Sautéed Apple and Cabbage with Hints of Bourbon, Dijon and Maple Syrup and a Sweet Potato on the Side

As you may have guessed I purchased more apples and cabbage than I needed for dinner last night and wanted to use them today somehow. By the time lunch rolled around today I had no idea what I was going to make. This recipe is something that came out of my head while thinking about what to make. Despite the fact that the main ingredients were the same as dinner last night this dish has a very different flavor.

The bourbon inspiration came from watching “Alex’s Day Off” today on the Foodnetwork. I don’t normally get many ideas from the Foodnetwork because there are only so many variations of paella, or baked pasta I can watch without going brain dead. However, the apple and bourbon idea today I thought was genius and immediately appealing. For those of you that have been reading for a while you know that bourbon turns up occasionally in my recipes. I love the aroma of bourbon in food. If you are interested there is a nice bourbon glaze for seitan here, and a chocolate and peanut butter mousse with bourbon posted here, that you might want to check out.

I combined maple syrup with the bourbon because that is a match made in heaven. Really, why wouldn’t you combine them? Dijon was added to the recipe for a little zip. Cumin was included because it mimics the smokiness of the bourbon.

The apples were unpeeled because most of the nutrition is in and just under the skin. I lightly wilted to cabbage so it would retain most of its nutrition. Because the sweet potatoes were organic I left the skin on as well for its fiber and nutrition. Here is what I did.

Sautéed Apple and Cabbage with Hints of Bourbon, Dijon and Maple Syrup and a Sweet Potato on the Side
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large organic sweet potato (weight approximately 8 ounces), scrubbed and pierced
2 Fuji apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
3 cups green cabbage, shredded
1 tablespoon Bourbon
½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pinch cumin seed
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch kosher salt, to taste
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook the sweet potato in the microwave until tender.

While the sweet potato is cooking heat a heavy sauce pan on medium high heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

When the sweet potato is ready cut it into quarters and serve it with sautéed apples and cabbage on the side.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 238.99
Calories From Fat (3%) - 6.65

Total Fat - 0.81g
Saturated Fat - 0.13g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 323.59mg
Potassium - 784.13mg
Total Carbohydrates - 53.77g
Fiber - 10.37g
Sugar - 26.33g
Protein - 4.26g

Comments:

The bourbon was definitely a background aroma more than a flavor. The dish has a touch of heat from the red pepper flakes. There was a nice textural contrast between the apples and cabbage. Overall I thought it was a nice balance of flavors and texture.

Nutritionally this dish has a lot of punch. Each serving contains over 16,000IU of vitamin A, 108mg of calcium, 74mcg of folate, 107mcg of vitamin K, and 104mg of phosphorus. Not too shabby for a dish I had on the table in less than 10 minutes than contains less than 250 calories.

I was surprised by how filling this dish was. We had such a light lunch today there will need to be a snack tonight to make certain we have eaten enough calories.