Cabbage

I detest cooked cabbage.  The smell makes me gag.  Mostly, my hate for it comes from the many times growing up that my mother (love you mom!) boiled it to death.  The sulfuric smell would permeate through the house and I would know right away the torture that awaited me.

However, cabbage is just so darn good for you.  Sure, broccoli and collard greens and a number of other veggies have the same benefits, but I really would like to not hate cabbage so much.

I eat it in coleslaw when raw and I love it.  I even love it in egg and spring rolls.  But any other way I encounter it, I gag.  But I'd like to find more way that I would like it without covering it in bacon grease, cheeses, etc where the benefits of cabbage are counteracted by artery clogging messes (note, I love bacon and cheese and all that stuff, just don't want to have to drown my cabbage in it to get it down)

So if anyone has any good recipes for cabbage I would be more than grateful.  It can include oil and bacon and all that jazz, so long as I'm not drowing the cabbage in it.

Thanks!

This is a very easy recipe I love and make regularly, it does smell a bit, but not excessively to me, I don`t know how sensitive you are though. It`s especially yummy with some chilli powder added!

This is a more complex one, but very, very delicious! And it`s especially awesome because you can make lots of substitutions filling and topping wise, the only limit is your imagination. :]

Also, I don`t know how you feel about sodium, but pickled shredded cabbage is great! You can buy it jarred or raw and make it at home, there are tons of recipes on google. If you are making your own, though, try my favourite pickles - peppers stuffed with shredded cabbage and carrots. They are to die for!

Props to you for trying to overcome the food block, btw. :) Not many people have the guts to do that and end up missing out on some truly tasty and nutritious stuff.

I love red/purple cabbage. I literally buy a head of it, cut it up, and eat it raw as a snack some times.

One of my favourite cabbage recipes (actually, my ONLY cabbage recipe, haha) uses Bok Choy - (also known as 'Chinese Cabbage'). I chop it into large pieces and stir-fry it in a little peanut oil with ginger, garlic and a splash or two of soy sauce. It's super-quick to prepare, contains lots of wonderful nutrients, and tastes DELICIOUS! This recipe works particularly well as a complement to a sweet-glazed grilled salmon.

A couple of tips: it reduces a LOT in the pan - so be sure to chop up at least two times as much as you think you're going to eat. Also, the leaves cook way quicker than the stems - I throw the stem parts in first for a few minutes, and then add the leaves just for a minute or two at the end. Overcooked, soggy bok choy is not quite so enjoyable :)

-Slice it up fine and add it to stir fry. Sort of a cabbage chow mein, but with a lot less calories than noodles.  As long as you don't overcook it and leave it a little bit crunchy it doesn't stink.  You don't need as much oil as with noodles because it sticks to the pan a lot less.

-Use it raw (chopped or sliced) as a bed for grilled fish.

kimchi!

Wow, I've never thought that cabbage smelt like sulphur.  The way I usually eat it is lightly steamed (put it in a microwave proof bowl with a tbsp of water and cover with plastic wrap and microwave for a couple of minutes - it should still be soggy!), when it's done I add a tsp or half tsp of real butter and salt or garlic salt and its soooooo gooood!

Have you tried wrapping it in foil with a bit of salt and pepper, some garlic and onion, and throwing it on the grill?  That keeps the stink out of the house - and there are so many variations you can do.

Straight outta the can with some soy sauce. :)

You just pour the soy sauce into the can itself (don't drain it). Then stir it up, grab a fork and it's kind of like eating a room-temp can of soup.

I love cabbage - red and green.  I usually eat it raw in place of lettuce.  After using cabbage as a base of my salads, lettuce is squishy, flavorless, and gross.  My favorite is a light homemade honey mustard, 1 oz cheddar cheese, 1/2 oz cashews and that is it.  I added some grilled bbq chicken today for protein.  I also will use it on tacos instead of lettuce.   

I also like it lightly stir fried.  I will make my veggie stir fry and toss a handful or two in about 1 minute before I pull it off the heat.  The key to good cabbage is leave it crunchy and dress it lightly (what ever method of prep). 

Oh...and the comment about cabbage from a can scares me! 

Last night I chopped some up and added it to my canned soup before I microwaved it.  It bulked up the soup with out adding too many calories.  It was a pretty lazy dinner...

My favorite recipe is to stir fry it in a wok:

Cabbage head sliced
2-3 jalepeno or seranos
3 cloves of garlic pressed
Fresh grated ginger (do not use powderd)

Stir fry in vegetable oil (olive, canola, whatever - peanut is best)
Add a circle of Sesame Oil on top
S & P

It was so amazing the first time I had it I didn't know I was eating cabbage, I've been on a kick since then!

LAZY CABBAGE STIRFY

Spray with Pam and heat.
Line bottom thickly with sliced onions and carmalize.
Spread evenly over pan bottom.
Cover with double the onion thickness using shredded cabbage.
Add about 2 Tb water, cover and heat.
After cabbage begins softening (steaming), uncover to start stirfrying it.
When done sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper.

 

I like the combination of cabbage and tomatoes, and make this dish which everyone seems to like.

Brown and drain ground beef or turkey.  In the same pan, saute lots of chopped onions.  Pour in some canned, diced tomatoes and return the meat to the pot.  Taste it and season with salt, pepper and Italian herbs, either fresh or dried.  Add hot pepper if you like it. 

Meanwhile steam some cabbage until well done.  I know you hate the smell, but if the cabbage is very fresh it might not be as bad.  To speed up cooking, chop it first. 

Combine the cabbage with the beef tomato mixture, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring to keep it from sticking. 

I serve it with rice

If you don't want cabbage to smell just don't put a lid on it, bring water to rolling boil dash of salt, cut cabbage in half & cut out core, add to water & time for 10 min, exactly, turn off & never ever put a lid on it, yum yum add salt & I like cayenne pepper for health benefits, drink all the cabbage water too.

NEVER PUT LID ON IT=NEVER SMELLS

good luck ps this is my fav thing to eat ever I eat like a head of cabbage per day.

Tjlo

If you don't like the smell best is not to cook it, slice it nice and fine and throw it in your salad, instead of like 5 tons of lettuce throw in sum cabbage!

 

Okay indian style cabbage, also not much smell and really easy and yum:

Dice cabbage, not the red, the regular green one, along with some onions, and jalapenos or green chillies if u want t add a kick. Add some oil to a pan, throw in some cumin seeds, at onion, preferable white onions and saute till the ar egolden then put in the cabbage add salt, some curry powder(very little) wait till teh cabbage shrivels and cooks well, it tends to become clear almost. You can cook as long as you wish, base don the texture u prefer, soft or slightly crisp. 

As a variation if you like peanuts, buy em raw, roast em and in a blender crus em, not powder crush and throw it with teh cabbage, adds texture! enjoy!!

 

I heart cabbage!

Since other people have already given close variations of stir-fry and cabbage rolls that I do, here are some different ideas:

Using olive oil spray, saute shredded purple cabbage with diced apple, onion, and rendered bacon. When it's a little browned, add in a bit of apple cider vinegar and apple juice, put on a lid and cook until cabbage and apples are fork-tender. s&p to taste. YUM.

Another easy dish:

Boil and mash some small red or white potatoes (skin on). Meanwhile roast a head of garlic drizzled in olive oil. Shred an equal amount of cabbage (or brussels sprouts are really good in this too) and saute in some olive oil spray. When it is lightly browned and cooked through, mix into mashed potato, squeeze in roasted garlic, add in a splash of milk and a spoonful of lite cream cheese and s&p to taste. Combine well and eat!

MMM! I LOVE COOKED CABBAGE!!! Purple & Green = yay! I stimple chop cabbage up into little pieces - throw it all in a WOK with some water - cover and let steam - then I put a piece of fatty & delicious & juicy salmon on top - definitely adds a TON of flavor!

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!  I'll be experimenting tonight for dinner with some cabbage.  I really hope my kitchen doesn't stink up!!  :-)

I'm thinking just not boiling it, but instead sauteeing or stir frying it will help cut down on the smell and mush.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

I love it fried as long as there's not too much grease.  You're right - there's no cabbage smell when you fry it.  Also, you can control the tenderness and just cook it until crisp/tender instead of mushy soft.

well i wasn't a cabbage fan but would get my fair share moms beef stew ,sauerkraut, cole slaw,etc etc etc,but decided to try it as a healthier version in enchiladas instead of tortillas with more than 75 calories per each tortilla, very simple boil cabbage leaves to soft as can be rolled, boil and shop chicken breast ,you can add onion any healthy cheese or vegetables?? role cabbage with chicken and other ingredients of your choise set side by side top with the lowest calories tomatillo or salsa verde you can find plus sprinkle shredded fat free mozzarella cheese bake in the oven for ten or fifteen minutes till cheese melts now as for calorie per enchilada i have not figured it out but simple the more toppings the more calories we did just chicken with top tomatillo and ff mozza sure came out good even my daughter enjoyed them!!next im going to try some sort of lasagna lean ground turkey??  

omg new favourite meal:

take 1 cup of egg whites divided (1/4 cups) and make each 1/4 cup of egg whites into a small omlette... ie: spray a skillet with a little cooking spray, or oil, and fry the 1/4 cup of egg whites into small omlette shells

put a spoonful of saurkraut into the center, and flip one side over so that it's like a perogie.. cook a little bit longer to warm up the saurkraut

repeat 4 times to make 4 omlette/perogies/cabbage bun things lol (1/4 cup egg whites x 4 = 1 cup egg whites, get it?)

the whole thing (or 4 "cabbage omlettes") comes to under 150 calories.. or depending on how much oil or cabbage you use.. then you can add pepper or garlic, or whatever you like on them... I use SF ketchup :)

the taste is just like saurkraut perogies or those little ukranine/polish cabbage buns (my grandma used to make) but without the guilt... soooo good!!

but saurkraut is high in sodium, so if you are watching salt intake, be careful as to how much you use!