Don't judge a weird-looking food by appearances; Supple Cabbage Salad is a sneaky gourmet feast

“If this isn’t the weirdest of the weird!” . . . not an unusual comment from Hubby any more when he sits down to the dinner table and curiously eyeballs whatever “blog food” I’ve hatched up to serve him for that evening.

I believe, however, that this time his eyebrow was raised a little more than was commonplace.

A purple, shredded melange awaited him. When he asked, and was told, what constituted the dinner selection, he looked even more askance. “Red cabbage, green cabbage, a red onion, a Granny Smith apple . . . ”, I explained.

We dined. Well, not only did Hubby help himself to a second serving, he returned to have Mystery Dish for lunch AND snack the next day. “Do you care if I eat the whole thing up?” he finally implored. I had scored a coup, no doubt about that.

The Mystery Dish was entitled Supple Cabbage Salad; quite frankly I prepared it as a means of using up leftovers. I saw that the recipe called for 3 cups shredded red and 3 cups shredded green cabbage. Half-heads of cabbage languished in the produce bin of my fridge; I was eager not to waste them. Granny Smith apples and red onion we always have around. I knew my paperback booklet, “Celebrating a Healthy Harvest”, would have a suggestion for these items; sure enough, it did. Nothing makes me feel more virtuous than when I figure out ways not to waste food.

I can’t say that the result was exactly a salad. Prepared in a skillet it definitely tasted better warm than it did cold. We heated it up in the microwave alongside the Chicken Cutlet with Pecan Sauce leftovers we had from our Easter entree.

I was with Hubby, however—difficult not to keep going back for more and more and more. No problem with doing that either, however. A single serving probably contained all of about 40 calories. If you can get past the “If this isn’t the weirdest of the weird!” reaction, it’s surely a dream dish!

Supple Cabbage Salad

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, sliced thin

3 cups shredded red cabbage

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and diced

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat oil in wok or in frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cabbage. Stir-fry for two minutes. Cabbage should be slightly softened. Add vinegar and pepper; boil for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in apple, and serve. Makes 6 servings.