Cabbage all week

Fish tacos, slow cooker pozole, cowboy caviar, and more

I don’t really get excited about cabbage. A small-ish helping of coleslaw every so often when I have fish n chips, sign me up. Beyond that, I’m rarely interested.

But cabbage is nourishing. And cheap. And the fish taco recipe that I’d pegged for dinner one night this week called for it. So there it was in my fridge. Two whole heads. One green. One purple. I made the best of it. And I do mean best. A slow cooker pozole-style soup provided dinner one night, and lunches through the week (I just put all the cabbage in the soup pot after the first dinner and let it warm up with with soup for subsequent meals and it didn’t suffer). Not a menu that the kids were thrilled about, but there was a big bowl of cowboy caviar to put on the table with every meal and lots of fresh fruit, so I didn’t worry too much about their nutrition and gave myself a pat on the back for “exposure.” There were also grilled cheese sandwiches after soccer one night and a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

For dessert this week I experimented with a dairy free flan. We were (and still are) swimming in Halloween candy, but I needed a project. No one complained.

Whether you choose just one recipe, or use the whole meal plan, I hope you’ll let me know how you liked it. Cooking is iterative, and I love to hear about other ideas and riffs on recipes. Have a recipe to share that makes a regular rotation in your home? Want some tips on making a loved recipe allergy or meal plan friendly? Drop me a line and we’ll work on it together!

Fish Tacos

Gluten free, Dairy free option, Quick

• 1 1/2 pounds sole, cod, or haddock fillets, cut into 1-inch strips

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup sour cream or dairy free sour cream

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons gluten free taco seasoning

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 head green cabbage, finely shredded

• 1/4 head purple cabbage, finely shredded

• 8 corn tortillas or taco shells, warmed

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• 3 tablespoons margarine, cubed

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• tortillas or taco shells

• Lime wedges

For sauce, mix 1/4 cup mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro and 2 teaspoons taco seasoning. In another bowl, toss cod with lemon juice and remaining taco seasoning. Refrigerate both until ready to cook.

In another bowl, mix remaining mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Add cabbage and mix well.

In a large skillet, heat margarine over medium heat; add fish. Cook until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 3-4 minutes on each side. Place fish in tortillas or taco shells. Top with coleslaw mixture and sauce; serve with lime wedges.

Adapted from Taste of Home.

Cowboy caviar

Gluten free, Dairy free, Lunchbox friendly

• 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

• 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained

• 1 medium green pepper, finely chopped

• 1 cup fresh whole kernel corn or frozen shoepeg corn, thawed

• 1 small red onion, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the peas, tomatoes, green pepper, corn and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over black-eyed pea mixture and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

Slow Cooker Shortcut Chicken Pozole

Gluten free, Dairy free, Crockpot

• 1 large red or yellow onion, peeled and quartered

• 2 carrots, trimmed and halved

• 2 celery stalks, halved

• 8 garlic cloves

• 3 chipotle ice cubes or a half a can of chipotle in adobo

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2-3 cups shredded chicken

• 5 cups chicken broth or stock

• Kosher salt, for seasoning

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 1 (29-ounce) can pozole (hominy), rinsed and well drained

• Juice of 1 lime, plus more for serving

• Crushed chips, shredded cabbage, diced avocado, minced red onion and/or cilantro, for topping

Combine the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle cubes, and shredded chicken (frozen is ok) in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Pour in the broth. Add ½ teaspoon salt if you are using low-sodium broth or 1 teaspoon salt if using homemade unsalted stock. Do not add salt now if you are using fully salted broth. Cook on low at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. If it’s more convenient, let the slow cooker switch to warm after 6 hours.

Switch the heat to high. Remove any whole chillis and puree them with an immersion blender and some of the broth and then return them to the pot. Stir in the corn, pozole and lime juice. Replace the cover, let the ingredients warm through and serve the soup in bowls with the toppings of your choice.

Adapted from New York Times Cooking.

Coconut Flan

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk

• 6 eggs

• 1 cup coconut sugar, divided

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp sea salt

• 2 TBS water

In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk until beginning to bubble at the sides. Add 1/2 cup of coconut sugar and whisk until completely dissolved. Allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes to reduce (will reduce by 1/3-1/2 of original volume.) Remove from heat and add salt, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325’F. Fill a large baking dish 1/3 full of water and place in oven.

In a small sauce pan or skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut sugar and 2 TBS of water over medium heat until completely dissolved and beginning to bubble. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. Once it is syrupy, VERY CAREFULLY pour equal amounts of caramel into 6 ramekins.

Whisk 6 eggs together in a medium bowl. Slowly, pour a gentle stream of the reduced coconut milk mixture into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from cooking. Pour mixture into caramel-lined ramekins.

Place ramekins into hot water bath in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until custard is set. OK if center is still a bit wiggly.

Remove from baking dish from oven and remove ramekins from baking dish. I use tongs here. Allow to cool then place into fridge for several hours.

To serve, run a knife along side of ramekin and carefully invert onto plate, allowing caramel to flow over custard. Enjoy!!

From Savory Lotus.