Fast, Cheap and In Control. A Creamy Cabbage Dish With No Dairy.

    I have gone bonkers in the past about those little 99 cent bags of cabbage they sell at my local Sonoma Market. They're for people who want coleslaw but are too lazy/busy to grate a whole head of cabbage. Dammit, they want their slaw and they want it now!!! Is that too much to ask? Okay so maybe I'm the little baggie of cabbage lady, but in my defense, when I'm cooking for just a few, one little baggie of cabbage does the trick. I feel all virtuous because of the money I've saved and the food I haven't wasted. And then I don't feel so guilty looking at shoe sites while I'm supposed to be writing. If only I make one of these cabbage dishes every day for a couple of (6) years I'll have saved enough for these.

   With some of the cabbage dishes I know, it doesn't even make the prospect of an all cabbage diet for half a decade seem so bad, especially this Gujarati creamy cabbage casserole that contains not one drop of cream milk or anything dairy. It also makes up in about 30 minutes... more time for shoe shopping.

Gujarati Cabbage

 Here's what to do:

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
 In a large bowl mix together

2 cups of shredded cabbage
1 medium sized onion cut in half and thinly sliced
1/4 cup of unsweetened grated coconut
1/4 cup of chickpea flour (besan)
1 tsp of finely chopped fresh ginger
1 or 2 green serrano chiles seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp of salt

 When it's all mixed together add in:
 3 Tbs of vegetable oil

And 1/4 cup of water.
After it's mixed together pour the cabbage into an ungreased pan. Sprinkle the top with 1 tsp of sesame seeds. Pop it into the oven and bake until the top is lightly brown. It should take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes depending on your oven.

 This is a great dish to serve with another vegetable or a nice rice and vegetable curry.  We even had it with a  leftover roast. It goes well with both Indian or non-Indian dishes.

   It's so creamy rich thanks to the chickpea flour and bit of oil that you will swear someone poured cream in there... but you know you didn't. It's a wonderful vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and just plain delicious recipe.