Braised Red Cabbage with Sausage

So here is another one of my cabbage recipes that I mentioned last week!

I love red cabbage, but usually buy the jarred sweet and sour cabbage (which is probably so bad for you but tastes so good!).  This time I decided I wanted to buy red cabbage and see what I could do with it.  While I was shopping I knew that I wanted to use apples and sausage with it, but I hadn't read a recipe for what I wanted to make.  I figured I could just wing it when I got home.  And with a little help from the interwebs, I was able to come up with something. 

Do you like red cabbage?  Ever have the jarred stuff? Mmmm....

Braised Red Cabbage with Sausage
Inspired by Cooking Light
Ingredients:
4 links chicken sausage w/sweet apples, casings removed (AFC tip: I buy pre-cooked sausage)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 C thinly sliced red onion
6 C thinly sliced red cabbage
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 T red wine vinegar
1-2 T honey
2/3 C beer
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
pepper to taste
bay leaf

Instructions:
Heat vegetable oil in large sauce pot over medium-high heat.  Cut sausage into rounds and add to the skillet.  Add onion. Once the sausage is browned, add cabbage and remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.  Cover pot and reduce heat.  Simmer for 20 mins while stirring occasionally.  Discard bay leaf and serve.

Updated: I am linking up to Happy Hour Projects

Unstuffed Cabbage

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend.  We had a great time hanging out with some friends, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and celebrating the Husband's birthday.  Thankfully I was pretty good with my eating habits this weekend.  I didn't even have cake for the Husband's birthday.  This is progress!

Last week I made this recipe on one of the coldest days.  It was perfect, because I was looking for comfort food, but really wanted to be good.  I found this recipe from Clean Eating Magazine, but tweaked it a little, and I think it came out great.  The Husband thought it had too much red pepper in it, but I liked the kick!

Unstuffed Cabbage
Inspired by Clean Eating Magazine's recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 C cooked bulgur
1 medium head green cabbage
1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef or chicken)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Sauce ingredients:
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
3 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cook the bulgur according to the package.  In a large skillet over medium-hi heat, cook turkey until brown.  Add onions and cook for 3 more minutes or until onions are softened.  Add tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon and cayenne and saute for another couple of minutes.  Remove mixture from skillet and combine with the bulgur.  Use as much or as little bulgur as you like.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper if desired.

Meanwhile, core and slice the cabbage.  Place the cabbage on a microwave safe plate and microwave the cabbage in 30 sec. increments until slightly softened.  (It took me about 2 minutes).  Add the cooked cabbage to the turkey mixture and combine.

To make the sauce:  empty the canned tomatoes into a sauce pan and combine with remaining ingredients.  Add more tomatoes or vinegar as desired. Set over medium heat and allow it to heat through. 

To serve - divide the cabbage mixture among 4-6 plates and ladle sauce over each serving.  Alternatively, add sauce directly to cabbage mixture and then divide the mixture among 4-6 plate.  Enjoy!


Updated:  I am linking up here: