the love it deserves. Sure, we like it in coleslaw. And we pair it with corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day. But the rest of the time? Most of us just walk right past it in the supermarket produce section.

Too bad. Because when roasted, cabbage serves up terrific flavor. The taste becomes sweeter and more intense (in a good way). And roasting doesn’t overwhelm your kitchen with the cabbage odor some find offensive (you know, the kind you get when you boil cabbage to death).

Succulent, tender, delightfully flavored. Roast cabbage will be the star of your next meal. Really.

Jalapeño Coleslaw with Pimentón

Smoked Spanish paprika adds depth to this spicy slaw

Warm weather has seriously arrived in my part of the world, and I’m looking forward to picnics and barbecue.  Here in the US, we’ll be celebrating Memorial Day on May 27th — the beginning of cookout season.

That means our thoughts are turning towards coleslaw.  Many people favor a mayonnaise-based version, like my Creamy Cole Slaw. Some prefer a vinaigrette (oil and vinegar) slaw — like my Garlic Coleslaw.

But how about another version of slaw, one that’s a bit out of the ordinary?  Allow me to introduce jalapeño coleslaw.  It has great flavor, and you can make it as spicy as you want.

To add more depth, you can also include some pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika) in the dressing.  The smoky flavor adds an exotic touch, and it blends perfectly with barbecue.

Nothing says summer like coleslaw and barbecue.  So why not greet the season in style — with a big batch of Jalapeño Coleslaw with Pimentón?

Garlic Coleslaw

A Vinegar-Based Version of a Summer Classic

When most of us think coleslaw, we picture Creamy Coleslaw — the kind made with mayonnaise. It’s exceptionally good stuff.

But have you ever tried a vinegar-based coleslaw?   It’s usually made with a classic vinaigrette dressing — you know, one made with oil, vinegar, and seasonings.

I flavor my version of this coleslaw with garlic (lots and lots of garlic).  That’s because cabbage and garlic have a natural affinity for each other, as you’ll discover when you taste this.  Combine them with vinegar and just a touch of red (fully ripe) jalapeño pepper, and you’ve got a flavor explosion happening on your tongue.

With Labor Day weekend coming up in the US, it means we’ve got another great cookout opportunity.  We’ll all want to serve coleslaw, no?  I mean, what goes better with grilled and barbecued meats?

And when your guests taste this garlic coleslaw?  Well, they’ll be urging you to open your own restaurant.

Creamy Coleslaw

A Touch of Jalapeño and Horseradish Add Zip to this Classic

Coleslaw is the perfect sidekick for barbecue and cookout fare.  And the creamy style brings the forks out fast. 

Usually made with a mayonnaise-based dressing, it has an appealing richness that showcases the flavor of the most important ingredient — cabbage.

Every supermarket and deli sells prepared coleslaw, and some of it is pretty good.  But as good as what you make in your own kitchen?  No way! 

This weekend we observe Memorial Day, the official kickoff to summer in the US.  What better dish than Creamy Coleslaw to celebrate?

Hungarian Noodles and Cabbage with Bacon

This Traditional Hungarian/Polish Dish Delivers Rich, Satisfying Flavor

This dish is popular in many countries.  Particularly in Hungary, where it’s called Káposztás  Kocka.  And in Poland, where it’s known as Kluski z Kapusta.  In some US ethnic communities, it’s called Haluski.  Same recipe, different names. 

When a dish is so widely loved, you know it has to be tasty.  And this one is.  The cooked cabbage becomes tender and sweet, melting into the noodles.  It delivers the sort of Old World flavor that you pay a chef big bucks to create.  But why go to a restaurant when it’s so easy to make at home?

You may have leftover cabbage (cooked or uncooked) from St. Pat’s.  If not, cabbage is currently plentiful and inexpensive in many supermarkets.  So now is the time to make this charmer!

Steamed Vegetables

The Perfect Way to Cook Your St. Patrick’s Day Cabbage 

This Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day, and many people will be celebrating with Corned Beef and cabbage.

It’s tempting to boil the cabbage in the same pot with the Corned Beef.  After all, you already have a big ‘ol piece of beef simmering in water, so why not plop your cabbage in along with it? 

Well, that works, and might be traditional.  But the salty broth your corned beef cooks in can mute the flavor of the cabbage.  And most people cook cabbage too long, resulting in an odor many find offensive.

A better way to cook cabbage — or just about any veggie — is to steam it separately.  It will taste much better, look more attractive, and retain more nutrients. 

And steaming is almost as easy as boiling.

Corned Beef

With or Without Cabbage

When was the last time you cooked Corned Beef?  If you’re like most of us, it was some St. Patrick’s Day in the past. 

It’s one of those dishes I seem to cook only every 3 or 4 years.  I always wonder why.  I love the flavor.  And although Corned Beef is available at every deli counter, it’s rarely as good as home cooked.

So this year I decided it was time to cook Corned Beef again.  It’s a simple dish to make, even if you add the traditional cabbage (and other vegetables).

Bean and Cabbage Soup

The Distinct Flavor of Caraway Seeds Is the Secret Ingredient

Ever have cabbage that’s been boiled to a pulp?  Yeah, me too.  And a tasteless, stinky mess it is.

But cabbage that’s been lightly cooked, just until it loses its crunch?  That’s a different beast.  It has actual flavor!  And when you marry it with white beans and potatoes?  That’s a combination most people find pretty tasty.

Particularly when made into soup.  Particularly when made into this soup!