Play with Your Food: Warm Cabbage Salad with Dried Cranberries & Peanuts

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

Some people tend to get stuck on recipes. If they don't have everything the recipe calls for, they'll put it away until they've made a run to the grocery store. Me, I'm a bit of a player (well, at least when it comes to recipes and board games). If a soup recipe calls for sausage and I'm out, I'll add in some smoked paprika instead and make it into something vegetarian.

When I spotted this warm cabbage salad recipe on 101 Cookbooks (an always inspiring website for vegetarian recipes), I quickly realized that I was out of sunflower seeds, golden raisins and Parmesan. No worries, because I did have some unsalted roasted peanuts and a bag of Craisins. I also had dried rosemary instead of the fresh stuff. When I looked closer at the recipe, I realized the sunflower seeds needed to be candied, but since I was already feeling a bit sugared-out due to all of the fun-sized Halloween candy laying about, I left my peanuts alone. There was already balsamic and dried cranberries in my recipe to take care of the sweet factor. Looking to play a bit more with this warm salad? I think some chopped apples would be an excellent addition!

Maybe the salad wasn't as delicious as the original version, but I thought it was tasty and healthy - not to mention easy to whip up as a quick side dish. It's perfect for fall and winter when your larder is heavy with root vegetables and cabbage. And a cabbage recipe with a slightly sweet and salty twist is always a welcome find.


Warm Cabbage Salad with Dried Cranberries & Peanuts
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced into thin half moons
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 large head of red cabbage, sliced thinly
large pinch salt & a good grind of pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil, onions and garlic together. Saute until soft. Add in cabbage, salt and pepper and stir about for a few minutes until the cabbage wilts slightly (about 3-5 minutes or so) without over-cooking it. Add in the rosemary, peanuts, cranberries and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything and remove from heat. Dump everything into a large serving dish and sprinkle with feta cheese. Taste and add more salt if necessary.