Russian Braised Cabbage (Capusta) Vegan Style

Russian food has notoriously been considering fattening. No matter what salad you order, it will have mayo. If not mayo, a darling grandmother will offer you sour cream instead with about 7% fat. There is no way to win, sorry folks. 

Since going pescatarian/vegetarian in the the last few weeks, I've noticed a huge craving for Russian food. I am normally a very lazy person in the kitchen. I am also not a foodie, so I don't need to indulge on decadent food. I like a simple meal. But my craving for Russian food has not subsided and this fine Sunday afternoon, I was inspired to cook a few dishes from my childhood. Since cutting out dairy and meat, and not having enough condiments in my fridge, I was VERY limited as to what I could make. 

I had cabbage, onion, carrots, cucumbers, yams, radishes and tomatoes in my fridge.... that I could make for dinner. I settled with a braised cabbage dish - one of my favorites from childhood. Typically, it is cooked with sausage or bacon for a richer flavor, but I had to cook it very lean. 

In hindsight, I should have used the whole cabbage, but since it was my first time cooking with a new approach, I didn't want to waste food. 

I used 3/4 of a cabbage, 3 carrots thinly grated and 1/5 of an onion. I also added 2 bay leaves, paprika, garlic powder, salt and cooked on coconut oil. I used a large pot (not a crock pot or anything fancy). 

Here is the recipe: 

  1. Use a small spoon of coconut oil and spread evenly in the pot. 
  2. Thinly chop onion slices and dice them into small pieces. 
  3. Cut the cabbage into thin slices - you can use a knife, no need for a chopper
  4. Peel and grate a few carrots - I used about 3 but grated very thinly. Carrots can add a lot of sweetness to the dish. 
  5. Add onions first, and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent but not caramelized 
  6. Add in the grated carrots and sauté for another 2 minutes 
  7. Add in all the cabbage (ideally you have full size medium bowl) 
  8. add 1/2 cup of water - and be very gentle on the pour! although the cabbage may look dry, it actually secretes a lot of juice. I didn't believe it until I started to cook it. 
  9. Stir everything on high heat for 10-15 minutes and sprinkle paprika, garlic powder, sazon seasoning, and salt
  10. Switch to medium to low heat for the next 10-15 minutes
  11. Be sure you continue to taste the cabbage - it softer than the first 15 minutes, but not mushy. If you see a puddle of water in the pot (from the cabbage juices) pour some of it out but leave a little so the cabbage does not stick to the pot
  12. It should only take 30 minutes or so for the cabbage to cook. Serve and enjoy!

The other items are buckwheat - very healthy for you and low on the glycemic index, and a roasted sweet potatoes. 



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