The Warm Yummies: Sausages with Apple Cabbage

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
(The Walrus and the Carpenter from Carroll's Through the Looking Glass)

I love cabbage.

It always reminds me of my mom making holupkes (no idea how to spell it). They're cabbage rolls stuffed with a beef-rice filling and simmered in tomato sauce -- it was one of my dad's favorite childhood dishes, brought over by my great grandmother from Hungary or Czechoslovakia, or the Czech Republic ~ or wherever her ancestral home ended up in the fray of the twentieth century. Essentially, it's Eastern European comfort food. I keep intending to make it... and will, since it's certainly allergy friendly!

But one day, craving warmth, I only had access to a head of cabbage, a few apples, and a package of frozen chicken sausage. Hence... this!  


Chicken Sausages with Apple Cabbage

 With the mixture of apples, onions and cabbage sauteed with apple cider and just a hint of savory mustard this was a hearty, warm dish just right for a cold night.  Perfect for Fall or Winter!  We just chopped the sausage pieces a little smaller for our son to eat as finger food, and it was a hit.   And not bad for Mom and Dad, either...



Chopping!



So... simple recipe: 

Chicken Sausages with Apple Cabbage

Oil for frying (I used olive)

1 large apple (I used macoun), diced

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 head cabbage, chopped into ~ 1" pieces

1/2 cup apple cider or juice

1 tsp stone ground mustard (optional)
1 package chicken sausages *



Sauteing the apples, onions, and cabbage!

1. Sautee the sausage in a little oil, turning over every few minutes to ensure they're evenly cooked, usually around 8 - 10 minutes.  Set aside. 
2. In the same pan, sautee the onions with a little bit more oil until translucent, around 2 - 3 minutes. 
3. Add the apples and sautee until slightly soft
4. Add the cabbage and sautee for about 5 minutes, until slightly soft. 
5. While cabbage and applies are cooking, slice the sausages into 1" pieces.  
6. If you're using the mustard, mix it into the apple cider or juice. 
7. Either way, to deglaze the pan once the cabbage starts to brown slightly, add the cider or juice, then the sausage pieces.   
8. Cover and simmer for around 5 minutes to fuse the flavors and ensure the sausage is fully cooked.

* Check the sausage ingredients carefully to ensure no allergens are present! Sometimes they hide in commercially prepared foods, especially those mass-produced.  We found some that were a local producer but in our regular supermarket, and no more expensive than the name brands.  Delicious and locally made!

Cinnamon Chicken

What, huh? Have I gone crazy to try cooking chicken with cinnamon? Am I throwing red hots in with the giblets? Cinnabon rolls in the gravy? No, silly!  OK, maybe I have lost it a little, but if so, I'm crazy like a fox.

Cinnamon is an ace-in-the-hole flavor that doesn't have to be sweet. It is warm, surprising, and happy. There is a lot of history of using cinnamon in meat dishes throughout the near east and Asia. (ever have Lebanese kibeh or Thai massuman curry?).   You can add savory flavors that balance out the sweet aspect of cinnamon: garlic, cumin, allspice, onion, celery, chicken bouillon, smoked paprika.  When all is said and done, the cinnamon becomes a rich alto in the chorus, not the soloist.  

Sounds fancy, but it's not.  It's a very approachable flavor, and our little guy loves it!  We use boneless skinless thighs, a rich and flavorful meat that is easy to cut up in finger-food sized cubes that Q gobbles up.  He loves to dip the chicken into the aromatic sauce, too.  (he's a dipper)   This dish can easily be served as an adult meal atop a mound of rice, or with pasta of your choice.  We used rice pasta elbows recently and everyone could enjoy the meal together!   An added bonus:  when you're cooking cinnamon chicken, your house smells amazing. 

Cinnamon Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
handful of cherry tomatoes or a small tomato, chopped (optional)
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (around 10 thighs maybe?)
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon (we use Herb-ox sodium-free which does not have soy or gluten)
1 tsp ground cumin
Dash powdered garlic
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
1/2 cup pre-cooked sweet potato, cut into bite sized cubes (optional)
1 cup frozen or fresh peas

• In a large saute pan, saute the onions and celery until translucent.  If using, add the tomatoes and saute for a couple minutes until they begin to lose shape.  
• Add chicken to pan, browning one side first for around 3 - 5 minutes, then flipping. 
• While browning, keep yourself busy by stirring the spices (bouillon, cinnamon, cumin, garlic and allspice) to the cup of water. 
• Once the chicken is browned on both sides, add the water to the pan.   Cook over medium heat for around 15 - 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  
• Stir in the peas a couple minutes before serving.  If using pre-cooked sweet potato, add it now too.*
• Serve with rice or allergen-free pasta like rice elbows or even pad thai noodles. 

* Oh and I hope you do... the sweet potato really compliments the warmth of the cinnamon!  If you didn't pre-cook the sweet potato, you could instead add it during the first step with the onions and celery.

I wish I had pictures of this to share with you, but we gobbled it up too quickly!  When I make it again, I'll take pictures and update this post so you can see it.  

This is an easy saute / brown / simmer recipe that you can make in between running around the kitchen catching your son to give him hugs, retrieve thrown balls from under furniture, and re-filling sippy cups.  Seriously, it's that simple!