In the kitchen

A few months ago, I was getting extra hours every week and decided that I needed to invest in some cookery.  After comparing quality and prices, I decided to buy a good NordicWare Dutch oven.  It seemed so versatile and large enough to make a weeks worth of stew, chili, or whatever.  I also liked that it was made in the USA and had great reviews on Amazon.  I downloaded a cookbook ("Dutch Oven Soup and Stew Recipes") on my Kindle and I was ready to roll.

This week I decided to try something new.  Looking for something cheap but flavorful, I found a recipe for cabbage stew.  Essentially chop a head of cabbage, 4 carrots (I bought a pound of sliced carrots), one onion, 3 potatoes, 5 cloves of garlic (I used minced garlic from a jar) and a box (32 oz) of chicken broth.  Now for the flavor- 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper. Add all ingredients to the dutch oven and salt to taste.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender.  I lost my receipt but the vegetables were cheap.  I spent more on the seasonings (garlic, thyme, and lemon pepper) than the vegetables.  And I still have half a bag of potatoes left for next week.

If you wanted to cut the sodium content, you could always use low sodium veggie broth instead of chicken broth.  I was surprised at the sodium content so that's the only tweak I might make in the future.  It reheats well- I brought two bowls to work tonight- pulling a double so one for dinner and one for middle of the night.  It's a perfect, cheap, very easy, and portable meal!