Sheet pan dinner: Sausage and purple cabbage
Is there anything better than October? Everyone has settled into new routines, the weather is (generally) cooler, the leaf peeping and apple picking are in full swing, and it’s finally acceptable to buy enormous bags of candy and maintain the fiction that they’ll last until October 30th.
KIDDING! I would never pretend that that candy is making it to the end of the month.
But really, we are trying to maintain a modicum of healthy eating now that we’re super busy again with school and activities and the faster pace of non-summer months. That’s where sheet pan dinners like this one come in handy.
The combination of sausage, cabbage, and potatoes with a mustard-y sauce feels very Oktoberfest, which is obviously on-brand for this month.
Also, I haven’t yet found a vegetable that wasn’t made more delicious by roasting and purple cabbage and potatoes may be among my favorites. Find the smallest potatoes you can, or halve anything larger then a golf ball.
If you leave off any bread on the side and check your labels for the sausage, this dish is also gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole 30 compliant.
A quick note about the sausage here: We always pre-cooked sausage. The timing gets tricky when starting with raw sausage and the chicken/turkey varieties are usually pre-cooked anyway.
SPD: German red cabbage, potatoes, and sausage
1/2 small head red cabbage, ¾ inch thick slices
1 lb small potatoes
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1 lb pre-cooked turkey or chicken sausage (we use Wellshire Farms turkey kielbasa)
Dijonnaise
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Heat oven to 425.
Thickly slice the cabbage into ¾ inch thick steaks. Spread out on your baking sheet along with the small potatoes. Brush or spray with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cook for 20 minutes or until the cabbage starts to singe in the sides.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and tuck the sausage in with the potatoes and cabbage. I have cooked the sausage from frozen and when already defrosted, and it takes about the same amount of time.
If desired, smash the potatoes slightly with the bottom of a mug or measuring cup and spray or brush on more olive oil for a crispier, crunchier potato.
Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes or until the centers of the cabbage steaks are fork tender.
Yield: dinner for 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children (with possibly some leftovers depending on how much your kids actually eat.)
Almond butter quinoa muffins
What these muffins have: Good fats, protein, Omega-3s, deliciousness.
What these muffins don't have: Gluten, dairy, refined sugar, wheat, eggs, soy.
Bonus feature: The muffins only require one bowl!
The new school year already started for lots of the country, but here in CT, M's preschool starts again on Monday. I've been thinking about quick ways to begin our day with protein that don't require cooking in the morning. These muffins are the answer!
Half of the flour is ground quinoa, which has lots of protein. The other half is oatmeal. I originally made these muffins with almond flour instead of oats for even more protein, but the almond flour was so dense that the muffins stuck to the roof of your mouth. You could just feed your kid a spoonful of almond butter and save yourself the trouble.
With the oatmeal, the muffins are still substantial, but they're no longer dense. They're actually a smidge crumbly because I omitted eggs and any other binding agent. I wanted them to stay vegan and I don't always have the patience to make a flax egg. Letting them cool completely before eating them made them sturdier too.
For the first day of school, I thought it might be nice to add some blueberry chia jam and a quick icing to make the muffins more special. (I also called them breakfast cupcakes, which went over VERY WELL.) The jam is simple and free of any added sugar. I used cream cheese and maple syrup for my frosting, but you could also use coconut cream or a pre-made dairy-free topping.
You could also mix the chia jam with some yogurt for a delicious breakfast for the younger set (or the parental set, if I'm honest).
If you're avoiding nuts, substitute coconut or rice milk for the almond milk and use sunflower seed butter in place of the almond butter. Still delicious!
Important note: These muffins are best when fresh, so I recommend freezing 3/4 of the batch and then either defrosting a serving at night for breakfast the next morning, or toasting a frozen one right before eating it.
Almond butter quinoa muffins
2 large mashed banana
1 cup creamy natural almond butter, well mixed (or nut butter or seed butter of your choice)
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or rice, coconut, or other non-dairy milk of choice)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup quinoa flour
1 cup quick oats
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pie spice (or cinnamon)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the almond butter, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract and mix well.
Add the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Mix well. Add the apple cider vinegar and mix again. Let the mixture sit while you prep the muffin tin and prepare the jam and icing (if using).
When ready, spoon the mixture into your muffin tin until each opening is half full.
Bake for 12-14 mins or until the tops turn golden brown and the muffins are firm to the touch.
Let cool completely in the muffin tin before serving.
Yield: 18 muffins
For the Blueberry chia jam:
1 pint blueberries
1 ½ Tbsp chia seeds
Put the blueberries into a small sauce pan and cook over a medium low flame until the berries have broken down and become syrupy, about 15 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes and add the chia seeds. Mix well.
Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes or until ready to use.
Yield: 1 Tbsp per muffin
For the frosting (optional):
2 ¼ cups whipped cream cheese
6 Tbsp maple syrup
Mix the cream cheese and maple syrup well with a spatula. The mixture will look curdled at first. Continue mixing until the two ingredients have come together. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Yield: 2 Tbsp per muffin
Zucchini and summer squash frittata
Use up your summer produce with this easy, delicious egg concoction.
Whelp, I'm laid up in bed due to my lower back's semiannual revolt against the rest of my body. Luckily, I've made a bunch of these easy and quick frittatas and the leftovers are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. Or eaten with your hands while watching The Great British Baking Show from the floor.
And what's easier than a frittata? They require one pan and come together so fast. I love adding a salty, garlicky, crunchy kick on top with the combination of panko, minced garlic, Parmesan, and sea salt.
I also like to leave the squash in fairly large chunks because otherwise the vegetables disappear into mush. If your kiddos will more likely eat something with less visible squash, feel free to use thinner slices or even to spiralize the veggies.
I find that the crunch on top often distracts from the fact that this frittata is vegetable laden. To that end, you really have to use panko or gluten-free panko to achieve that crunch. Regular breadcrumbs won't do the trick.
Serve this with ANY pesto from the archives!
Zucchini and summer squash frittata
Time: 30-35 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 6-8 servings, depending on what meal you're eating this for and what you're having with it.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ -2 lbs zucchini and summer squash, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
8 large eggs
2 cups shredded Gruyere, Gouda
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
A few cracks of black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over a medium flame and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
Meanwhile, crack the eggs in the bowl and whisk until the whites and yolks are well combined. Add the squash, the shredded Gruyere or Gouda, and 1/4 tsp of salt and stir to combine. Pour into the pan with the hot onions and stir again to combine.
Cook the eggs and squash, undisturbed (no more stirring!), on the stove top for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the eggs begin to set.
Meanwhile, combine the panko, garlic, Parmesan, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. When you're ready to put the frittata in the oven, sprinkle the panko mixture evenly over the top of the frittata.
Put in the oven and bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set in the middle, about 12-15 minutes. If the panko topping starts to brown, cover it loosely with tin foil until the eggs are cooked.