When it comes to saving money on groceries, as you may know, I do not promote the use of coupons. Instead, I recommend you save money by stocking up on the ingredients you use when they are priced well. If you follow the Smart Shopping tips on my Organizing Dinner blog and at my cooking classes, you will save more on your bill and gain that time you might otherwise spend clipping coupons.
With St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, there are several items that are going to be in high demand for the Corned Beef Feast, which will therefore be selling at wonderfully-low prices. One of these is cabbage.
Cabbage is typically priced over $1/head. In the days and weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, you will find it for half that price, if not less at certain stores.
In addition to serving cabbage with your corned beef, here are some ways to stretch your dollar, providing your family healthy, delicious side dishes at half the usual price.
And this doesn’t mean you’ll be eating cabbage every day, though that would be good for you, as one of these recipes has a long shelf life and the other can be frozen for future use.
Sweet and Spicy Cole Slaw
Ingredients
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 package cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup green onions, diced
2 teaspoons colemans or other spicy mustard
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Combine all ingredients and chill.
Shortcut Green Cabbage Kimchi
A traditional kimchi recipe entails pickling Napa cabbage in salted water for one day, and preserving with similar ingredients for at least 48 hours. With respect to traditional recipes and their wonderful flavors, this is a shortcut recipe to achieve a copycat flavor using green cabbage and less preparation time.
Ingredients
1/2 head cabbage cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder (Korean kochukaru preferred, but you can use traditional if you don’t have Korean)
1/4 cup fish sauce
Combine all ingredients in a sealed container and let sit for one hour at room temperature.
Cabbage Soup
Cabbage soup of this sort is known as a way to detox and is a diet fad, for good reason. This soup has very few calories and zero points on a Weight Watchers-type system. It also tastes great, and can be frozen for future use.
Ingredients
½ head of cabbage, chopped
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes OR 1 cup of tomato juice
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes OR 1 teaspoon hot sauce
few shakes of black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, garlic, and carrots. Saute until slightly tender. Add broth, tomatoes, cabbage and all seasonings. Stir, bring to a boil and then reduce heat, simmering until vegetables are tender. At this point soup can be eaten or frozen.
Photo Credit: nblumhardt via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: quinn.anya via Compfight cc
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About the Author
Kelly Donlea is a Barrington mom, chef, cookbook author the owner of Organizing Dinner, a company that brings sensible cooking solutions to busy people. She has published several cookbooks and one of her specialties is helping parents plan family meals with fewer trips to the grocery store. Kelly also offers cooking classes and demonstrations in your home or public facility. To learn more about Kelly, her recipes and her services, you’ll find her Facebook page by clicking HERE and her website at OrganizingDinner.com. Kelly is going to be sharing recipes, cooking tips and special features about chefs and popular menu items at area restaurants right here at 365Barrington.com.
Please join us as we discover local culinary treasures and new kitchen classics in our regular Friday food feature here at 365Barrington.com called “Barrington Eats” with Kelly Donlea!
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