Chipotle Slaw

Ingredients

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups whole milk, plus more if needed for thinning
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 cup fresh cilantro, barely chopped

Directions

Combine the shredded green and purple cabbage in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, cayenne, salt and chipotles and adobo sauce. Add more milk if you like the dressing a little thinner.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss to combine. Just before serving, toss in the cilantro. You can mix the slaw up to 2 hours before serving.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:
Cabbage Rolls

1 large head green cabbage, about 2 to 2¼ pounds
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs (not necessary, you can leave them out, but they do make the meat fluffier)
1 medium onion, grated or minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup raw long-grain white rice *

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (medium dice)
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce or one 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, pulsed in a food processor with juice until pureed.
juice of one lemon or 2 tablespoons (or more to taste) apple cider vinegar
¼ to ¾ cup light brown sugar (Depending on amount of sweetness you prefer. Start with ¼ cup and taste sauce, adding if you like it sweeter. If you prefer it completely savory, add only 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the juice from half a lemon)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup golden raisins (optional)
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. When the water comes to a boil, fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut out as much of the core as you can from the bottom of the cabbage, then drop the whole, cored head into the boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. Once the leaves separate and are pliable, immediately remove and drop the blanched leaves that separated (or whole head if all the leaves did not separate) in the ice water. Once cooled down, remove and pat the leaves dry. Repeat with any leaves still attached to the head that aren't pliable, if necessary. Alternatively, If you've got time on your hands, you can freeze the wrapped head of cabbage for two days then defrost. The leaves will peel off easily and be soft enough to roll.

Here's some other ideas from readers, although I have yet to try them so I cannot confirm that they work. 1. Place the cabbage in the microwave for 6 minutes. The core will slip right out and the leaves will be perfect for rolling. 2. Take a knife and shave down the vein on each cabbage leaf, but they still need to be softened to roll, so you'd still have to blanch them (extra work), so I'm not sold on this one. 3. You can also throw the whole head in the boiling water without coring it. The leaves just won't separate on their own, but are still easy to peel off.

Set aside about 16 of the largest leaves for stuffing and rolling, then chop some of the remaining leaves to make 1 cup of chopped cabbage and reserve.

Mix the ground beef with the eggs, grated onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and rice. (If you use cooked rice, you can test the seasoning of the meat mixture to your liking by frying up or microwaving a piece of it and tasting, if desired). Divide this mixture into sixteen 2-ounce balls. Using moistened hands, form the balls into cylinders. Place a cylinder of filling near the bottom of a cabbage leaf (if the vein in the leaf is really thick, shave it down with a knife before placing the beef on it, being careful not to cut through the leaf itself.). Begin to roll it up, folding both sides over the filling, and finish rolling to enclose the filling, like an eggroll. Continue, filling and rolling all the cabbage leaves. Place them, seam side down, on a tray or baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a heavy, nonreactive saucepan. Sauté the second onion until soft and golden. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, then add the reserved chopped cabbage and sauté briefly.

Add the tomato sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Increase the heat until it comes to a boil, then lower it and simmer for 5 minutes. Add raisins now, if using.

Line of the bottom of a 13 x 9 roasting pan or glass dish with a layer of sauce. Place cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of sauce. Top cabbage rolls with remaining sauce then cover the whole pan with tin foil. Bake for 2 hours in a preheated 350F oven

Homemade Coleslaw (KFC)

Ingredients:

1package cole slaw mix OR
8cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head) and ¼ cup diced carrot
2tablespoons minced onions
⅓cup granulated sugar
½teaspoon salt
⅛teaspoon pepper
¼cup milk
½cup mayonnaise
¼cup buttermilk
1½tablespoons white vinegar
2½tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
           
1. Buy preshredded cole slaw mix( I use 1pkg) Mix with minced onions.

2.You can shred your own cabbage and carrots if you prefer, enough to toal 8 cups cabbage and 1/4 cup carrots.

3 Using regular blade on food processor process remaining ingredients until smooth.

4 Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

5 Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Ingredients:

1 medium head green cabbage (about 3 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional, for flavor)

Equipment:

Cutting board
Chef's knife
Mixing bowl
2-quart widemouth canning jar (or two quart mason jars)
Canning funnel (optional)
Smaller jelly jar that fits inside the larger mason jar
Clean stones, marbles, or other weights for weighing the jelly jar
Cloth for covering the jar
Rubber band or twine for securing the cloth

Instructions:

Clean everything: When fermenting anything, it's best to give the good, beneficial bacteria every chance of succeeding by starting off with as clean an environment as possible. Make sure your mason jar and jelly jar are washed and rinsed of all soap residue. You'll be using your hands to massage the salt into the cabbage, so give those a good wash, too.

Slice the cabbage: Discard the wilted, limp outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters and trim out the core. Slice each quarter down its length, making 8 wedges. Slice each wedge crosswise into very thin ribbons.

Combine the cabbage and salt: Transfer the cabbage to a big mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt over top. Begin working the salt into the cabbage by massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands. At first, it may not seem like enough salt, but gradually, the cabbage will become watery and limp — more like coleslaw than raw cabbage. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. If you'd like to flavor your sauerkraut with caraway seeds, mix them in now.

Pack the cabbage into the jar: Grab handfuls of the cabbage and pack them into the canning jar. If you have a canning funnel, this will make the job easier. Every so often, tamp down the cabbage in the jar with your fist. Pour any liquid released by the cabbage while you were massaging it into the jar.

→ Optional: Place one of the larger outer leaves of the cabbage over the surface of the sliced cabbage. This will help keep the cabbage submerged in its liquid.

Weigh the cabbage down: Once all the cabbage is packed into the mason jar, slip the smaller jelly jar into the mouth of the jar and weigh it down with clean stones or marbles. This will help keep the cabbage weighed down, and eventually, submerged beneath its liquid.

Cover the jar: Cover the mouth of the mason jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band or twine. This allows air to flow in and out of the jar, but prevent dust or insects from getting in the jar.

Press the cabbage every few hours: Over the next 24 hours, press down on the cabbage every so often with the jelly jar. As the cabbage releases its liquid, it will become more limp and compact and the liquid will rise over the top of the cabbage.

Add extra liquid, if needed: If after 24 hours, the liquid has not risen above the cabbage, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water and add enough to submerge the cabbage.

Ferment the cabbage for 3 to 10 days: As it's fermenting, keep the sauerkraut away from direct sunlight and at a cool room temperature — ideally 65°F to 75°F. Check it daily and press it down if the cabbage is floating above the liquid.

Because this is a small batch of sauerkraut, it will ferment more quickly than larger batches. Start tasting it after 3 days — when the sauerkraut tastes good to you, remove the weight, screw on the cap, and refrigerate. You can also allow the sauerkraut to continue fermenting for 10 days or even longer. There's no hard and fast rule for when the sauerkraut is "done" — go by how it tastes.

While it's fermenting, you may see bubbles coming through the cabbage, foam on the top, or white scum. These are all signs of a healthy, happy fermentation process. The scum can be skimmed off the top either during fermentation or before refrigerating. If you see any mold, skim it off immediately and make sure your cabbage is fully submerged; don't eat moldy parts close to the surface, but the rest of the sauerkraut is fine.

Store sauerkraut for several months: This sauerkraut is a fermented product so it will keep for at least two months and often longer if kept refrigerated. As long as it still tastes and smells good to eat, it will be. If you like, you can transfer the sauerkraut to a smaller container for longer storage.

Fried Cabbage With Sausage

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound polish sausage, sliced into round pieces
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 of a green bell pepper
few drops of hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

Melt butter in large skillet. Add cabbage, onion, and green pepper and cook on medium high for about 5 minutes stirring to keep from sticking to the pan. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 8 servings.

Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients (per quarter):

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons bacon bits
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 whole cabbage, quartered

Directions:

Take your whole cabbage and cut it into 4 pieces and place each quarter in an individual piece of foil. Sprinkle/pour all the ingredients on top of each one and wrap tightly. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes.