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Be Still and Cook Swamp Cabbage
Having a bit of a down week here. Monday morning during my run something popped in my left hip and along my thigh forcing me to stop the run, limping just trying to walk as the belt on the treadmill slowed its speed. I've been babying this leg all week, trying not to panic about running out of time to complete the NRC January Stack challenge if I'm not able to run the rest of the month. Even just walking on the treadmill, if I increase the speed too much I feel a strain from my knee up through my quad and hip.
Then Friday morning, walking Tucker to the park in the snow, my left foot found a hole, twisting my ankle as pain shot up the entire leg. Not what I needed. I've had an ice pack strapped to my thigh daily, attempting gentle stretches throughout the day but it's so hard to give myself permission to be still, to give my leg a chance to heal. And Saturday's morning errands, I somehow found the cart with a crooked wheel that forced me to tug and strain trying to steer the stupid buggy just enough to aggravate my hip and leg even more. Aleve and more icing back at home.
So the highlight of the weekend was making Stuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole as part of my switch it up Treat plan. This recipe is pretty much the same thing as Swamp Cabbage that I learned to make when we lived in Tennessee. Instead of ground beef, I went for a vegetarian version and used black beans as my protein. I did splurge a little and put this over buttered mashed potatoes (a baby cheat...) Today's lunch portion will go over basmati rice. A healthier spin on some wonderful winter comfort food.
Swamp Cabbage Recipe
This concoction of diced cabbage and onion with just the right amount of diced tomatoes and peppers and spices – it may sound like something that Pa and Ma Kettle would have for supper – but you wouldn’t be embarrassed to serve this to anyone. It’s absolutely delicious beyond description – SO here we go …
1 large head cabbage diced
1 large sweet onion diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 large bell pepper diced
1 16 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
1 16 oz can tomato juice
1 jalapeno pepper
salt, pepper, minced garlic, and a dash of smoked paprika, a bit of oregano, and I add a sprinkle of caraway seed to any cabbage recipe.You all know the drill – brown the ground beef and onions, garlic and bell pepper – and add the rest to the dripping and cook in a pot until done, about 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. Corn bread also goes really well with this dish.
It's super simple and if you're pinched for time one night you can make it even quicker with a bag of pre-shredded cabbage and most grocery stores now sell chopped onion and pepper in the produce department. Toss that in a skillet with a tablespoon or so of avocado oil, your garlic and spices, and if you're using beans in place of beef, just add them toward the end with the tomatoes before letting it all simmer to perfection.
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