Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage Soup

Quarantine is in full swing here in Chicago. The governor recently ordered a full shut down, which means I’m going to be stuck inside until further notice.

I’m doing my best to find the light in the situation. For the last few months, I lost my desire to cook for myself. I fell victim to my circumstances. After working in the kitchen, I went home exhausted, bitter, and lifeless.

I wasn’t sure what my next move was going to be. I knew I needed to make one fast if I wanted to get out of the above state of mind.

During the slow season at the kitchen, I obtained a NASM-CPT to become a certified personal trainer. I managed to find a new place of employment shortly after I passed my exam. It doesn’t matter now anyway since I can no longer work there until the whole COVID-19 situation blows over.

What the hell am I going to do with myself? Living with people who are overly anxious to begin with before the outbreak has allowed me to look deep within myself on how I can stay calm during the storm. Since I can’t change them, I can change how I react to their anxiety.

The most optimal solution I have used during this time is cooking. Since I have unlimited amounts of time to spend, I’m choosing to spend it focusing on my health. It’s the best way to protect myself during such unknown, unprecedented times. Since it’s difficult to feel safe around my loved ones, I can find safety from within.

Cooking allows me to connect with Mother Nature by using wholesome ingredients in my food. All my recipes are made from scratch. My diet consists of gluten and dairy-free recipes that help tremendously with inflammation.

While I worked in the kitchen, I was eating a lot of fried food that was around, which was reversing years of time I spent focusing on my health. It was taking its toll on me because I got sick 3x in a matter of fewer than 5 months.

I’m going to come out of this outbreak healthier than I was going into it. I was experiencing episodes of burn out, which subsided once I started eating less fried food. Today is officially my two month anniversary of not eating any fast food. When I eat healthy, it is easier to control my mood/reactions to stimulus around me.

My health is what keeps me alive and I want to do everything in my power to be the strongest version of myself that I can possibly be in this lifetime. By cooking my own food at home, I’m releasing generations of digestion problems that have been passed down to me on both sides.

I’m blessed to have a crockpot because that is going to be my best friend for the next few weeks. It’s still cold here, which means soups and stews up the wazoo.

My parents had some cabbage laying around that they wanted me to use before it went to waste, which became the inspiration for this recipe.

I grew up eating stuffed peppers, which brought to life this hearty soup. I feel even more full eating this than the stuffed pepper version.

Making this recipe allowed me to have tons of leftovers to stockpile in order to have enough fresh meals to get through this tough time.

The recipe is as follows below:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef 85% lean 15% fat

• 1/2 green cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp dried basil

• salt and pepper to taste

For the Rice:

• 1 cup white or brown rice

• 2 cups water or chicken broth

For the Soup:

• 1 28 oz can fresh vine-ripened tomatoes

• 1 15 oz can chicken broth

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 /4 tsp liquid smoke

• 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp dried basil

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut cabbage into thin slices (see the video on how to cut cabbage here)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

3. On a foiled sheet pan, place cut cabbage, minced garlic, olive oil, and spices. Stir evenly to coat vegetables with seasoning.

4. Cook for 25 minutes stirring halfway through to avoid burning.

5. While the cabbage is roasting, combine water with rice and begin heating on medium/high heat until it comes to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to medium and cook until water is evaporated (15-20 min)

7. Cook ground beef in a skillet, stirring constantly until cooked through. Drain in a colander with a paper towel over it to help eliminate grease.

8. Blend all ingredients for the sauce in a high powered blender.

9. Combine all ingredients (minus the rice) in the crockpot and set it on low heat for 5 hours.

10. Combine cooked rice into the crockpot 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

While you are at home, take this opportunity to learn to cook for the health of your family. I have developed a recipe book of over 50 recipes to provide you with inspiration to begin your journey of adopting a healthy lifestyle. Take the time to support small businesses in order to allow us to be able to share our craft with the world.