dinner in a flash

Necessity is the mother of invention, for sure.

A Sunday afternoon brought me the gift of unexpected company, which brought me the gift of this new twist on cabbage. A quick search through the fridge for a side-dish yielded this easy and satisfying bowl of spicy yum.

Spicy Cabbage Stir-Fry

1/2 head of fresh cabbage, shredded, outer leaves included
1/2 sweet pepper, diced
1 small onion. diced
4 cloves garlic. finely chopped
2 medium jalepenos. sliced
red pepper flakes
soy sauce
sesame oil

In a large saute pan, pour a few tablespoons of sesame oil. Lightly saute the peppers (hot & sweet), onion, and garlic. Toss in as much cabbage as your pan will allow, along with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Toss to coat and stir-fry on high, adding more cabbage as you are able. After a few minutes, shake in some soy sauce or extra oil, if needed. Simmer until the cabbage is tender. Altogether, this dish took 15 minutes to prepare!

It can be as spicy as you dare, depending on the strength of the jalapenos and the amount of red pepper flakes. (Additionally, I used hot sesame oil!) The results? We gobbled it up. It reminded Friend #88a of kim chee. It was the perfect compliment to grilled chicken and a tossed salad.

Hosting a family for Sunday dinner doesn't have to mean a ton of prep. Just make sure you have a grocery store between church and home to pick up the boneless chicken and salad fixin's.