Hard Cider and Cabbage Stew

It is legitimately fall, y’all. The morning temperatures are regularly in the 50s and sometimes 40s. The leaves are turning, and I have found myself combing through cookbooks and spending more time in the kitchen. And it’s not all about pumpkin either, though the pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin rooibos tea, and pumpkin pancake mix might not agree.

I love soups and stews. I also love using my slow-cooker. But as Lesley noted, most slow-cooker recipes are meat-centric, and there are only so many times you can make beans in the slow-cooker. In those cases, I turn to my favorite cookbook: Kathy Hester’s The Vegan Slow Cooker. Generally, the recipes require a little more prep than your normal slow cooker fare, but if you prep the night before, you can usually just toss everything in and go. For this meal, Joe helped me prepare it in the morning, and it was ready to go when we came home from spin class that night.

This particular recipe caught my eye because FALL. Vegan sausage, hard cider, apples, and root veggies like cabbage and carrots fit the season so well. The apple essentially melts into the stew, and the broth is incredibly flavorful due to the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Add some cornbread, and you are set.

Hard Cider and Cabbage Stew
source: The Vegan Slow Cooker
Yields 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-size carrots, sliced into rounds
1 small head cabbage, cored and chopped
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 12 oz package vegan sausage links
2 cups hard cider
2 tbsp vegan chicken-flavored bouillon
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme (My store was out of thyme, so I subbed 1 tsp dried)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few minutes longer. Combine the onion and cut-up vegetables, apple, and sausage in a large air-tight container and store in the refrigerator if preparing the night before.

When ready, combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, and thyme sprigs. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

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