Roasted Cabbage with Crispy Onions

IMG_6321

During the Hot Springs Crating Ritual and Cultivating Mindfulness Retreat, we must have only had cabbage a couple of times, but we couldn’t stop talking about it. Seriously. There were multiple conversations I wandered into where people were talking about how underrated cabbage is and how delicious Jami’s cabbage recipes are. Especially the roasted cabbage with crispy onions. I mean, how often have you heard, “is there any more cabbage left?” and sadly the answer was, ‘No.’

As an ode to all you cabbage lovers out there (I’m lookin’ at you Luc!) I’m here with the perfect side dish. Cabbage is cheap and seemingly always in season. I feel like I often overlook it, but maybe that’s because I haven’t really tried anything exciting or flavorful. I always stick with haluski, pigeons, basically any cabbage dish that involves a lot of butter. Here’s to changing that. Grab your machete and throw that head of cabbage in the air like you are a real-life fruit ninja. Wait! Actually, you’ll want to slice it. Read the recipe below and start writing a grocery list, you’re gut will thank you too as cabbage is shown to improve digestion and reduce inflammation.

Roasted Cabbage with Crispy Onions

Ingredients

  • 1 head of red or green cabbage
  • 1 small red onion, medium diced
  • 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (or vegan butter)
  • ¼ olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
  • Salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F
  2. Wash and remove any leaves of the cabbage that are loose.
  3. Cut into Wedges with steam still attached. About 8 wedges.
  4. Line a cookie sheet with foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the foil.
  5. Add the Cabbage wedges and drizzle the rest of the oil.
  6. Season with salt & pepper.
  7. *I add a very small piece of butter to each cabbage wedge. Adds flavor and
  8. helps crisp the cabbage.
  9. Roast the cabbage wedges for 20- 25 minutes, or until crispy and golden
  10. brown.
  11. *You are looking for the cabbage to have a lot of crisp to the outer layers and
  12. still have a soft interior.
  13. As the cabbage is roasting, use a medium skillet on medium heat.
  14. Melt the
  15. butter and olive oil together. Once the butter has melted add the diced onion,
  16. salt & pepper.
  17. Stir every 2 minutes, this will help create crispy onion bits.
  18. Cook for about 7 minutes.
  19. Once the cabbage is finished, plate and spoon the onion with the butter and
  20. oil over the cabbage.
  21. Garnish with chopped chive or scallion, maybe some flake salt.
https://liveseasoned.com/roasted-cabbage-crispy-onions/

Looking for a little more? You can also add some chopped bacon to the roasted cabbage with crispy onions.

You could also whip up an easy chive and sour cream sauce to drizzle over the top.

Simply mix:
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 c Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped chives
  • some salt and pepper

Getting Outside : Where to start?

We are huge proponents of getting outside and enjoying the benefits of nature.  In addition to mental and physical benefits, we also believe that time in nature strengthens our connection to the natural world. If you want to learn more about the importance of nature, check out these two book recommendations (one and two) from Sarah.
farm_hike2 farm_hike3

Going one step further, we strongly believe that learning about the natural world is critical to wanting to protect and preserve these ecosystems that are then crucial to our survival and well-being.

Having grown up in a household with these values, these ideas and actions come easily to us, but I could understand that if you don’t have the same inclination to get outside, then it can be hard to know where to start.

farm_hike4

Take it easy

You don’t need an epic adventure to reap the benefits of nature.

  • Step out into your backyard or onto your front stoop. You’re outside! You don’t have to do anything else. You can watch the clouds float by, listen to the birds, and even catch a butterfly flutter along.
  • Get to know your local parks. If they have trails, take some water and go for a hike. If they’re small and urban, take a picnic and relax.

tetons24

Step it up

But a day-trip can be fun…

  • Take a friend and visit your closest state or national park. If you’ve never been, stop in at the visitor’s center and ask the naturalists to recommend a trail that meets your energy level and time limitations.
  • Join a hiking meet-up group. The group organizers will handle all of the details, you just have to show up! There are groups for different fitness/adventure levels, and even within a group, you’ll often find a variety of events. Choose something that matches your comfort level, wear the appropriate clothing, and take the right snacks. Join the event knowing that others in the group are looking to meet people, share their love of outdoors, and want to help you have a great time.

canyonlands21

Get adventurous

Maybe something epic is enticing…

  • Plan a vacation centered around outdoor adventure. If you aren’t the camping type, stay at a lodge or resort that focuses on outdoor adventures. This may be a lodge in the mountains of Colorado or an eco-resort in the rain forests of Costa Rica. The lodge can help you plan every aspect of your adventure and they will often have guides and gear available for your use.
  • If you want a more private vacation, go to a state or national park. You won’t need camping gear if you reserve a park yurt or cabin.

canyonlands20

The Don’ts

  • Don’t think that being outside isn’t for you. You just have to experiment and find your comfort zone. Maybe you’ll discover that you’re a lot more adventurous than you thought.
  • Don’t think that you need the right gear. Start with the comfortable clothes and shoes that you already own. Add sunscreen, snacks, and water. You’re an instant outdoor warrior.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions and help. Park naturalists love to make suggestions and help you find the right trail. Social media is a great resource. Find those meet-up groups, ask friends about their recent adventures, shoot us an email!  Seriously.

dragonfly

As you spend more time outside, any initial discomforts you experienced will slip away. You’ll get better at knowing what to pack. You’ll feel confident while walking along a trail. You’ll notice other positive changes;  screen and social media time will be replaced by daydreaming and creative thoughts.

So go. Take a hike! xo

Thai Tofu Buddha Bowl

Food-3

Happiest Tuesday to you! Another recipe from the Crafting Ritual and Cultivating Mindfulness Retreat comin’ at ya. We loved these Thai Tofu Buddha Bowl so much that there was not a single scrap left. Honestly we probably could have made a bit more, but who knew the tofu would be such a hit? Take that as a hint, if you make this for a crew, make a little more than you think is necessary.

Continue reading

Lemony Chicken and Broccoli Salad

Food-10

Happy Monday! If you’re anything like me, Monday may bring about the stress of having to feed yourself delicious and healthy lunches each day in order to fuel yourself. Some weeks I’m utterly overwhelmed with the chore of feeding myself, other weeks I somehow scrape by, but the best weeks are when I prepare this Lemony Chicken and Broccoli Salad or fresh Shrimp Salad to keep me going each day.

Continue reading

Shrimp & Avocado Salad

This week, I’m sharing half a dozen recipes from the Crafting Ritual and Cultivating Mindfulness retreat.  Our personal chef, Jami, prepared all our delicious meals from basic, whole ingredients.

Food-23 Food-22

Is this the summer of shrimp salad? For me it is. I’ve had three varieties in just as many weeks. I can’t remember eating much of it in the past, but that’s changed, I love this citrusy Shrimp and Avocado Salad recipe by Jami. It’s perfect eaten alone or on toast. A crunchy cracker like this Trader Joe’s whole wheat pita variety would work well too.

The Shrimp and Avocado salad is easy to make, especially if you buy your shrimp pre-steamed and a fresh pre-made mango salsa. If you can’t find a freshly made mango salsa, you’ll have to make your own. It’s super easy and I highly recommend using frozen mango so that it’s of peak freshness. I promise it doesn’t degrade the quality, I actually prefer it to what we consider ripe mangos in the states.

Continue reading

Carrot Hummus

This week, I’m sharing half a dozen recipes from the Crafting Ritual and Cultivating Mindfulness retreat.  Our personal chef, Jami, prepared all our delicious meals from basic, whole ingredients. Jami demonstrated how little preparation some of these yummy veggie dishes take. Food-13 Food-12 Food-11

Carrot hummus, is the easiest way to add color to your spreads, and the quickest way to impress your guests. This bright carrot hummus goes great with a vegetable platter or pita chips. You can see we used it as a topping for our open faced sandwiches at brunch, along with beets, micro greens, mushrooms, avocado, and egg. Wholesome.

Continue reading

Chickpea & Spinach Salad

Food-17

This week, I’m sharing half a dozen recipes from the Crafting Ritual and Cultivating Mindfulness retreat, including this chickpea and spinach salad.  Our personal chef, Jami, prepared all our delicious meals from basic, whole ingredients. Jami demonstrated how little preparation some of these yummy veggie dishes take. The garlic, cumin, and paprika are super tasty in this nourishing chickpea and spinach dish.

We served the chickpea and spinach salad alongside lemony salmon, yum. Eat this dish as a straight up side or add it to a lunch bowl, maybe overtop brown rice and alongside roasted beets or under a few blackened shrimp. Do you boo.

Food-15

Continue reading

Blueberry Coconut Smoothie Bowls

Food-9Happy Monday! Two weeks ago, I hosted a dozen folks during a meditation retreat in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Our personal chef, Jami, prepared all our delicious meals from basic, whole ingredients. This was a great reminder of how good we feel when we fill ourselves with wholesome, nutritious foods. One rule from Michael Pollan’s Food Rules immediately comes to mind : Eat mostly plants. And that we did.

Continue reading

Knoebels {2017}

This morning we republished an old post of ours that introduced you to our absolute favorite amusement park, Knoebels. Read that post to learn a little bit more about why this park is so near and dear to our hearts.

knoebels1

Below are a few postcards from last year’s visit. We never published these, but just looking through them has me so excited for this year’s visit.

Continue reading

Knoebels Amusement Park

If you’ve been following along, the boys and I are on a long east coast adventure. We’ve devoted most of the month to lazing about at the beach, chasing seagulls, catching crabs, and visiting with family. We’re good at keeping things simple, but, months in advance Sarah and I were already talking about how we had to take Alex to Knoebels, a small family-owned park just minutes from where we grew up in central PA. We couldn’t wait to introduce our adventure-seeking two-year-old to the rides, knowing that we would have just as much fun watching from the sidelines. Read on to find out why this is the perfect park for a family visit, even, or especially if you don’t plan on going on the rides.

liveseasoned summer15 knoebels amusement park-21

liveseasoned summer15 knoebels amusement park-2

This was also the first day that Alex and Luc were reunited with their poppop and PA aunt and uncles. So between rides there was a lot of catching up with the little guys. You know, letting Luc teeth on their fingers. Carrying Alex from ride to ride and getting a kick out of hearing him talk (“let’s ride it again!”, “one more time please”, etc.).

Continue reading