Welcome back to budget bites. This time round we’ve put the spotlight on an underrated budget-friendly vegetable that is a true superfood.
Cabbage belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family. It’s naturally detoxifying and packed with vitamin C — just one cup of shredded cabbage provides over 50 per cent of your daily recommended intake. It’s also a great source of fibre, which is important for digestive health and helps to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
It’s available all year round and has a long shelf life, especially compared to other non-starchy vegetables.
Cabbage is quite possibly one of the most versatile vegetables that we cook with — you can serve it raw, braised, roasted or cooked in stir-fries and soups.
Green goddess slaw with crispy crumbed chicken
Serves 4
Crispy crumbed chicken is served with a green goddess slaw, made with a creamy herby dressing that perfectly complements the crunch of the chicken. This dish is both satisfying, refreshing and packed with greens!
½ green cabbage, very finely sliced
Salt and pepper
1 avocado, cut into slices
Green goddess dressing
1 packed cup basil leaves
1 packed cup baby spinach
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup cashews, soaked for 10 minutes in boiling water, then drained
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 lemon, juice
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
Crispy crumbed chicken
500-600g chicken tenderloins or breast
⅓ cup flour
2 eggs, cracked and lightly beaten
1½ cups breadcrumbs or panko crumbs
Olive oil, for shallow frying
1. Place the cabbage into a large bowl along with salt and pepper to taste and use your hands to toss through the cabbage. Set aside and allow the cabbage to soften while you make the dressing.
2. Add all of the green goddess dressing ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, creamy and vibrant green.
3. Add the dressing to the slaw and mix well to make sure every bit of cabbage is coated in the dressing; set aside while you prepare the chicken.
4. If you are using chicken breast, slice it in half lengthways to create two thinner fillets.
5. Place one tenderloin or chicken breast at a time between baking paper, pound with a rolling pin (or heavy object) until approximately 2cm thick. Set aside and repeat with the remaining chicken.
6. You’ll need three separate bowls, one for the flour, the other for the eggs and the other for your breadcrumbs.
6. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, firstly coat in the flour mixture, then the eggs, and finally the breadcrumb mixture, gently pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken so they stick. Place on a large plate or baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
7. Add some olive oil to a large pan, over a medium. Once the oil is hot add the chicken, making sure not to overcrowd the pan as this will prevent the chicken from going crispy. Cook until cooked through and lightly browned on both sides, about 4 minutes on each side. Once the chicken has cooked, cut into slices.
8. Time to plate up - divide the slaw between four plates and top with the avocado and crumbed chicken.
Charred miso cabbage with herby tahini sauce
Serves 4, as a starter or side
We can’t get enough of cabbage when it’s braised with this miso sauce - it gets deliciously caramelised on the outside and tender in the middle.
Miso cabbage
½ large green cabbage, cut into wedges
1-2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
2 Tbsp white miso paste
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
½ cup of water
Pinch of salt
Herby tahini sauce
¼ cup coriander and mint, finely chopped
1 large lemon, juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup smooth hulled tahini
½ cup of water
1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan bake.
2. Heat a large pan or sauté dish (with a lid) over medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil or butter. Sear the cabbage for approximately 3 minutes on each side to allow the outside to char.
3. Make the miso sauce by adding the miso paste, maple syrup, salt and water into a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the sauce over the cabbage and pop on the lid and into the oven for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes so the cabbage gets deliciously crispy and caramelised.
6. Whilst the cabbage is cooking make the green tahini sauce. Add the finely chopped mint and coriander lemon juice, garlic and tahini into a small bowl; mix well. Slowly add the water until it’s at a drizzle consistency.
7. Serve cabbage drizzled with the tahini sauce. Enjoy it while it’s hot!
Laura Bedwell and Nikki Crerar run Assortment, a weekly menu planning service. Catch them on Instagram @assortment___ or head to assortmentfoods.com for more.
