Black Bean Cabbage Curry

I've been having some extra strong cravings for cabbage lately.  We've been eating a ton of it at home, and I even ordered veggie cabbage rolls at a restaurant the other day.  It's a strange thing to crave, but I'm going with it!  I'd say there are a lot worse things I could be eating in excess.

I love to roast green cabbage with some olive oil and sea salt (like this), but the other day something a little spicier was calling to me.  I combined some of my favorite Indian flavors with a jalapeno from our garden to create this cabbage curry dish, and it really hit the spot.

Black Bean Cabbage Curry
Makes 2 large servings

1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
1-2 gloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 onion, diced
1 cup black beans
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
Dash of garam masala
Dash of salt and pepper
Water as needed
2 cups cooked brown rice

1. In a large pan, saute the garlic, onion, and jalapeno in a little olive oil over medium heat until slightly brown.
2.  Add cabbage, spices, and a little splash of water if things are starting to stick.
3. Continue to cook, adding water as needed, until cabbage is soft and slightly translucent.
4.  Add black beans and cook until warm.
5. Serve over rice and top with additional sauces/garnishes of your choice (Sriracha, green onions, etc.)

 

Note:  I never really measure my spices out very precisely, so feel free to add more or less depending on your preferences.  I usually just use the sprinkle-and-taste method.

I also made this dish another time, but, instead of using Indian spices, I added lots of fresh lime juice and cilantro.  We wrapped it all up in some whole wheat tortillas, added hot sauce, and had ourselves a little Mexican feast.  It was so good.

Healthy, cheap, easy-to-find, tasty, and versatile - you gotta love cabbage!

Weekend + Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Hi there!

I hope you all had a great weekend.  Jay and I did a ton of gardening, only to be greeted by a wave of SNOW this morning.  Snow in April...whaaat?!  Hopefully, we got all the new plants covered in time so they can survive this random cold snap.

Wendy is sure excited about the fresh veggies and herbs coming soon!

We also planted a new tree and some flowers, although the big stars right now are our tulips.  They were looking amazing this weekend!

Of course, we had to do our usual house cleaning and grocery shopping trip.  Here's a pic of our food for the short week ahead:

In other news, I have a new favorite roasted vegetable - cabbage!  On Saturday night, we made "cabbage steaks" to have with tofu and pearled couscous.  They were delicious.  And they taste just like steak.

Just kidding. 

But they are really good!!

To make these, we cut a small head of organic cabbage into one-inch thick pieces.  I rubbed down each side with some olive oil and seasoned with salt and fresh-ground pepper.  I also drizzled on a little balsamic vinegar.

We baked them for 30 minutes at 425, flipping once.

There were a couple "steaks" left over, so yesterday for lunch I heated them up and added them to some quinoa veggie burgers along with avocado slices and Sriracha.  What a burger!

We finished off our weekend of good eats with another artichoke appetizer and a tasty lentil dish from No Meat Athlete.  That book has the best recipes. 

When it came to exercise, I made time for my new favorite workout - spin class!  Bri, my friend from work, teaches at Moxieride in OKC on the weekends.  Moxieride combines traditional high-intensity cycling with upper body exercises.  My arms and shoulders are really feeling it today!

Bri does a great job of keeping the class pumped up with her motivating instruction and upbeat music choices.  It's hard work but a lot of fun!  I purchased a Groupon for a 10 class package, so I will definitely be going back on a regular basis.

If you are in the market for a great workout in the Oklahoma City area, you should totally check out one of their classes. 

See ya soon!