Simple Cabbage Side Dish

When my dearly beloved announced to me when dinner was over that he was about to finish off the cabbage, I figured it was safe to post as a tasty recipe.  I served it with wild Alaska salmon... yum!

Cabbage, said to be one of the healthiest vegetables, is known for its high vitamin C and vitamin K content, providing you with 47% and 107% respectively in a mere half cup serving.  Cabbage is also said to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well, particularly in the brighter colored varieties (see nutritional facts).  

This dish is quick and easy to make and provides the additional benefit of nutrients from chicken bone broth.

Ingredients:

• About two cups shredded or chopped fresh organic white or green cabbage
• One pint of home made chicken bone broth (see below*)
• One large organic carrot, grated
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
• 2 Tblsp softened butter (ideally from grass fed cow's milk)

Preparation:
In a medium sized pan (1 1/2 to 2 quart), heat the bone broth until it begins to boil.  Add the chopped or shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, and ground pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to medium-low or low, cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until tender but not mushy.  Remove from heat, drain off broth (save to use in a soup or other dish), add butter and salt to taste.  Serve.

This recipe makes enough for two to four, but can be easily increased or reduced. 

*To make a simple chicken bone broth, throw bones from raw or cooked chicken into a crock pot - include any meat scraps, wing tips, or skin that didn't get devoured by your hungry family.  Fill the crock pot with water and add about two tablespoons (for a small crock pot, increase for a larger pot) of apple cider vinegar.  I sometimes like to add raw vegetables I might have on hand for extra flavor - carrots, onion, and fresh parsley are always good choices.  Rutabaga is fast becoming one of my favorite broth or soup vegetables because it adds an extra layer of richness to the taste.  Cook on low at least overnight and up to two days.  When you're finished with the cooking, add salt to taste.  Then strain off the broth through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into pint-sized canning jars (or whatever size is convenient).  Add seals and covers, cool and refrigerate or freeze (if not planning to use within in a week or so).  The quantity of broth will depend on the size of your crock pot.