Unstuffed Cabbage

My mom and I love stuffed cabbage, but it can be pretty time consuming, so she started making unstuffed cabbage, where she layered cabbage leaves and the ground meat filling, then baked it in the oven.

My version of unstuffed cabbage is even easier--the same principle flavors, you just add chopped cabbage to the filling and cook it all together. It's still delicious, and takes 1/4 of the time!

Check out the other St. Patrick's Day Dinner Party menu items: Beer Bread, Irish Soda Bread, and Guinness Braised London Broil.

Unstuffed Cabbage

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb ground meat
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 bags (20 oz) shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar (I used cider)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven. Add onions and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add ground meat and brown, cooking 2-3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place cabbage in microwave for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add to pot with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk together ketchup, sugar and vinegar. Add to pot and stir to combine. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender.

The cost:
meat: 4.99
onion: .45
cabbage: 3.98

Grand total: $9.42 (less if you buy a whole cabbage and shred it yourself); serves 4-6

Crunchy Asian Slaw

Notice a theme here? Once I started on one Asian-inspired recipe, it kicked off a stream of consciousness where that was all I could think about because (1) I love Asian food, and (2) Asian-style cooking uses flavorful, healthy ingredients.

This is a go-to recipe for me whenever I need to make a vegetable side dish. It's simple, the flavors work well together, and it's a different spin on the average cole slaw.

Crunchy Asian Slaw

Ingredients:

1 package purple cabbage
1 cups shredded carrots
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup shelled edamame (soybeans)

2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
pinch of pepper
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
dash of hot sauce

1/2 cup chow mein noodles

Directions:

1. Toss cabbage, carrots, scallions and edamame in a large bowl.
2. Blend soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, pepper, mustard and hot sauce.
3. Pour dressing over slaw veggies and toss to coat. Allow to sit at least 1 hour before serving (overnight is even better).
4. Garnish with noodles just before serving.

The cost:
cabbage: 1.99
carrots: 1.99
scallions: .15
edamame: 1.99
noodles: 2.39

Grand total: $8.51; serves 6-8 as a side

Yet Another Chanukah Recipe: Wontons w/ Bourbon Dipping Sauce

Wontons wrappers are fun--you can pretty much put anything inside, then all you need to do is fry them up into crispy deliciousness. For those of you who are health conscious and prefer not to deep fry things, you can pop these into boiling water for a few minutes (or steam them if you have a steamer) and have dumplings instead!

Note: It's easy to fall prey to overstuffing wontons so they fall apart in the cooking process. In general, you want to leave enough room around the edges to really press the wrapper together so it won't open and spill out everywhere.

Veggie Wontons w/ Bourbon Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 shallot, sliced thinkly
2 scallion, chopped (reserve 1 Tbsp for sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

1 package wonton wrappers
oil for frying

1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
reserved scallions

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in saucepan and saute carrots, cabbage, spinach and scallion until just softened but not browned, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Lay wonton wrappers on a large baking sheet. Place 1 tsp of veggie mixture into center, then seal by wetting the edges with water (or egg) then pressing into a triangle shape (note: you can also make into a bundle or a variety of other traditional shapes).
3. Heat oil for frying in deep sauce pan. Fry until wontons are crispy and browned (note: if you are boiling for dumplings, make sure you stir so wontons don't stick together).
4. For sauce: Combine bourbon, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar/honey and scallions in a small pan. Bring to a boil and cook until syrupy (thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon).

Fun variations:

• Cook ground chicken, turkey or beef with the veggies.
• Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce for a spicier dipping sauce.
• Experiment with different fillings! You can even go sweet, like sauted diced apple &  fennel, cinnamon and brown sugar.
  

The price:
wrappers: 1.99
carrots: 1.99
cabbage: 1.99
shallot: 1.99
scallions: .15

Grand total: $8.11; serves 8-10