CABBAGE SOUP? My favourite!!
December 12, 2013 5:12 AM Subscribe
Comforting, hearty vegetable recpies OR good veggie snacks for carrying around with me
Difficulty level: Low starch vegetables only please
Trying to eat more vegetables (esp low carb ones)! Do you have any recommendations for combining different vegetables to make a yummy hearty stew?
Or snack ideas? Can be simple e.g. 'celery with peanut butter' or 'baked kale chips'
Trying to eat more vegetables (esp low carb ones)! Do you have any recommendations for combining different vegetables to make a yummy hearty stew?
Or snack ideas? Can be simple e.g. 'celery with peanut butter' or 'baked kale chips'
These are more sides than snacks per se but I am fussy about veggies (to my detriment) and have found that both these recipes make me want to eat more of them:
Shredded Brussels sprouts with mustard dressing
Asian Cucumber Salad (has a little sugar in it but not much compared to the veggies)
And I was going to recommend halupki stirfy but it is somewhat tomatoey. Maybe you can sub out something else that gives it a bit of acidity? We used Montreal steak seasoning to flavor it and it was delicious.
posted by brilliantine at 6:00 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Shredded Brussels sprouts with mustard dressing
Asian Cucumber Salad (has a little sugar in it but not much compared to the veggies)
And I was going to recommend halupki stirfy but it is somewhat tomatoey. Maybe you can sub out something else that gives it a bit of acidity? We used Montreal steak seasoning to flavor it and it was delicious.
posted by brilliantine at 6:00 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
I've made this recipe twice this week, it's great: Smothered cabbage, venetian style, found via Orangette. It's great, and if you skip the part about adding butter, rice, and parmesan to turn it into risotto, the cabbage is fabulous all on its own.
posted by bonheur at 6:15 AM on December 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by bonheur at 6:15 AM on December 12, 2013 [3 favorites]
Roasted cauliflower, great cold or room temp too, especially with a tahini-lemon dip/dressing.
Roasted asparagus. Put a bit of parm and balsamic in the last few minutes of roasting. Eat them like french fries.
My favorite winter veggie stew follows this formula: broth + sausage/ground meat + greens + can of beans.
So, hot italian turkey sausage, a bag of pre cut kale, rinsed can of chickpeas, box of chicken stock. Or pork sausage, cabbage, white beans, beef broth. You get the idea.
A can of stewed tomatoes is optional, and I realize beans aren't carb-free. Could totally be done in a slow cooker, just use dry beans, or add canned beans later.
posted by fontophilic at 6:41 AM on December 12, 2013
Roasted asparagus. Put a bit of parm and balsamic in the last few minutes of roasting. Eat them like french fries.
My favorite winter veggie stew follows this formula: broth + sausage/ground meat + greens + can of beans.
So, hot italian turkey sausage, a bag of pre cut kale, rinsed can of chickpeas, box of chicken stock. Or pork sausage, cabbage, white beans, beef broth. You get the idea.
A can of stewed tomatoes is optional, and I realize beans aren't carb-free. Could totally be done in a slow cooker, just use dry beans, or add canned beans later.
posted by fontophilic at 6:41 AM on December 12, 2013
Preheat oven to 450. Take broccoli florets (fresh raw, not frozen) and cut them down to a vaguely uniform size - cut up the huge florets at least so that they're all a single bite-size. Put them on a foil-covered baking sheet and pour over a couple glugs of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Toss with a spatula for a couple of minutes until everything is well-covered with oil and salt.
Cook them on an upper-middle rack until they are basically burned, probably 30ish minutes, turning after 20 and keeping one eye on them until after that. You want the stem ends brown and the little flowers basically dehydrated.
When you take them out of the oven, sprinkle (I use a little spray bottle) lemon juice and toss. Taste for salt - a lot falls off in cooking so you may need to do it again.
I usually do two pans at a time, switching them between upper and lower racks and cooking a little longer, because it shrinks up so much. We have a very hard time making this last long enough to bag up for snacks or adding to cut up chicken and other veg for packed lunch, because we just keep cruising past the cooling pans to have one more bite.
You can also do this to cauliflower. You don't get the same almost potato-chip crunch, but it's still really good.
I will snack on raw cabbage plain or salted, but there are many slaw dressings out there and not all of them are sweetened. I do use liquid stevia sometimes for sweet dressings.
Cucumber slices in lieu of crackers with a cream cheese (or mascarpone, ricotta, or whipped goat cheese) dip. Sometimes that dip is just cream cheese and smoked Tabasco, but basically any cheese ball recipe can be turned into dip. You can use celery as your transportation device as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:08 AM on December 12, 2013
Cook them on an upper-middle rack until they are basically burned, probably 30ish minutes, turning after 20 and keeping one eye on them until after that. You want the stem ends brown and the little flowers basically dehydrated.
When you take them out of the oven, sprinkle (I use a little spray bottle) lemon juice and toss. Taste for salt - a lot falls off in cooking so you may need to do it again.
I usually do two pans at a time, switching them between upper and lower racks and cooking a little longer, because it shrinks up so much. We have a very hard time making this last long enough to bag up for snacks or adding to cut up chicken and other veg for packed lunch, because we just keep cruising past the cooling pans to have one more bite.
You can also do this to cauliflower. You don't get the same almost potato-chip crunch, but it's still really good.
I will snack on raw cabbage plain or salted, but there are many slaw dressings out there and not all of them are sweetened. I do use liquid stevia sometimes for sweet dressings.
Cucumber slices in lieu of crackers with a cream cheese (or mascarpone, ricotta, or whipped goat cheese) dip. Sometimes that dip is just cream cheese and smoked Tabasco, but basically any cheese ball recipe can be turned into dip. You can use celery as your transportation device as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:08 AM on December 12, 2013
Roasted broccoli and onions is delicious. Slice onions (preferably red) into thin strips, and cut broccoli into florets. Toss in a bowl with a little olive oil. (If you want to be even more calorie-conscious you can spray with Pam instead.) Spread out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese (a little goes a long way) and seasoning salt. Roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, re-mixing and turning them halfway through. This has become one of my favorite sides.
Veggie and lentil stew is pretty foolproof, either on the stove or in the slow cooker. Chop up whatever veggies you have. I usually use carrots, celery, onions, possibly cauliflower and broccoli, and bell peppers. Add to vegetable stock or beef or chicken bullion along with lentils (brown or green). Season with your favorite seasoning salt, white pepper, and a little red pepper if you like it spicy. A quarter to a half cup of lentils is plenty for a pretty big pot of stew, as they expand. The lentils will take the longest to cook, so when they are tender but not mushy, you're done.
posted by The Deej at 7:09 AM on December 12, 2013
Veggie and lentil stew is pretty foolproof, either on the stove or in the slow cooker. Chop up whatever veggies you have. I usually use carrots, celery, onions, possibly cauliflower and broccoli, and bell peppers. Add to vegetable stock or beef or chicken bullion along with lentils (brown or green). Season with your favorite seasoning salt, white pepper, and a little red pepper if you like it spicy. A quarter to a half cup of lentils is plenty for a pretty big pot of stew, as they expand. The lentils will take the longest to cook, so when they are tender but not mushy, you're done.
posted by The Deej at 7:09 AM on December 12, 2013
Massaged kale salads are almost passe anymore, but I love them. Simple is best: a mountain of chopped kale (any kind), olive oil, salt, garlic powder, vinegar, lemon juice, and Parmesan or feta if you want it, nuts or seeds if you want them. Squeeze and massage the everlovin' flavor out of it, and then let it sit for awhile. Eat. Lasts forever in the fridge, just gets better with time. Can sit around for awhile at room temp too, especially if you use harder cheese.
Delicious and I can eat tons of it. Your mileage may vary. Also good with a more Asian dressing (sesame/ginger, or something spicey and limey). Google for infinite variation.
posted by Knicke at 7:14 AM on December 12, 2013
Delicious and I can eat tons of it. Your mileage may vary. Also good with a more Asian dressing (sesame/ginger, or something spicey and limey). Google for infinite variation.
posted by Knicke at 7:14 AM on December 12, 2013
Massaged kale salads are almost passe anymore
I was eating kale salads before it was cool!!
(JHC it has come to this, I'm a hipster hippie)
I love my cauliflower soup, and it's simple
- 2C cauliflower
- 2C carrots
- veggie stock
- 1-2 large onions, oil, salt
- 1-2 heaping tbsp cumin, splash of soy sauce, pinch of curry powder
Sautee onions until brown. Add veggie stock, cauliflower & carrots & bring to a boil until veggies are soft.
Add cumin, soy sauce & curry to taste.
Blend.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:32 AM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
I was eating kale salads before it was cool!!
(JHC it has come to this, I'm a hipster hippie)
I love my cauliflower soup, and it's simple
- 2C cauliflower
- 2C carrots
- veggie stock
- 1-2 large onions, oil, salt
- 1-2 heaping tbsp cumin, splash of soy sauce, pinch of curry powder
Sautee onions until brown. Add veggie stock, cauliflower & carrots & bring to a boil until veggies are soft.
Add cumin, soy sauce & curry to taste.
Blend.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:32 AM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
When I was little, my mother was on something called the Conway Diet; it came with a cookbook that had some good recipes and some truly weird ones, like mashed potatoes made out of whipped cauliflower. But there was one cabbage soup everybody liked, and we always had a giant pot of it in the fridge ready to be warmed up for meals and snacks. This recipe seems to come really close to it:
Cabbage Fat-Burning Soup
Although, fair warning: my mother is a voodoo jazz wizard in the kitchen, and anything she touches turns into ambrosia. She even made that whipped cauliflower edible.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:33 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
Cabbage Fat-Burning Soup
Although, fair warning: my mother is a voodoo jazz wizard in the kitchen, and anything she touches turns into ambrosia. She even made that whipped cauliflower edible.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:33 AM on December 12, 2013 [2 favorites]
You might enjoy browsing the soups and stews over at the Post Punk Kitchen. Nearly every recipe I've tried from there comes out fantastic.
posted by slogger at 7:33 AM on December 12, 2013
posted by slogger at 7:33 AM on December 12, 2013
Oh, almost forgot: Sexy Broccoli Salad. Great room temp, can hang out in your lunch bag for a few hours.
posted by fontophilic at 7:34 AM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by fontophilic at 7:34 AM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can also make tasty dips with this brand of soft tofu. Great for dipping veggies or using as a salad dressing, on a stir-fry or on top of noodles.
Squeeze tofu to get excess water (I put mine between two plates).
Blend together:
- 1pgk tofu
- 1-2 bulbs of garlic
- 1-2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1tsp cayenne powder
- splash of soy sauce
This makes a tasty asian-inspired dressing / dip.
There are other recipes too... that little tofu package gives fabulous "greasy" mayonaise-y dips while being low fat / high protein.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:44 AM on December 12, 2013
Squeeze tofu to get excess water (I put mine between two plates).
Blend together:
- 1pgk tofu
- 1-2 bulbs of garlic
- 1-2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1tsp cayenne powder
- splash of soy sauce
This makes a tasty asian-inspired dressing / dip.
There are other recipes too... that little tofu package gives fabulous "greasy" mayonaise-y dips while being low fat / high protein.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:44 AM on December 12, 2013
The V8 in here has tomatoes in it, but you could swap it out with broth. The beets and carrots might not hit your low-carb target either, but it is delicious:
Hot and Hearty Borscht
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Makes: 16 cups
1 medium onion
½ small head of green cabbage
2-21/2 lbs (1-1.25 kg) fresh beets, about 7
3 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 T butter
4 crushed garlic cloves
48 oz can V8 juice
4 cups water
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 T sugar
1 ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less, to taste)
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 T dried dillweed
Prepare vegetables: finely slice onion and cabbage; peel and grate
beets. You should have ~ 6 cups of cabbage and 8 cups of beets.
Grate carrots. Thinly slice celery.
Melt butter in a large stockpot. Saute garlic and onion about 5
minutes. Pour in V8 juice. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add
vegetables, which will be stacked high in the pot above the liquid but
will wilt down into the liquid as soup cooks.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until
vegetables are cooked, about 45 minute to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream or a crumble of feta cheese
and sprinkle with more fresh dill. Can be covered and refrigerated
for up to 5 days. May be frozen.
posted by Kreiger at 8:24 AM on December 12, 2013
Hot and Hearty Borscht
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Makes: 16 cups
1 medium onion
½ small head of green cabbage
2-21/2 lbs (1-1.25 kg) fresh beets, about 7
3 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 T butter
4 crushed garlic cloves
48 oz can V8 juice
4 cups water
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 T sugar
1 ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less, to taste)
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 T dried dillweed
Prepare vegetables: finely slice onion and cabbage; peel and grate
beets. You should have ~ 6 cups of cabbage and 8 cups of beets.
Grate carrots. Thinly slice celery.
Melt butter in a large stockpot. Saute garlic and onion about 5
minutes. Pour in V8 juice. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add
vegetables, which will be stacked high in the pot above the liquid but
will wilt down into the liquid as soup cooks.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until
vegetables are cooked, about 45 minute to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream or a crumble of feta cheese
and sprinkle with more fresh dill. Can be covered and refrigerated
for up to 5 days. May be frozen.
posted by Kreiger at 8:24 AM on December 12, 2013
in russian, cabbage soup is "shchi". the russians say "shchi i kasha pischye nasha" (cabbage soup and grits is our dish). (i am not doing this in cyrillic because dragging letters off the character map on this elderly machine is a bitch).
good shchi is wonderful, and it is not a precise point, but a continuum universe consisting of whatever you have on hand and feel like putting in (carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, another onion, designer potatoes, those little bags of potatoes you see now which are the size of golf balls and different colors). good shchi begins with a hearty meat stock and it will have meat in it, short ribs over here, and chopped fresh dill will lend its aromatic signature, and sour cream goes on top.
posted by bruce at 8:28 AM on December 12, 2013
good shchi is wonderful, and it is not a precise point, but a continuum universe consisting of whatever you have on hand and feel like putting in (carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, another onion, designer potatoes, those little bags of potatoes you see now which are the size of golf balls and different colors). good shchi begins with a hearty meat stock and it will have meat in it, short ribs over here, and chopped fresh dill will lend its aromatic signature, and sour cream goes on top.
posted by bruce at 8:28 AM on December 12, 2013
I have been on a HUGE cabbage kick lately; two recipes that I like best are 101 Cookbooks' Warm Red Cabbage Tassajara Salad and this green cabbage, carrot, and apple braise from Everybody Loves Sandwiches. I make a big pot of one or the other every Sunday, and then eat for dinner with poached eggs, or take to work with some turkey meatballs, eat with hot sauce/parmesan; the variations are endless. They're easy to make and I think pretty good for you (and they keep forever in the fridge, although they never last very long since they're so delicious!).
posted by stellaluna at 8:41 AM on December 12, 2013
posted by stellaluna at 8:41 AM on December 12, 2013
While Central / Eastern Europe is generally thought of as the epicentre of cabbage cuisine, one of the best recommendations I've gotten for cabbage recipes that substitute savory flavors / umami in lieu of tomatoes (I don't care for them raw myself) comes from the jungle peninsulas of the Far East. Specifically, you are looking for that magic combo of coriander/lime/garlic/fish sauce and (if you like) capsaicin, aka birdseye chilis, that is so frequently found in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
To wit: Stir Fried Cabbage with Fish Sauce.
More? Here's an entire list based on the keywords "cabbage" and "fish sauce".
Any of those with a mostly or all-vegetable focus would work great for lunches as the fish sauce is already fermented and salty, plus cabbage generally holds up well in a lunch bag for 4-6 hours (ask me how I know this...)
Warning! most commercial fish sauce is loaded with sugar / HFCS. Red Boat Fish Sauce is what you are looking for, and it is amazing stuff.
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:41 AM on December 12, 2013
To wit: Stir Fried Cabbage with Fish Sauce.
More? Here's an entire list based on the keywords "cabbage" and "fish sauce".
Any of those with a mostly or all-vegetable focus would work great for lunches as the fish sauce is already fermented and salty, plus cabbage generally holds up well in a lunch bag for 4-6 hours (ask me how I know this...)
Warning! most commercial fish sauce is loaded with sugar / HFCS. Red Boat Fish Sauce is what you are looking for, and it is amazing stuff.
posted by lonefrontranger at 10:41 AM on December 12, 2013
My all time favorite cabbage dish is very easy and extremely addicting. It made my fussy eater friend actually enjoy veggies!
-Slice some red cabbage length wise so it is cut into strips. Cut carrots into a similar size and shape. I like a cabbage to carrot ratio of about 4:1.
-in a bowl mix together something sweet (brown or white sugar or honey or agave) with something spicy (red pepper flakes or diced pepper) with something acidic (lime juice usually, or maybe rice wine vinegar) with some fish sauce. The fish sauce is key. It's also very salty so you probably won't need to add salt. I also like to add a little toasted sesame oil. Pour this over your chopped veggies and let it marinate for as long as you can wait. Enjoy cold or room temp!
posted by gumtree at 1:31 PM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
-Slice some red cabbage length wise so it is cut into strips. Cut carrots into a similar size and shape. I like a cabbage to carrot ratio of about 4:1.
-in a bowl mix together something sweet (brown or white sugar or honey or agave) with something spicy (red pepper flakes or diced pepper) with something acidic (lime juice usually, or maybe rice wine vinegar) with some fish sauce. The fish sauce is key. It's also very salty so you probably won't need to add salt. I also like to add a little toasted sesame oil. Pour this over your chopped veggies and let it marinate for as long as you can wait. Enjoy cold or room temp!
posted by gumtree at 1:31 PM on December 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can make a surprisingly good soup with butter, stock and celery. Blitz to puree.
posted by kjs4 at 1:51 PM on December 12, 2013
posted by kjs4 at 1:51 PM on December 12, 2013
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posted by dinosaurprincess at 5:14 AM on December 12, 2013