National Cabbage Day Today is National Cabbage Day! You might think that cabbage is an odd thing to celebrate, but read on to find out more about this versatile garden staple that serves as the base for some wonderful recipes.

The word cabbage actually comes from the French word caboche, meaning “head”. You may be surprised to find that the cabbage family actually includes many varieties, including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, and even kale. Cabbage is actually not native to North America and was brought here by French settlers. It can be eaten many ways - raw, cooked, fried, boiled, or even steamed. It’s a good source of fiber and vitamin C and is a mainstay in a low carb diet.

To celebrate, we thought we’d share one of our favorite cabbage-based recipes.

Egg Roll in a Bowl
(affectionately known as “Crack Slaw” because it’s so additively good!)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground pork sausage (or your favorite kind, we like spicy!)
• 6 cups of shredded cabbage 4 cloves of minced garlic (or 2 Tbsp pre-minced)
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger (fresh, if you have it)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce ¼ cup of chopped green onions
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• ¼ tsp of white pepper (optional, but it gives in a extra asian flare)

Instructions:

• Cook the sausage and crumble as you cook it. Cook it through until there is no pink showing. DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT.
• Add in the shredded cabbage, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes until the cabbage has started to soften and is warmed through.
• Stir in the sesame oil and white pepper (if using) and top with the green onions.
• Serve immediately.
• If you want it to taste more like an egg roll, you can add your favorite topping like duck sauce or hot mustard.

There is also a lot of cabbage served in food trucks. From slaw, to soups, to Asian food, it’s in a lot of street food recipes. One of our favorite local-to-MOBLZ trucks is Purple Cabbage. They have an awesome funky vegetarian / vegan menu. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/EatPurp.