Cabbage 'Steak' with Greek Potatoes
Happy New Year! Hibernation has officially ended and I've resurfaced.... to face the bitter, bitter cold weather that hit the US like...well... a bomb cyclone. Nevertheless resolutions of bettering ourselves remain and that, for me, always starts from the inside out.
These Cabbage 'steaks' are a slice of healthy comfort food. Going from holiday feasts to new years famine is not really my style- so I'll do what I do best and stick to creating warm, delicious meals that taste like they should be a million calories but are actually full of real, wholesome good-for-you food!
The parking lot where the farmer's market here in Charlottesville is usually held is sadly just frozen pavement during the winter months but that doesn't mean we shouldn't still eat what's in season and available locally. Check out January's in-season vegetables chart from A Healthy Life for Me and follow my blog to see them put to use in easy recipes that will make the 'diet' part of your resolution a piece of.... cabbage? :)
Not to worry, cabbage is part of the seasonally available winter vegetables and the tomatoes and artichokes in this recipe are canned :) Do feel free to use brussel sprouts in lieu of cabbage for this recipe just note, to have the 'steak' feel, slicing thick pieces of cabbage is the way to go!
SERVING SIZE: 1 head of cabbage will yield about 3 'steaks'. These make great leftovers so I usually do 6 'steaks' for 2 people with leftovers or 4 people
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
2 heads of cabbage
1 can of quartered artichokes (drained + dried)
1 can of diced pomodoro tomatoes (san marzano is my go-to choice)
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
4 tbsp of EVOO (divided)
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt + Pepper
Basil (a chiffonade) for garnish*
Pantry Pesto**:
2 cups of basil (torn)
1/2 cup celery leaves (torn from the inner stalks)
1/4 cup of nuts (I use walnuts or pine nuts, whatever I have)
1 tbsp white balsamic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of S+P
1/3 cup EVOO
Greek Potatoes:
1.5lb bag of baby dutch or yukon gold potatoes (halved) (**use half the bag for 2 people or the whole bag for 4 people or 2 people with leftovers)
1.5 cups of crumbled feta cheese
4-5 tbsp of vegan butter (or ghee or grassfed butter)
3/4 cup parsley (chopped)
Salt + Pepper
RECIPE:
Start by bringing salted water to a boil for the potatoes. While you wait for the water to boil, start making the pantry pesto. Add all of the pesto ingredients, except the olive oil, to a food processor. While the processor is on the lowest speed, slowly add in the olive oil through the opening. Once all of the oil has been added, close the opening and blend on a medium speed until well combined. Add more S+P if needed. Transfer to a bowl to use for the cabbage steaks.
Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes and let cook while you prepare the cabbage steaks. The potatoes should be in the water before you start the cabbage steaks, it will take all 30 minutes for the potatoes to cook through.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the cabbage steaks- try and stay at about a two finger width, too thick and they don't cook all the way through as well. You want the consistency to be cooked through with a slight bite. If you are using two heads of cabbage, you will need to sheet pans and extra EVOO to fit all of the steaks. Grease each pan with 2 tbsp of EVOO and arrange the cabbage steaks on each pan. Spread the pantry pesto in a thin layer on each steak- getting all the way to the edges. top with an even distribution of artichokes, tomatoes and feta. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of each steak and finish with, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for 20 minutes.
Top with the chiffonade of basil and you're all set! Once the cabbage steaks are ready, let them rest on the stovetop while you quickly mix up the potatoes. Drain the potatoes and dump back into the hot pot. Add the feta, butter, parsley, salt + pepper and mix with a large spoon until the butter and feta melt into the potatoes and they start to mush. You don't want mashed potato consistency so stop mixing as soon as they start to mush. Serve alongside the cabbage steaks.
I make this meal a lot and switch it up sometimes by adding drilled chicken on top or drizzling with balsamic reduction. This is a super easy meal to make during the week and easily adaptable to different toppings and proteins! Enjoy + happy eating!
*Chiffonade of Basil HOW-TO:
** I don't like to put fresh garlic in my pesto, it overtakes the fresh flavors of the herbs and delicate celery leaves. If you want garlic, I would add no more than 1/4-1/2 a clove in this recipe.