Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
So…I had this head of cabbage. And it was about to go bad. And
I could have made my regular “Comforting Cabbage & Sausage Stew.” But alas I didn’t have all the ingredients. But you know what we say around these parts: “Play with your food!”
I could have made my regular “Comforting Cabbage & Sausage Stew.” But alas I didn’t have all the ingredients. But you know what we say around these parts: “Play with your food!”
I didn’t change it up much but my goal was three-fold:
- Get tomatoes in there in a way that La Grande Diva would not
veto (per her eating rules tomatoes are only allowed in cases of salsa and
tomato soup, which is ONLY to be eaten with grilled cheese sandwiches). - Use up any random veggies I had in the fridge
- Make it spicy! (True fact: if you add the adjective “spicy” to any dish my children will at least try it)
So I made this nifty little variation. Mine has a kick to
it. Yours doesn’t. I’ll give my recipe but you can really sub most of what’s in
here. Except, of course, for the cabbage! I call it “kitchen sink” cabbage stew because you can put everything but the kitchen sink in it and it’d still be good!
it. Yours doesn’t. I’ll give my recipe but you can really sub most of what’s in
here. Except, of course, for the cabbage! I call it “kitchen sink” cabbage stew because you can put everything but the kitchen sink in it and it’d still be good!
Nik’s “Kitchen Sink”
Cabbage Stew
Cabbage Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 pkg. turkey smoked sausage, sliced into rounds of desired
thickness - 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 head of cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 small can low-sodium and/or low-sugar tomato soup
- 2 c. water
- ½ bag of baby spinach, rinsed
- ½ tsp. garlic salt
- ½ tsp. Herbs de Provence
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you don’t want it to be
spicy!) - 10 oz. cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
- Optional (but I used): ½ can of sweet corn
Directions:
Spray a pot with non-stick cooking spray and let it get hot
over a high flame (like seriously…let it sit there a good 2-3 minutes). Once
hot, drop the heat to medium.
over a high flame (like seriously…let it sit there a good 2-3 minutes). Once
hot, drop the heat to medium.
Add onions to the pot and sautee until they are slightly
softened (about 2 minutes). Add sausage and brown it. Finally, add garlic to
the mixture and stirl.
softened (about 2 minutes). Add sausage and brown it. Finally, add garlic to
the mixture and stirl.
Add cabbage, followed by soup and water. Allow the cabbage to
cook down a bit before adding spinach, corn (if using) and desired spices.
cook down a bit before adding spinach, corn (if using) and desired spices.
Allow all this to cook over medium heat about 20 minutes,
stirring often.
stirring often.
Add beans and stir through. Drop the heat to medium-low and
simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
The wonderful thing about this soup is that throwing the
beans in there and letting them cook a while thickens the broth of the soup. So
I guess technically it’s a “stoop” (this is the ONLY Rachel Ray term I’ve ever
fully embraced).
beans in there and letting them cook a while thickens the broth of the soup. So
I guess technically it’s a “stoop” (this is the ONLY Rachel Ray term I’ve ever
fully embraced).
The girls LOVED it. It was sweet and salty and savory all at the same time. To
me it wasn’t overly spicy but your mileage may vary.
My eldest daughter (the picky one) described it like this: “It’s
sort of like pork and beans except there’s vegetables instead of pork.”
sort of like pork and beans except there’s vegetables instead of pork.”
Well…there ya go.
And just for fun. I usually take a gamillion pics of dishes at different angles and choose one final “money shot” (bad pun, I know!) for the blog picture. I thought I’d show you my outtakes for this dish. There weren’t that many!
I liked this picture but it didn’t strike me as special in any way.
Not that anybody notices this stuff but me (cuz you all have lives!) but lately my final pics have been of two varieties: the direct overhead shot (as in the picture way up top) or with part of the plate or bowl off camera with some sort of background or side element. In this instance I thought the food was a bit dark in this pic (I was at my desk at work!) and the spoon and napkin just wasn’t that interesting on top of my putty colored desk.
I am by no means a pro food photographer but I’m working on learning to take better pictures! Lord knows if I ever do a food cookbook (having just finished the shake book that might be a minute!) I am here to tell you it’d need to be DIY all the way, so better to learn the skill of taking the pictures now, eh?