Grilled purple cabbage with mint & parsley cream

Today’s vegetarian-that-can-also-be-vegan recipe was inspired by Bon Appetit’s summer grilling issue, as well as a large head of purple cabbage that has been sitting idle in my fridge for far too long: grilled purple cabbage wedges with a mint and parsley cashew cream sauce, with a lightly dressed cucumber salad.  The cabbage, otherwise mild, is given a smoky flavor and charred texture that screams for a creamy sauce of bright flavors like mint, parsley, and lemon.

The combination of having a cabbage on hand and reading this recipe were perfectly time for another PlantLab Culinary monthly contest that happened to focus on grilling.  And guess what…

I won!

Plantlab Culinary just announced midday today the winner, and I was blown away to see my own post pop up on their Instagram feed.  If you’re not familiar, check out my post from another entry here.  Learn why I love Plantlab Culinary and the brains behind it, Matthew Kenney in a post here.  Basically, they have occasional contests for free cooking courses, and I finally won one after just a few tries!  I am beyond excited to get started with the course.

As such, I went a little over the top for the plating for aesthetic purposes, but for the leftovers I just broke up the cabbage wedges and tossed them with the cucumbers and sauce and added in a handful of crushed pine nuts for even more texture to enjoy more casually.    If you’re interested in seeing other talented people grilling some plants, check out the hashtag #plgrillingcontest on Instagram.

I see this recipe as a compilation of complementary parts, so you can turn this recipe into a salad, as done by Bon Appetit, or you can even make the purple cabbage somewhat of an hor douveres or light appetizer to a meal, which is sort of what ended up happening with my version pictured below.

Ingredients:

Purple cabbage, chopped into wedges

Cucumber, thinly sliced

For the sauce:

If you’re down with dairy – 

Greek yogurt (I suggest Siggi’s as it’s not only all those good things like grass-fed and hormone-free with no added sugar, but also insanely thick and creamy.  Use any remaining in the container in place of ice cream for dessert – seriously)

Chevre, or any goat cheese (probably optional if you’re in a pinch)

Mint, finely chopped, a couple or two will do

Parsley, another couple of cups finely chopped

Lemon juice

Garlic

Oil (I used avocado, though Bon Appetit uses olive oil.  I personally think the avocado oil flavor works a little better)

If you’re making it plantbased –

Ignore the yogurt and goat cheese; blend about two cups of soaked cashews with a little bit of cashew milk or water and a pinch of salt until smooth for the based, and keep the herbs and spices the same.

As I’ve mentioned in previous recipe posts,  I do not measure things out when cooking (even when following a recipe…largely out of laziness).  Go with the flow and by your own taste here, or if you need more structure click here to be lead to Bon Appetit’s recipe.
And, as with all of my favorite recipes, all it takes is blending all the sauce ingredients together in a blender until smooth.  This can be down while you throw the cabbage wedges on a grill.  Since cabbage is quite a sturdy vegetable you can settle in by the grill for quite some time, so bring a book or something.   45 minutes is probably a minimum.  Simply toss the cucumbers in the remaining lemon juice and any chopped mint & parsley – maybe some vinegar if you have it around.

I’m so excited about winning this contest today, and look forward to sharing what I learn with you all through my cooking course with Plantlab Culinary!