Braised Red Cabbage with Sausage and Apples

Cabbage often gets a bad rap as a bland and boring veggie - but think again.  This nutritional powerhouse deserves a place in any vegan kitchen, and the key is to do more than just boil the heck out of it.  Here's one idea to get you started, and I'll probably add one or two more cabbage recipes before the month is out.

Ingredients:

• 2 (3-ounce) Field Roast Italian sausages
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 and 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped Granny Smith apple
• 2/3 cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons vegan brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf

1. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and onion; cook for 4 minutes, breaking apart the sausage into crumbles as it cooks.

2. Add the cabbage and all the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally - the cabbage should be wonderfully tender by the end.  Discard the bay leaf.

Serve this hearty dish with toasted slices of sourdough bread for a Scandinavian-themed supper.

Nutrition Info:
3 servings (1 and 2/3 cups), Calories 238 

Tasting Notes:

Easily one of the best cabbage dishes I've ever had.  The cabbage was tender to perfection, and picked up great salty notes from the sausage and sweet notes from the apple.  There was a cinnamon-like hint to the cooking liquid, perhaps from the combination of apple juice and brown sugar.  The thyme felt out of place, and I would use caraway seeds next time. But I scooped this up directly with slices of sourdough, for an amazing and filling meal all around, so a keeper.

Rating:
4